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a chronic disorder characterized by dependence on , repeated excessive use of beverages, the development of withdrawal symptoms on reducing or ceasing intake, morbidity that may include cirrhosis of the liver, and decreased ability to function socially and vocationally.
Contemporary Examples

It appears, based on this chart, that alcoholism is a larger problem in the red states than in the blue.
All the Grown-Up Hipsters Playing Kids’ Games Daniel Genis June 28, 2014

Ford founded the no-frills center near Palm Springs in 1982, after battling her own alcoholism and drug addiction.
Betty Ford Center’s Messy Path After Former First Lady’s Death Lois Romano November 8, 2011

Consuming yagé is believed to be a general cure-all for almost anything: cancer, depression, alcoholism, etc.
Spirit Tripping With Colombian Shamans Chris Allbritton August 23, 2014

This replaces the older “alcohol abuse” and even older “alcoholism,” which has been out of favor among scientists for decades.
Americans Drink Too Much, But We’re Not All Alcoholics Gabrielle Glaser November 24, 2014

They divorced in 2005 after she accused him of child abduction, alcoholism, and physical abuse—charges he denied.
Was Melissa Huckaby Raped? Jennifer Wadsworth April 18, 2009

Historical Examples

alcoholism, as a habit, is one of the worst dysgenic factors to reckon with.
Woman William J. Robinson

Smith, I believe you once proposed to write an article on Climate and alcoholism.
The Cruise of the Dry Dock T. S. Stribling

Like alcoholism, this disease contributes to its own elimination, its victims do not survive many generations.
Race Improvement : or, Eugenics : a Little Book on a Great Subject La Reine Helen Baker

Thus it is not alcoholism or the craving for drink which is inherited.
The Sexual Question August Forel

Wine drinking is increasing as well as alcoholism, regardless of what the doctors try to prove.
Castles and Chateaux of Old Navarre and the Basque Provinces Francis Miltoun

noun
a condition in which dependence on alcohol harms a person’s health, social functioning, or family life
n.

“disease of alcohol addiction,” 1852, from alcohol + -ism, or else from Modern Latin alcoholismus, coined in 1852 by Swedish professor of medicine Magnus Huss (1807-1890) to mean what we now would call “alcohol poisoning.” In earlier times, alcoholism would have been habitual drunkenness or some such term.

alcoholism al·co·hol·ism (āl’kə-hô-lĭz’əm)
n.

The compulsive consumption of and psychophysiological dependence on alcoholic beverages.

A chronic, progressive pathological condition, mainly affecting the nervous and digestive systems, caused by the excessive and habitual consumption of alcohol. Also called chronic alcoholism.

Temporary mental disturbance and muscular incoordination caused by excessive consumption of alcohol. Also called acute alcoholism.

alcoholism
(āl’kə-hô-lĭz’əm)
A progressive, potentially fatal disease characterized by the excessive and compulsive consumption of alcoholic beverages and physiological and psychological dependence on alcohol. Chronic alcoholism usually results in liver and other organ damage, nutritional deficiencies and impaired social functioning.

A chronic disease associated with the excessive and habitual use of alcohol; the disease, if left unattended, worsens and can kill the sufferer. Alcoholism is marked by physical dependency and can cause disorders in many organs of the body, including the liver (see cirrhosis), stomach, intestines, and brain. It is also associated with abnormal heart rhythms, with certain cancers, and, because of loss of appetite, with poor nutrition. The cause of alcoholism is very complicated and most often involves a mixture of physical, psychological, and possibly genetic factors.