Alcohol dependence is a lifetime psychiatric diagnosis.
1,2 Like other chronic illnesses (eg, type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension), alcohol use disorders (AUDs) have physiological and behavioral components, as well as relapse rates similar to those of other chronic illnesses.
3 It has been estimated that around 1 in 4 patients with AUDs remain continuously abstinent in the first year after treatment.
4