Alcohol is a poison.  Upon entering the body it is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream where it makes its way almost instantly to the brain.  Immediately upon consumption the body tries to deal with the alcohol as it would any undesirable agent. All other processes are ignored as the eradication of the alcohol becomes a priority.  This drastically interferes with the natural reactions of vital organs that are essential in overall physical health.  Vitamins and minerals are unable to be absorbed, the immune system becomes deficient, the liver is overworked, blood sugar fluctuates and the brain is deteriorated. Over time, these symptoms can elevate to a chronic level and either result in irreparable damage or death. 

Alcoholism is the continued abuse of alcohol despite the decline in physical, mental, or emotional health.  It is an adopted or contracted behavior of suicide.  It slowly shuts down everything necessary for the continuation of life.  It is a painful, debilitating, and progressive syndrome that can affect anyone, anywhere, and at anytime.  

Internally and externally it wrecks havoc upon anything that it comes into contact with.  Ironically the effect that it has upon the brain prevents the user from immediately feeling the negative decay until the alcohol has left the body and withdrawal has been induced. 

Upon reaching the brain, the alcohol triggers neurotransmitters that are involved in hormonal control.  The body feels relaxed and euphoric through the release of pain killers  and mood elevators.  These effects deceive the real issue of the damage that is being done. The individual is often unaware that they are approaching the level of alcohol poisoning until it is too late.  The transformation from feeling pleasant and invigorated to vomiting or blacking out is often rapid and completely uncontrollable. 

Another problem that occurs during acute alcoholism is the building of a tolerance.  Building a tolerance is symptomatic of drug addiction. This enables the alcoholic to consume grotesque amounts of alcohol, and to disperse the body's natural reaction to alcohol poisoning.  Like any other substance the body, over time, becomes accustomed to the drug  and through habitual drinking will no longer try to rid itself of the poison.  This is not a good thing. 

Despite the development of a tolerance the damage is still occurring.  It only delays the awareness of it.  As the alcohol leaves the body, the individual will experience "withdrawal", which in the case of alcohol is often called a hangover.  It is at this time that the alcoholic will feel the pain that has been invoked by the physical damage.  Hangovers consist of dehydration, severe headache, stomach and bowel discomfort, lethargy, weakness in limbs, depression, fluctuation in blood sugar, tremors, and other symptoms.  Alcohol detoxification is a difficult process due to the severity of withdrawal symptoms associated with alcohol addiction.

Unfortunately for those who suffer from alcoholism the response to the period of withdrawal is immediate consumption of more alcohol.  As the effect of intoxication is achieved the individual will no longer feel the pain of the relative symptoms until it once again begins to wear off.  This creates the vicious cycle of addiction that is for many very difficult to break away from. 

Not only does alcoholism make a person look more aged than they normally would, it will also make them feel older.  There are a host of serious physical afflictions that can develop over time with heavy and prolonged alcohol use.  These range from simple insomnia to more serious, life-threatening illnesses like serrhosis of the liver.

Alcoholism decreases the amount of blood flow to the liver and kidneys, thus slowing the functionality of those organs.  Excessive alcohol consumption may also eat away at the lining of the stomach and throat, increasing heartburn and indigestion problems.

Alcoholism tends to increase restlessness and insomnia, causing a person to feel tired and distracted throughout the day.  Continuous headaches and muscle aches are also side effects of alcoholism, but these are typically reversible if the heavy alcohol consumption stops.  The alcohol use may develop into drug use, which has even more serious and immediate consequences.  

Alcohol has been shown to increase blood pressure and cause hypertension and dehydration.  There is a serious risk of fetal alcohol syndrome posed to fetuses in the womb of a mother who drinks alcohol.  Fetal alcohol syndrome can cause serious birth defects and possibly even result in the death of the fetus.
There has also been scientific research linking the mortality rate to the prevalence of depression.  Alcoholism drives its sufferers further and further into depression, increasing the risk of personal harm.  It is small wonder that those undergoing treatment for alcoholism often need treatment for a variety of other afflictions, mental, emotional and physical.