Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Alcoholism \Al"co*hol*ism\, n. [Cf. F. alcoolisme.] (Med.)
   A diseased condition of the system, brought about by the
   continued use of alcoholic liquors.

Source : WordNet®

alcoholism
     n 1: Habitual intoxication; prolonged and excessive intake of
          alcoholic drinks leading to a breakdown in health and an
          addiction to alcohol such that abrupt deprivation leads
          to severe withdrawal symptoms [syn: {alcohol addiction},
           {inebriation}, {drunkenness}]
     2: an intense persistent desire to drink alcoholic beverages to
        excess [syn: {dipsomania}, {potomania}]