Alcohol dependence tends to cluster in families. Alcohol dependence is often associated with depression. Depression typically makes its appearance before the drinking. Studies show that, among the general population, those with diagnosable depression are at a somewhat elevated risk for development of alcoholism. Among women, however, the risk is almost tripled.
Women seem also to be more sensitive to alcohol than men.
Younger alcohol abusers are also more likely to die of alcohol poisoning through hypoglycemia because their livers cannot metabolize the alcohol as efficiently as the adult liver. Alcohol overdose itself may also be fatal. Long-term, heavy drinking can cause dementia, in which the individual loses memory and the ability to think abstractly, to recall names of common objects, to use correct words to describe recognized objects or to follow simple instructions. Chronic alcohol dependence also increases the risk and severity of heart disease, pneumonia, tuberculosis and neurological disorders. FAS is the leading preventable cause of mental retardation in children, and studies have shown that 8,000 American babies are born with FAS each year.