Alcoholism is a disabling addictive disorder in which a person has an involuntary compulsion to consume alcoholic substances with such quantity and frequency that their health and life are significantly compromised. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are approximately 140 million alcoholics worldwide. That statistic is likely not wholly accurate simply because the screening and diagnostic measurements vary from country to country.

The norm for alcohol consumption may be significantly higher in one area than in another, and therefore the measurement for the addiction may be categorized differently. Also, there are many physicians and scientists who do not believe alcoholism is a disease, but rather the "negative effect of alcohol consumption". These differing belief systems may have also had an effect on the WHO's statistical estimate.

Any person who has concerns about their own alcohol intake may not view the statistical evidence and definition laid out by the WHO as useful or meaningful. How does one determine if there is a harmful relationship with alcohol? Very likely there are feelings of embarrassment, shame and the desire to keep their behavior a secret. Although these are very natural feelings, they can enable the addiction if it does exist. First, before harboring any anxiety about alcoholism, be very honest with yourself and take part in one of a series of self-reporting questionnaires available online or at your doctor's office.

One particular survey is the CAGE questionnaire, and includes just four simple queries: Have you ever felt you needed to cut down your drinking? Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking? Have you ever felt guilty about your drinking? Have you ever felt you needed a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover? When two or more answers are "yes," then you should seek further assessment and assistance from a professional.

The CAGE is a good place to start, but it is not helpful with those who have less severe drinking problems. For example, an individual who works a full time job, is respected by their coworkers and applauded for their work, has a full family life, is active on the weekend, but drinks a bottle of wine each day, is not necessarily going to answer the CAGE in a way that indicates help is needed but clearly there is a substantial dependence on alcohol. At this point an Alcohol Dependence Data Questionnaire may be a more sensitive tool to use.

Once the individual has come to admit their relationship with alcohol is unhealthy, they need to accept help. For some, this is the hardest step to take and many fall into a period of denial. No one wants to admit they are less than perfect or have a problem with a controlled substance. Society labels those with addiction in discreditable ways, as part of a lower class. Unfortunately, these many blatant social stereotypes surrounding the word ‘alcoholism' present significant barriers to the treatment.

According to the Journal of Women's Health, women are more at risk to deny and/or hide their alcoholism because of these stereotypes. A woman may drink in secret or only when alone in order to maintain her persona as a stable and reliable woman able to care for the family and remain attractive. Alternatively, men are less likely to hide their alcohol consumption, feeling it is more socially acceptable for men to drink in excess. The result is that for family and friends, it is harder to spot alcoholism in a woman than in a man.

Acceptance of the disease in one thing, receiving help in recovery is quite another. Many people trying to overcome an addiction or life change want to spare the shame of asking for help and do it all themselves. There may be a certain amount of initial success, but very often the individual slides back to old habits. The inevitable question is why? Why does someone who clearly wants to change their behavior slip back into drinking? Of course there may be some physical withdrawal symptoms that are difficult to manage, but the real hurdles are in the psychological triggers. We need help in identifying the triggers, the reasons for them and building strategies to overcome them. It may be our own mind, but we cannot see our behaviors objectively. Recovery requires support, education, patience and perseverance. Not a single person is perfect or completely independent. Accepting help and doing the work in recovery is not a one man show, it requires a whole cast and crew.