DEFINITION OF ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE

The term dependence has diverse implications. As the outward appearanc e of alcohol dependent patients is changing, the process of defining a lcohol dependence is steadily in evolution. The heterogeneity of clini cal syndroms is caused by cultural factors including doctor-patient-re lationship and by influence of co-resp. multimorbidity of alcohol sequ els. Future research has to implement relapse patterns as course modif ying factor of dependence syndromes.