Literature Review
4. 1 Definition of Alcohol Use
Clear and accurate definitions of medical problems and disorders are important for research and clinical practice.
The most commonly used definitions for alcohol use disorders are found in two main classification systems of
disease:
the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuals
of Mental Disorders (DSM) of the American Psychiatric
Association (APA), and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) of the World Health Organization
(WHO). According to WHO (1993), alcohol use, as the term implies, is the consumption of alcohol. This
definition does not indicate the amount used or the degree of harm that results from use. WHO (1993) also
defined concepts related to alcohol use as alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. Alcohol abuse is a pattern of
excessive drinking that results in adverse health and social consequences to the drinker, and often to those around
the drinker. On the other hand, alcohol dependence refers to a group of symptoms: craving, physical dependence,
impaired control and tolerance.