Over 17 million people in the US suffer from alcoholism.
This total includes men, women and even teenagers.
Alcohol is legal so it is the most available, socially acceptable and costly drug that is abused in the world today.
Those who consume alcohol do it at least once a week.
Social drinking usually does not cause dependence on the drug.
Those who are dependent on the substance usually drink everyday, which is where the costliness comes into play.
The effects of alcoholism can be very dangerous and if left untreated it can be fatal.
Alcoholism is a mental and physical addiction.
This is because when the person addicted does not have their alcohol fix they can begin shaking, sweating and feel nauseated.
In addition, their mental state will be withdrawn, angry or depressed.
When a person becomes addicted, they become obsessed with drinking.
This obsession will start effecting their career, family and friends.
Most alcoholics get to where they do not know when to stop drinking and when they do stop, it is usually because they are nauseous or passed out.
If they continue to abuse the drug, they will get a higher tolerance for it and start drinking more to get the "high" they need.
The effects of alcoholism can be high health risks.
These risks can include certain forms of cancer, liver disease, pancreatitis, and heart disease.
Women are particularly at in danger of these more than likely health hazards.
These possible health problems are usually evident after a long time of abusing alcohol.
The liver is the most susceptible to problems caused by drinking, especially a disease called alcoholism hepatitis and cirrhosis (liver scarring).
Neurological and sexual problems can also be effects of alcoholism.
Some mental issues can be depression or anger, some who have alcoholism can have anger problems that only increase with the alcohol consumption.
The effects of alcoholism on the abusers family can be very severe.
Children usually suffer the most from this.
The child or children can have problems with emotional development and become alcoholics as adults.
If the alcoholic parent is abusive when drunk the child can grow up think that it is okay to be abusive and end up abusing their significant others or children as well.
The effects of alcoholism can also have a big consequence on the abusers relationship or marriage that could end in divorce or separation.
The alcoholic can also have career problems because of their disease.
The sufferer could have attendance problems due to hangovers and could have performance issues or be immediately terminated if they go in drunk.
There are many treatments for alcoholism today.
Choosing the best one can be hard for a person trying to get help with their disease.
Once the sufferer decides to take the road to recovery, they should have a lot of support.
Otherwise, they can have a relapse and fall right back into the swing of drinking their self into oblivion.
It is very important not only to seek help with controlling the disease but also to seek psychiatric help especially if there were others that were affected by the person's alcoholism such as children or a spouse.