ALCOHOLISM is a condition that arises as a result of alcohol consumption and is characterized by a constant or periodic need for it. The term “alcoholism” was first used in 1849 by the Swedish physician and public figure M. Huss (Huss; M. Huss) to denote a set of painful changes that occur in the body under the influence of drinking alcohol. In the DSM-IV (American classification of mental disorders) it is customary to distinguish a whole class of diseases and disorders caused by chemical substances (Substance-Related Disorders). These include diseases and disorders associated with addictive substances (including alcohol), drug side effects, and toxic exposures. Chemical dependence is described as a constellation of cognitive, behavioral, and physiological symptoms that indicate that an individual continues to use substances despite problems caused by them. There are also 11 classes of psychoactive substances: alcohol; amphetamine or similar sympathomimetics; caffeine; cannabinols; cocaine; hallucinogens; inhalants (volatile substances); nicotine; opiates; phencyclidine (PCP) or similar phenylcyclohexinamines; and sedative-hypnotics and anxiolytics. Motivation for drinking alcohol varies from person to person. In general, individuals with alcohol dependence can be characterized as follows: 1. Low resistance to stress, intolerance to conflicts, unfulfilled expectations, pain, reduced adaptability.2. Tension, anxiety, low self-esteem, need for immediate pleasure, difficulty establishing emotional contact.3. Lack of positive attitudes, inability to organize leisure time, following negative examples, early criminal behavior. Three syndromes. In the domestic literature, it is customary to talk about three syndromes, which are the main components of addiction: 1. syndrome of altered reactivity (disappearance of defensive reactions, increased tolerance, change in the form of intoxication); 2. mental dependence syndrome (obsessive desire, comfort in a state of intoxication); 3. physical dependence syndrome (compulsive craving, withdrawal syndrome, etc.). Alcohol dependence manifests itself at the mental and physical level. Alcoholism first forms as a mental dependence and only then does physiological dependence arise at the biochemical level. Mental dependence is formed at the brain level and is associated with neurotransmitter exchange, in particular with dopamine. Under the influence of alcohol, brain cells get used to a specific state of intoxication, which is adequate to a drug. To obtain positive emotions, a person increasingly needs alcohol doping and an increase in the amount of alcohol he drinks. As a result, loss of dose control becomes a serious symptom of the development of alcoholism. In a state of alcoholic intoxication, control over the situation disappears, behavior is disrupted, and the next morning memory loss for some events appears. Physical dependence on alcohol is associated with metabolic disorders, in particular, with a deficiency of endogenous (internal) alcohol and increased activity of alcoholic enzymes in the body, and manifests itself in the form of withdrawal (hangover) syndrome and the formation of binge drinking. The main signs of alcoholism. 1. Increased body resistance to alcohol: in order to achieve a comfortable psychological state from intoxication, an increasingly large dose of alcohol is required (against the background of a complete loss of the protective gag reflex).2. Loss of dose control: a person expects to drink a little, but as a result gets drunk.3. Morbid craving for alcohol, when a person regularly seeks to change his mental state through alcohol.4. Hangover syndrome, when a new dose is required the next morning to “improve health.”5. Binge drinking (a consequence of hangover), when a person is forced to drink., 2000.