An alcohol addiction is generally defined as the consumption or preoccupation of alcoholic beverages to the extent that it interferes with their normal personal, family, social or work life.
However, the great danger of alcohol addiction is that it is currently almost impossible to determine who will become addicted to alcohol and who will be able to drink large quantities but give it up whenever they need to.
While many people may binge drink or consume more alcohol than is good for them, not all these people can be described as being alcoholics or needing any addiction treatment.
There are certain risk factors that can be taken into account to assess the likelihood of a person becoming an alcoholic - for example, consuming large quantities of alcohol while young - but none are foolproof methods of singling out those most likely to be affected by alcohol addiction.
People with alcohol problems can come from all walks of life, with the underprivileged and unemployed youngster just as likely to need addiction recovery services as the overworked company executive.
Furthermore, the individual who has the addiction problem is usually oblivious to it as a problem until it becomes too difficult to stop.
As a result, it can often be up to friends and family to look for the warning signs of alcohol addiction in a loved one, so that they can make the alcoholic aware of the issue and even direct them to the appropriate rehab clinic or other addiction treatment services.