I personally have a drink every so often, but I make sure not to let it get out of hand because I've what alcoholism can do to a person.
That's a wise decision. Alcoholism is a term for drinking excessively and causes mental and physical health problems.
So can the alcohol itself cause any physical or mental issues that are unique to purely alcoholism compared to, say, addiction to heroin or other drugs?
Yes, alcohol particularly affects the brain, heart, liver, and pancreas. The first organ that is typically damaged is the liver.
I figured, since the liver is what breaks the alcohol down, correct?
Alcoholic liver disease
Alcoholic liver disease is a term that encompasses the liver manifestations of alcohol overconsumption, including fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and chronic hepatitis with liver fibrosis or cirrhosis.
It is the major cause of liver disease in Western countries. Although steatosis (fatty liver) will develop in any individual who consumes a large quantity of alcoholic beverages over a long period of time, this process is transient and reversible. More than 90% of all heavy drinkers develop fatty liver well about 25% develop the more severe
A chronic disease in which a person craves drinks that contain alcohol and is unable to control his or her drinking. A person with this disease also needs to drink greater amounts to get the same effect and has withdrawal symptoms after stopping alcohol use. Alcoholism affects physical and mental health, and can cause problems with family, friends, and work.
- A disorder characterized by a pathological pattern of alcohol use that causes a serious impairment in social or occupational functioning.
- A primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial