Introduction

It is well known that human beings may become addicted to just about anything, ranging from chemical substances such as caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and other drugs to commodities such as clothes, shoes, and fancy cars, as well as to various behaviors such as gambling, jogging, working, and even criminal activities. The consequences of these “fatal involvements” are, however, different. Some may lead to fame and riches, others to illness, despair, or even suicide – depending on the society's but also on the individual's biopsychosocial responses to the behavior in question.

Originally, the Latin verb addico, from which addiction is derived, referred to devoting or giving oneself up to someone or something – either good or bad. The meaning of the word was value free. From the 19th century on, with the rise of the temperance and antiopium movements, it became used in place of intemperance and inebriety, thereby gaining a mainly negative connotation. It referred to the heavy consumption of intoxicating substances and, in the narrow sense, to drug abuse alone (Alexander & Schweighofer, 1988).

Today, however, the scope of the term addiction has widened again. It now refers to all kinds of more or less harmful dependencies. It is my aim here to look at this issue from this wider perspective, even though the focus of this chapter is mainly on the addiction to alcohol.