alcohol use disorder
noun
variants
or less commonly alcohol-use disorder
plural alcohol use disorders also alcohol-use disorders
: a medical condition characterized by a pattern of frequent and usually excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, by strong cravings for alcohol often accompanied by episodes of depression, anxiety, or distress, by symptoms (such as restlessness or sweating) of alcohol withdrawal, and by the impaired ability to stop or control the intake of alcohol despite adverse effects on one's work, school, or family obligations
Note: Alcohol use disorder ranges from mild to severe and is typically considered to encompass conditions also referred to as alcohol dependence, alcohol abuse, alcohol addiction, and alcoholism.
Over the long term, teen alcohol use can interfere with normal brain development and can increase the chance that the teens will develop an alcohol use disorder later in life.—
Cindy Kurman
Cindy KurmanAbout 40 to 50 soldiers assigned to Fort Meade are now undergoing treatment for alcohol use disorders.—Lisa Rhodes
Lisa RhodesAn estimated 18 million Americans suffer from alcohol-use disorder, as the DSM-5, the latest edition of the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic manual, calls it. … Only about 15 percent of those with alcohol-use disorder are at the severe end of the spectrum. The rest fall somewhere in the mild-to-moderate range …—Gabrielle Glaser
—abbreviation AUD
Gabrielle GlaserExamples of alcohol use disorder in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For example, a previous study found that adding the GLP-1, exenatide, was effective at helping some people with obesity and alcohol use disorder drink less.
—Dr. Faizah Shareef, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2024
Researchers in Australia are now studying the combination of COPE and MDMA for people with PTSD and alcohol use disorder.
—Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
Meanwhile, nearly 29 million people ages 12 and above had alcohol use disorder in the past year, according to a 2023 national survey.
—Annika Kim Constantino,ashley Capoot, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2024
The researchers identified records of people with diagnosed SUDs—specifically opioid use disorder (OUD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD)—who also happened to be taking a GLP-1 RA for diabetes or weight loss.
—Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 17 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for alcohol use disorder 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dr. Faizah Shareef, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2024
Researchers in Australia are now studying the combination of COPE and MDMA for people with PTSD and alcohol use disorder.
—Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
Meanwhile, nearly 29 million people ages 12 and above had alcohol use disorder in the past year, according to a 2023 national survey.
—Annika Kim Constantino,ashley Capoot, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2024
The researchers identified records of people with diagnosed SUDs—specifically opioid use disorder (OUD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD)—who also happened to be taking a GLP-1 RA for diabetes or weight loss.
—Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 17 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for alcohol use disorder
Dictionary Entries Near alcohol use disorder
Cite this Entry
“Alcohol use disorder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alcohol%20use%20disorder. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
alcohol use disorder
noun
variants
also alcohol-use disorder
: a medical condition characterized by a pattern of frequent and usually excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, by strong cravings for alcohol often accompanied by episodes of depression, anxiety, or distress, by symptoms (such as restlessness or sweating) of alcohol withdrawal, and by the impaired ability to stop or control the intake of alcohol despite adverse effects on one's work, school, or family obligations
Note: Alcohol use disorder ranges from mild to severe and is typically considered to encompass conditions also referred to as alcohol dependence, alcohol abuse, alcohol addiction, and alcoholism.
Alcohol use disorder, a problematic pattern of alcohol use accompanied by clinically significant impairment or distress, is present in up to 14% of US adults during a 1-year period, although only about 8% of affected individuals are treated in an alcohol treatment facility.—Henry R. Kranzler and Michael Soyka, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Henry R. Kranzler and Michael Soyka, The Journal of the American Medical AssociationDespite physicians' awareness of the importance of screening and probing for alcohol use disorders, one problem that might explain the failure of screening to become routine could be that physicians "aren't sure what to do once they obtain a history" that suggests a problem, Dr. [Keith A.] Nichols said.—Naseem S. Miller, Internal Medicine News
Naseem S. Miller, Internal Medicine NewsAn estimated 18 million Americans suffer from alcohol-use disorder, as the DSM-5, the latest edition of the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic manual, calls it. … Only about 15 percent of those with alcohol-use disorder are at the severe end of the spectrum. The rest fall somewhere in the mild-to-moderate range …—Gabrielle Glaser, The Atlantic
—abbreviation AUD
Gabrielle Glaser, The AtlanticLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share