Critical Elements in the Diagnosis of Alcoholism

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Abstract
IT IS generally recognized that prolonged and excessive consumption of alcohol can have a deleterious effect on a person's physical health and psychosocial functioning. Yet, for a long time, there were no clearly identifiable criteria to diagnose alcoholism and to determine the extent and scope of any particular drinking pattern.1-6 In an attempt to deal with this problem, the National Council on Alcoholism (NCA) established a criteria committee composed of prominent professionals in the field of alcoholism to define criteria for the diagnosis of alcoholism. The committee used as models diagnostic classifications developed in other areas of medicine7-11and also evaluated specific criteria used by alcoholism investigators.12The initial draft was sent to professionals in the alcoholism field for their comments and suggestions. The final draft consisted of two sets or tracks of criteria: Track 1 contains physiological and clinical items; track 2, behavioral, psychological, and attitudinal