Alcohol addiction is one of the worst possible addictions that a person can encounter. There has been much research done on the subject and yet still there is no definitive answer as to why there are some people who start drinking and cannot stop and yet others who can consume alcohol in moderation. All that is known however is that alcoholism is a very debilitating state for any human being to be in. There are more people who miss work every year due to alcoholism, either their own or that of a family member, than for any other reason or illness. Alcohol related deaths make up one fourth of all fatalities every year in America, and those are not even the ones that are automobile related. There are more people in prison as a result of an alcohol related crime than for anything else. The point of the matter is that when a person becomes inebriated on alcohol their impulse control is greatly diminished and whatever other emotions that the person may be feeling at the time are usually exaggerated. That means that when a person gets drunk their emotions are going to be their guide as opposed to their logic and that can cause the potential for some very dangerous situations.

It is shown that in people who use alcohol habitually and to excess over a long period of time show lower impulse control even when they are not intoxicated. Alcohol definitely affects a person’s brain and causes damage; the time for this damage to be reversed is unknown. With at few particular alcohol related brain disorders, if they progress to a certain level there is no way to reverse the effects.