The central nervous system and the liver are the parts of the body most frequently damaged by alcohol. The nervous system can be affected by polyneuritis(inflammation of the nerves), and at a later stage dropfoot -- when the muscles of the front foot cannot support the toes which drop below the level of the heel, so that the sufferer looks as though he is waling on a feather mattress. The patient may also be striken by Wernicke's encephalopathy -- named after the German neurologist Karl Wernicke, in which he is confused, unsteady on his feet and has weakness in some eye muscles. Alcoholism is a disease and its effects can end in death. Potential or actual alcoholism can affect four areas of people's lives: mental, physical, professional, and domestic and social. The effects of alcoholism were described in the previous post. The most common mental ailments are anxiety, tension and depression. These may be caused by drinking itself, by financial worries, by feelings of guilt or...

According to the NIAAA, about 14 million people in the United States abuse alcohol or are alcoholic. Statistics also showed that men are four times more likely than women to be heavy drinkers. Men are twice as likely to be alcohol abusing or alcohol dependant. Compulsive drinking causes major health problems and every year, more than 100,000 Americans die of alcohol-related causes. It is also estimated that $98 billion are spent annually in the health and welfare services, property damage and medical expenses, according to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. The most common effect of alcohol after use is commonly referred to as a hangover. Hangovers usually occur after large amounts of alcohol are consumed, and usually comes with these symptoms -- dizziness, headache, nausea, thirst, and fatigue. Drink driving and getting in an accident are all effects of alcoholism. Alcoholism effects can be short term or long term. After a while, many problem...