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Alcohol, then, belongs in a category somewhere between the habit-forming and addiction-producing drugs. The WHO labelled it "intermediate in kind and degree" between the two categories of drugs, but even this label is inaccurate.
The fact is that the effects of alcohol simply cannot be generalized for both alcoholics and nonalcoholics.
For most drinkers, alcohol is not addictive; yet for the minority who are alcoholics, the criteria for true drug addiction are fulfilled; an increased tissue tolerance to the drug, a physical dependence on the drug with physical withdrawal symptoms, and an irresistable need for the drug when it is withdrawn.
The only way to clear up the confusion is to label alcohol a selectively addicting drug. It is addictive only for those individuals who are physically susceptible.