Today, alcoholism and alcohol abuse are growing problems in the society. Alcohol is a drug and, like all drugs, it has an effect on a person's body and mind. Because drinking alcohol beverages makes some people more outgoing, alcohol may seem as a stimulant. In fact, alcohol is a depressant, which slows down the central nervous system. Some people have a genetic or biological tendency toward alcoholism. It has been said that a child of an alcoholic has four times the risk of becoming alcoholic than does a child of non-alcoholic parents. Stress may also be a factor of why people drink alcohol. The causes of alcoholism can lead to nothing but negative effects.The many effects alcohol can cause are all negative. There is not one thing that alcohol can do good for someone's body. Alcohol can cause a wide range of birth defects, the most serious being fatal alcohol syndrome. Children born with alcohol-related birth defects can have lifelong learning and behavior problems. Those born with fetal alcohol syndrome have physical abnormalities, mental impairment, and behavior problems. During pregnancy, it is not known how much alcohol it takes to cause alcohol-related birth defects, so it is best not to drink any at all.When drinking alcohol, it doesn't take long to impair someone's ability to drive. Certain driving skills, such as steering a car and responding to changes in traffic, can be impaired by blood alcohol concentrations as low as .02 percent. The more alcohol someone drinks, the more impaired that person's driving skills will be impaired. In most states, the legal limit for people who drive after drinking is .08 percent to .1 percent. Although these are high, impairment of driving skills begin at much lower levels. So, it is not recommended that someone drives their vehicle after consuming alcohol. There can also be long term problems associated with consuming alcohol. These problems often develop gradually over time and can include liver disease, heart disease, certain cancers and effect the pancreas.