It is said that a glass of wine or two a day is good for your heart, and this may be true, although a recent study also indicates that a glass of wine or two a day can also cause a marked increase in colon cancer prevalence, so I'm not sure how beneficial this light drinking truly is; but heavy and chronic drinking is another thing altogether, and is incredibly physically and mentally destructive.
The Physical Damage of Alcoholism
Of all the drugs commonly abused, there aren’t many that destroy the body as thoroughly as alcohol can, and years of heavy drinking prematurely age the body and its organs; leading to a host of serious health complications and greater probability of early death.
Alcohol works its influence throughout the body, and most of the organs, the blood, and most noticeably the brain are all negatively impacted through the effects of too much alcohol. The body is very resilient, and much of the destruction of alcohol can be reversed through a long period of sobriety; other effects, particularly effects to the central nervous system, are to some degree irreversible.
As follows is a small list of some of the organs affected by heavy drinking, although the true extent of the damage possible is far greater than outlined below.
page last update Aug 05, 2010
