Short answers, pulled from the story.
Swedish physician Magnus Huss published a work in 1852 that first used the word alcoholism to describe the systemic adverse effects of alcohol. Before this moment, terms like dipsomania appeared in medical texts from 1819 yet no single definition held for decades.
The World Health Organization discouraged using the term alcoholism by 1979 due to its vague meaning and stigmatizing nature. Modern clinical practice now prefers phrases such as alcohol use disorder or alcohol dependence within diagnostic manuals like the DSM-5 and ICD-11.
Genetic variations influence how quickly the body metabolizes alcohol through enzymes encoded by genes ADH1B and ALDH2. People from East Asia often carry the allele ADH1B*2 which speeds up metabolism and reduces alcoholism risk while Native Americans may have higher rates despite protective alleles due to cultural environmental factors.
Globally about 3.3 million deaths each year are believed to be caused by alcohol representing 5.9% of all deaths. In 2013 alcoholism directly resulted in 139,000 deaths worldwide while estimates suggest up to 3.3 million total deaths may be attributable to its effects.
Treatment often begins with benzodiazepine medications to manage acute withdrawal safely though phenobarbital or propofol may enhance outcomes when standard therapies fail. Naltrexone blocks opioid receptors to decrease cravings and reduce pleasurable effects of drinking available as daily tablets or monthly injections.