Alcohol abuse is addiction to alcohol. People who have alcohol addiction are called alcoholics. alcohol dependence is a disease. It often gets worse over time and can kill a person. However, alcohol abusecan be treated. Alcohol is the most commonly used drug in the world. Around the world, there are at least 208 million people withproblem drinking. alcohol addiction is a condition with a social stigma. Because of this, booze addictsoften feel ashamed of their drinking. They may try to hide their drinking, avoid getting help, or refuse to believe that they are booze addicts because they are too ashamed.SOURCE: http://TreatmentsForAlcoholism.org