Moderate to high doses of alcohol may cause marked impairments in higher mental functions, severly altering a person's ability to learn and remember information. Very high doses cause respiratory depression and death. When combined with other depressants of the central nervous system, a much lower dose of alcohol will produce the effects just described. Repeated use of alcohol may lead to dependence. Sudden cessation of alcohol intake is likely to produce withdrawal symptoms, including severe anxiety, tremors, hallucinations, and convulsions.
Alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening.
Long-term consumption of large quantities of alcohol, particularly when combined with poor nutrition, can also lead to permanent damage to vital organs such as the brain and the liver. Mothers who drink alcohol during pregnancy may give birth to infants with fetal alcohol syndrome. These infants have irreversible physical abnormalities and mental retardation. In addition, research indicates that children of alcoholic parents are at greater risk than other youngsters of becoming alcoholics. Narcotics and depressants cause physical and psychological dependence.