High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems. Cancer of the breast, mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, and colon. Weakening of the immune system, increasing the chances of getting sick. Learning and memory problems, including dementia and poor school performance.

Alcohol seizures usually happen within three days of the individual stopping drinking, but they’re most common around eight hours after stopping. Delirium tremens is a particularly severe form of alcohol withdrawal, and one in three people who experience seizures will also go through it.

There is evidence that the frontal lobes are particularly vulnerable to alcoholism–related damage, and the brain changes in these areas are most prominent as alcoholics age (Oscar–Berman 2000; Pfefferbaum et al. 1997; Sullivan 2000) (see figure 2).

Type II alcoholism is associated with an early onset (i.e., before age 25) of both alcohol abuse and criminal behavior and an inability to abstain from alcohol. The most common personality characteristic of type II alcoholics is high novelty seeking. These people consume alcohol primarily to induce euphoria.

Axis I disorders commonly associated with alcoholism include bipolar disorder, certain anxiety disorders (e.g., social phobia, panic disorder, and post–traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]), schizophrenia, and major depression (Helzer and Przybeck 1988; Kessler et al. 1997).

Type II alcoholism is associated with an early onset (i.e., before age 25) of both alcohol abuse and criminal be havior and an inability to abstain from alcohol. The most common personality characteristic of type II alcoholics is high novelty seeking. These people consume alcohol primarily to induce euphoria.

Parts of the Brain Alcohol Affects The first area compromised is the Cerebral Cortex, which causes confusion and lowers inhibitions.

Over time, excessive drinking can lead to mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety. Alcohol abuse can increase your risk for some cancers as well as severe, and potentially permanent, brain damage.

Heavy drinking and binge drinking can result in permanent damage to the brain and nervous system.

Alcohol can make the symptoms of mental health conditions worse. For example, depression and anxiety. Your mood can improve when you cut down or stop drinking. Using alcohol to manage social anxiety can prevent you from developing social and coping skills.

Too much alcohol can make us act in ways we wouldn’t normally, including making us more angry or aggressive. Experts believe the reason some people can become aggressive when drunk is due to the way alcohol affects the brain.

Drinking alcohol clearly has important effect on social behaviors, such as increasing aggression, self-disclosure, sexual adventuresomeness, and so on. Research has shown that these effects can stem from beliefs we hold about alcohol effects. Less is known about how alcohol itself affects these behaviors.

“There’s usually some version of one’s true feelings that come out when one is drunk,” Vranich said. “People dredge up feelings and sentiments from somewhere deep in their brains, so what one says or does certainly reflects what’s going on deep down.

Alcohol really is no excuse for bad behaviour – research reveals you’re still the same person after a drink.

Depending on how much is taken and the physical condition of the individual, alcohol can cause:

• Slurred speech.
• Drowsiness.
• Vomiting.
• Diarrhea.
• Upset stomach.
• Headaches.
• Breathing difficulties.
• Distorted vision and hearing.

Drinking too much puts you at risk for some cancers, such as cancer of the mouth, esophagus, throat, liver and breast. It can affect your immune system. If you drink every day, or almost every day, you might notice that you catch colds, flu or other illnesses more frequently than people who don’t drink.

“While there are a number of variables, typically having a drink every night does not necessarily equate to alcohol use disorder, but it can increase the risk of developing alcohol-related health problems,” Lawrence Weinstein, MD, Chief Medical Officer at American Addiction Centers tells WebMD Connect to Care.

Excessive alcohol consumption often causes malnourishment (not enough nutrients for the body to function well). People who drink large quantities of alcohol may not eat regularly. They may also vomit as a result of drinking too much. Not eating enough or vomiting can lead to periods of starvation.

The top 10 percent of American drinkers – 24 million adults over age 18 – consume, on average, 74 alcoholic drinks per week. That works out to a little more than four-and-a-half 750 ml bottles of Jack Daniels, 18 bottles of wine, or three 24-can cases of beer. In one week. Or, if you prefer, 10 drinks per day.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, drinking is considered to be in the moderate or low-risk range for women at no more than three drinks in any one day and no more than seven drinks per week. For men, it is no more than four drinks a day and no more than 14 drinks per week.