What Are the Dangers of Alcoholism?

Alcoholism is the consumption of alcohol to the point where it interferes with your physical and mental health and has harmful effects on your relationships, employment and other aspects of your life. It's marked by a craving for alcohol, difficulty or inability to stop drinking once you've started, a tolerance for alcohol (meaning you need to consume more to achieve the same effect), and a dependence on alcohol to the point where you become physically ill if you don't have a drink. More than 17 million Americans are considered alcoholics, according to the National Institutes of Health. They face the dangers of alcoholism every day.

Liver Damage

• A healthy liver aids digestion and other body processes and helps detoxify the body by getting rid of "poisons" such as alcohol. If you consume more alcohol than your liver can process, the liver can be damaged, and its ability to break down fats, proteins and carbohydrates becomes compromised. Liver damage progresses from fatty liver to alcoholic hepatitis to cirrhosis, in which healthy liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue. Quitting drinking can reverse the damage of fatty liver and alcoholic hepatitis. Cirrhosis of the liver, however, is non-reversible, but quitting drinking and taking other healthy steps and medications can keep the damage from getting worse.

Cardiovascular Complications

• The Women's Heart Foundation reports that alcoholism can lead to high blood pressure and alcoholic cardiomyopathy, a condition marked by an enlarged but weakened heart. Alcohol abuse -- defined as taking more than three alcoholic drinks per day over a sustained period of time -- is also linked to a higher risk of stroke and congestive heart failure. By contrast, moderate alcohol consumption is associated with higher HDL ("good" cholesterol) and protection against arterial disease.

Cognitive Dysfunction

• Alcoholism can lead to impaired reasoning, judgment and memory. Excessive alcohol consumption can have a toxic effect on brain tissue. Abstinence and medication may help restore some cognitive ability and brain function, but some damage may be irreversible.

Depression

• Alcohol and depression are often intertwined. Depressed people are at a higher risk of alcohol and drug abuse, as well as other unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as inactivity, overeating, risk-taking and failure to take necessary medications. However, a study published in the March 2009 issue of Archives of General Psychiatry found that alcohol abuse can lead to depression, rather than heavy drinking simply being the result of depression. Clearly, alcoholism and depression and the warning signs of both conditions should be carefully monitored.

Personal Problems

• Alcoholism can affect workplace performance, which can lead to job loss. Alcoholics can miss work with hangovers or drink during working hours, which can impair performance or put them, co-workers or others in jeopardy. Family and romantic relationships usually suffer, as do friendships. Alcoholics can be physically or verbally abusive or neglectful of the needs of family members, all of which contribute to divorce and other family problems.