"drunkard, one suffering from an uncontrollable craving for strong drink," 1844, from dipsomania on the model of maniac. Slang shortening dipso is attested by 1880.
Entries linking to dipsomaniac
dipsomania n.
1843, "morbid craving for alcohol," also used of the temporary madness caused by excessive drinking, coined in medical Latin from Greek dipsa "thirst" (which is of unknown origin) + mania. It is recorded earlier in Italian (1829) and German (1830) medical works.