Alcoholism

Alcoholism refers to addiction to alcohol. It is a chronic disorder, in which a person is unable to refrain from frequent and excess consumption of alcohol for physical or psychological reasons.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed alcoholism as one of the three most deadly killer diseases of the 20th century.

Alcoholism is also one of the serious social problems. It often brings poverty and certain amount of crime and results in material unhappiness and broken homes. It also leads to numerous traffic accidents.

Alcohol is not a product found in nature. It results from decomposition and as such belongs to a family of poisons. Ethyl alcohol, the main intoxicating ingredient in wine, beer and distilled liquor is a toxic drug which depresses the brain and nervous system. Alcohol cannot be called a food for it enters the alimentary canal and is not changed or digested in any way. It is quickly absorbed in the bloodstream and then travels to every part of the body, adversely affecting vital organs like brain and liver.