Because alcoholics seldom have adequate diets, they are likely to have nutritional deficiencies. Heavy drinkers typically have impaired liver function, and at least one in five develops cirrhosis.
Alcohol is a drug and as with a lot of drugs it is a poisonous substance, the more you drink and the more often you drink the more you expose your body and mind to health risks. If you have alcohol frequently circulating in your body there are a number of irreversible long-term effects.
Simply drinking regularly can bring about damage to internal organs. A heavy drinker will suffer brain shrinkage, which is loss of brain cells. Not only that but even moderate drinking may affect the functioning of your brain. This can all lead to loss of memory. A heavy drinker can get a build up of fatty deposits in the liver, which can eventually lead to a disease called cirrhosis and means that the liver is irreversibly damaged. Through drinking, gastritis and stomach bleeding can be caused. Heavy drinkers will increase their likelihood of getting cancer. By drinking excessively you are doubling the risk of getting cancer of the gullet, trebling it for cancer of the throat and quadrupling it for cancer of the voice box. The risk of getting breast cancer is also greatly increased. Heavy drinkers can get nerve pains or tightening in the arms and legs, something that is very uncomfortable.
The cause of alcoholism seems to be a blend of genetic, physical, psychological, environmental, and social factors that vary among individuals. Genetic factors are considered crucial: A given person's risk of becoming an alcoholic is four to five times greater if a parent is an alcoholic. Some children of alcohol abusers, however, overcome the hereditary pattern. .