If you drink as part of another mental illness such as anxiety or depression, you have secondary alcohol abuse. An example would be if you drink because the alcohol helps you deal with the symptoms you have when you feel depressed.
Studies show that between 10 and 20 percent of alcoholics also have a secondary psychiatric disorder or a personality disorder.
How the disease progresses:
There are good opportunities to get away from harmful drinking. But it requires that you are willing to make an effort.
In contrast, developing an alcohol dependency syndrome makes the possibility of living a normal happy life, far less possible. In other words, it is crucial that you come into treatment as early as possible. The purpose of this campaigns against alcohol abuse is primarily to get alcoholics into treatment as early in the process as possible.
Alcohol Dependency: If you get so dependent on alcohol that you developed an alcohol dependency syndrome, the chances to get better again are much smaller.
Among the people being treated for severe alcohol problems, only 25 percent completely stopped drinking after ten years. Another 25% drink at times, but still have work, family and friends. 25% were chronic alcoholics and have no job or social network. The remaining 25% are dead. This usually happens due toan illness or accidents caused by alcohol abuse.