Epidemiology

Substance use disorders are a major public health problem facing many countries. "The most common substance of abuse/dependence in patients presenting for treatment is alcohol."In the United Kingdom, the number of 'dependent drinkers' was calculated as over 2.8 million in 2001.
Within the medical community, there is broad consensus regarding alcoholism as a disease state. Outside the medical community, there is considerable debate regarding the Disease Theory of Alcoholism. Proponents argue that any structural or functional disorder having a predictable course, or progression, should be classified as a disease. Opponents cite the inability to pin down the behavioral issues to a physical cause as a reason for avoiding classification.
A 2002 study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism surveyed a group of 4,422 adult alcoholics and found that after one year some were no longer alcoholics, with the breakdown as follows:
25% still dependent
27.3% in partial remission (some symptoms persist)
11.8% asymptomatic drinkers (consumption increases chances of relapse)
35.9% fully recovered — made up of 17.7% low-risk drinkers plus 18.2% abstainers.