Alcohol AudioHealth Library Topic 2427 Alcohol Alcohol is a chemical that is in many drinks, such as wine, beer and hard liquor. Drinking on a regular basis or drinking too much is a form of substance abuse and can lead to a serious disease called alcoholism. A person who suffers from alcoholism is called an alcoholic. Alcoholics regularly and compulsively drink moderate to large amounts of alcohol to the point where they experience negative physical and psychological symptoms while drinking and when they try to reduce or stop drinking.
Alcoholism usually develops slowly, and can happen at any age.
There is no single cause of alcoholism. People often learn how to drink alcohol by watching family and friends drinking and then imitating the behavior. In addition, some people may inherit a tendency toward alcoholism, although the way this happens is not yet known. However, it is now widely believed that any person, regardless of environment, genetic background or personality, can become an alcoholic if he or she begins and keeps drinking enough alcoholic beverages. This is because of the addictive nature of alcohol.