alcoholic

As an adjective, describing any beverage or preparation containing ethanol, from light beers to concentrated spirits and alcohol-based extracts. As a noun, it denotes a person whose drinking has become compulsive and harmful, marked by loss of control over consumption, continued use despite damage to health, work, and relationships, and often by physical dependence with withdrawal symptoms. Modern medicine increasingly prefers the term alcohol use disorder, which captures the spectrum from mild to severe without the stigma the older label can carry. The condition reflects changes in brain reward circuitry combined with genetic vulnerability and environment, and it responds to treatment combining counseling, medication, and peer support. Nutritionally, chronic heavy drinking damages the gut, liver, and pancreas while displacing food, producing deficiencies even in people consuming plenty of calories.