There are many signs and symptoms related to drinking problems.

Alcoholism is considered a progressive disease, meaning that the symptoms and effects of drinking alcohol become increasingly more severe over time. Those who use alcohol may begin to show early signs of a problem, then progress to showing symptoms of alcohol abuse; if drinking continues, they may later show symptoms of alcoholism or alcohol dependence.

Alcoholism

For most adults, moderate alcohol use is not harmful. However, nearly 17.6 million adults in the United States are alcoholics or have alcohol problems. Alcoholism is a disease with four main features:

Craving - a strong need to drink Loss of control - not being able to stop drinking once you've begun Physical dependence withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating or shakiness after stopping drinking Tolerance - the need to drink greater amounts of alcohol in order to get high

Alcoholism carries many serious dangers. Heavy drinking can increase the risk of certain cancers. It can cause damage to the liver, brain and other organs. It can cause birth defects. It increases the risk of death from car crashes and other injuries as well as the risk of homicide and suicide
The deleterious effects of alcohol on the heart: involvement of protein

Effects of alcohol The female endocrine system--the system of glands and the hormones they produce--is responsible for, among other things, maintaining reproductive capacity in premenopausal women. Alcohol has been shown to affect the endocrine systems of premenopausal and postmenopausal women in different ways. EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL DURING THE REPRODUCTIVE YEARS Based on our knowledge of basic reproductive physiology, alcohol might be expected to cause irregularities in the menstrual cycle and the development and maturation of the follicle that contains the egg cell. Alcohol might affect the endocrine cells, which produce hormones such as progesterone and estrogens, thereby altering the amounts of hormones produced during the phases of the menstrual cycle. To review the introductory material in the article by Doria (pp. 101-103): The granulosa cells of the follicle nurture the growing egg by producing estrogens (estrone and estradiol). The corpus luteum, which is formed from the ruptured follicle following ovulation, produces progesterone, the hormone that prepares and maintains the lining of the uterus for a fertilized egg. Low progesterone levels would therefore reflect the absence of ovaluation and the corpus luteum.

What is alcohol?

Alcohol, a very simple molecule is probably the most widely used drug in the world. It is distributed to all the organs and fluids of the body, but it is in the brain that alcohol exerts most of its effects. Like other general anesthetics, alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. In general, its effects are proportional to its concentration in the blood The detrimental effects of alcohol on performance are extremely well documented and include impairment of the following:

Balance and steadiness Reaction time Fine and complex motor skills Information processing Boisterousness, unsteadiness, slurred speech Nausea, vomiting, marked unsteadiness, drowsiness

What are the long term adverse effects of alcohol?

The chronic abuse of alcohol may cause numerous adverse health effects which include:

Chronic alteration of brain and nerve function Weakening of heart muscle Testicular shrinkage and male breast enlargement Impotency Elevated triglycerides Fat deposits in the liver Cirrhosis and liver failure Blood-clotting abnormalities Pancreatitis Vitamin deficiencies Chronic skin alterations Death