Chapter 19: Alcoholism and Other Drug Addictions

Abstract

Ethyl alcohol is classified as a narcotic, i.e., a substance that acts primarily on the central nervous system. Repeated use of narcotics leads to addiction, and a morbid need to consume them is called narcomania. As a rule, an organism that has become addicted to frequent use of narcotics reacts pathologically to being deprived of the habitual stimulant. A picture of "narcotic hunger," i.e., a withdrawal syndrome [abstinentsiia], develops. This characteristic phenomenon is similar in its general features for all addicts, regardless of the drug used.