"Alcoholism is a chronic, often progressive disease in which a person continues to crave and drink alcohol despite repeated alcohol-related problems, such as losing a job or getting into trouble with the law" (Alcoholism. iVillage).The signs and symptoms of alcoholism could be any or all of the following: "a craving for alcohol, inability to control drinking habits, withdraw symptoms when alcohol use is stopped after a period of heavy drinking, the need for increasing amounts of alcohol in order to feel its effects, psychological, social, and occupational dysfunction, malnutrition, anorexia, cardiovascular symptoms (leading cause of death), increased levels of cancer (second leading cause of death), repeated infections, lung conditions, central nervous system disorders- unsteady gait or stance, cognitive impairment, psychiatric manifestations, blackouts, coma, sleep disruptions, diarrhea, vomiting, gastrointestinal bleeding, increased sex drive for men with decreased ability to maintain an erection, miscarriages and the stopping of menstrual periods for women, inflammation of the pancreas, hepatitis, poor wound healing, build-up of fluid in the body, swollen, painful muscles, paralysis, lack of reflexes, hypoglycemia, and hypothermia" (Alcoholism, iVillage). "These indications may differ with the quantity of alcohol consumed and how long it has been abused. "Drinking alcohol may pose more health risk for women than men" (Bottoms Up , 4). There is more risk for women to develop liver damage, brain damage, heart disease, drinking problems, and breast cancer.
Alcoholism has a great deal to do with a person's unmanageable want for alcohol, someone cannot just stop drinking. "Recent research has demonstrated that for many people a vulnerability to alcoholism is inherited" (Alcoholism: A Widespread Problem). Other factors such as peer pressure, environment and the availability also influence alcoholism.
