While alcoholism may not be a proper clinical term, often times, people are referring to a person with an alcohol use disorder when they use the term “alcoholic.” Given this fact, many people might consider a person who meets diagnostic criteria for an alcohol use disorder as being alcoholic.u003cbr/u003eSymptoms such as craving alcohol, developing a tolerance for it, continuing to drink despite significant consequences, and suffering withdrawal symptoms when not drinking could be a sign that someone is what most would call an “alcoholic.”