Alcohol dependence is one of the sneakiest types of addiction, and -- in a society that is built upon social drinking -- can sneak up on any individual, and thrust them into the throes of addiction.
Not only is alcohol dependence sneaky, it is also tricky. Some people often do not realize they have a full on dependency to alcohol until they finally try and quit. After quitting, the individual may feel fine for the first 24 hours or so, but as the last of the alcohol starts to exit the body Delirium Tremens (DTs) can begin and can leave that individual suffering greatly. These withdrawals, are a sign that your body has become so used to the presence of alcohol in the body systems, that the body and mind do not know how to function and balance themselves without the alcohol.
This is the main difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence: Any one can binge on alcohol, or party for a few wild years, or have weekends when they "overdo it;" but, when the body needs the alcohol in order to perform daily functions, the individual has developed an alcohol dependence.
Once an alcohol dependence has surfaced, the individual is suffering from full-on addiction and must seek treatment for this disease immediately, before it ends in death. Again, alcohol is a sneaky drug. You don't simply quit drinking, or it could kill you even more quickly than staying on alcohol. The only option is to go through a medically-supervised alcohol detox program. Through weening-off of the alcohol, dangerous withdrawals can be avoided, and the alcohol-dependent individual can get clean before starting the new task of learning how to stay sober, through an alcohol treatment program.
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