Alcoholism: Support and Recovery for You and Your Loved Ones

• Alcoholism and alcohol abuse are two different conditions. Alcohol abuse is characterized by patterns of destructive and excessive drinking; however, the alcohol abuser is still able to stop or change these patterns.  Alcoholism is a chronic and progressively destructive disease. The user is physically and psychologically addicted to alcohol and the situation is out of his or her control.

• Keep in mind that alcoholism is a disease that must be treated as such. Be sensitive to the fact that some factors contributing to alcoholism cannot be controlled.

• Due to the widespread abuse of alcohol on college campuses, college Web sites and their health resource centers can be very useful places to start when learning about alcoholism on the Internet.

• Alcoholism is one of many health topics for which there's a lot of half-baked advice and quackery touted online as fact and legitimate medicine. We've included only trustworthy sources in this guide, of course, but if you want to search further on your own you'll need to be able to detect and reject inaccurate and unscrupulous sites. For additional tips on finding credible health information online, visit the findingDulcinea Health Web Guide.

• For more information on some mental health issues that might accompany alcoholism, go to the findingDulcinea Mental Health Web Guide.

• Alcohol is a drug (although not a narcotic). Don't rule out sites that help with drug interventions for advice on how to confront addiction. Much of this information is valid regardless of the nature of the addiction.

• If you think someone is suffering from alcohol poisoning, call 911 or your local emergency medical responder immediately.

• You'll also find resources in the "Alcoholism Information" section to help a loved one who's suffering. Many of the sites have tips, recommendations and advice for how to proceed.

• Many rehabilitation centers provide both inpatient and outpatient treatment programs.

• Inpatient care means that the patient is admitted into a treatment facility and under the close watch of professionals during recovery.

• Outpatient care is usually recommended for less serious cases of alcoholism or for patients who have successfully finished inpatient treatment.

• Many treatment programs are affiliated with religious institutions, but even for the secular reader, several of their Web sites include useful information.

• Many face-to-face meeting groups also have online alternatives (and vice versa).

• Online support can be a good way to stay anonymous or just read what others are going through without pressure to share your own story. If you feel like connecting, there are plenty of sites that will let you engage in live chat or post your own experiences.

• Alcoholics Anonymous, and many other support groups for sobriety, are loosely based in religion and spirituality. The message shouldn't be too overpowering, but if it bothers you, we've recommended one entirely secular support group.

• Support groups are extremely effective, but many alcoholics require a personal counselor to truly conquer their addiction. If you're serious about conquering your addiction, speak to your internist about what the best plan of action is.

• Researchers often use scientific language. Try using a medical glossary to help you decipher words you aren't familiar with.

• Many online journals require subscriptions that can cost hundreds of dollars per year. Unless you plan to do frequent, extensive research, stick to the free article abstracts.