How often do you drink alcohol? Is it your lifestyle? When was the last time you actually said no to a bottle of whiskey? Through the years, alcohol has become part of any social gathering, be it a business gathering or a get together party with friends and family. Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner celebrations are almost not complete without a sparkling wine or two to celebrate. Alcohol has carved a special place in mankind's social life. Alcohol is not bad at all, it is how often and how much we consume it that makes it vicious.

It is difficult to tell what personality traits are prone to develop alcoholism but potential alcoholics are usually those who have a low tolerance for frustration, always feel isolated, those who have the tendency to act impulsively. Moreover, people who have always the inclination to rebel and those who have very low capacity for tolerance are also potential alcoholics. Alcoholism is an addiction that is gradually developed. Initially, the person may start out with harmless drinks for social purposes but the tension-relieving effect of drinking is too good to resist and too often, he enjoys the feeling. Next he starts to drink alone, no longer with the company of his friends and associates during of social gatherings and parties but rather enjoys the drink by himself and not for the purpose of socialization. Soon enough the "high" that alcohol provides is so compelling and the addiction grows stronger that he starts to drink in secret. Finally, he becomes a chronic alcoholic when he cannot start his day without a morning drink. He habitually indulges a drink to be able to face the demands of the oncoming day.

Alcoholism as with any other type of addiction comes with both physical and mental effects. Since alcohol is easily absorbed and quickly distributed throughout the body, it affects nearly all the cells especially the brain cells. Alcohol acts as a depressant although most people believe it as being a stimulant probably because of the initial effect it provides the body. Studies show that a person who consumes about 60 to 90 ml of whiskey resulting into an elevated blood alcohol level of approximately 0.05 percent will have his highest brain centers depressed. This will result in impaired judgment and lessened inhibitions. As the level of alcohol increases the number of brain centers affected will also increase, accompanied by specific physical effects. An alcohol concentration of 0.1 percent in the blood as a result of consuming 102 to 175 ml of whisky can depress some of the motor areas of the brain that are responsible for balance, manual dexterity and speech. A person can succumb to death if his blood alcohol level reaches 0.7 percent after consuming around 800 to 1,200 ml of whiskey. At this level, most of the brain centers are depressed especially those that control the heartbeat and breathing and can tragically result into a person's death.

Chronic alcoholism can render a person various mental disorders. Generally, an alcoholic has a clouded mental state, often ego centric and usually obnoxious to others. Often he may suffer from hallucinations and delirium tremors. Alcoholism can also leave a person memory impaired. Clearly enough, alcohol can be the life of any party but it could also mean death to a person who forgets to drink in sobriety. Alcoholism may not mean a sudden death to a person but it is surely a one-way first class ticket to that destination.