The pancreas also has a role in digesting the food we eat. Long-term heavy drinking can lead to pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas. This condition is associated with severe abdominal pain and weight loss and can be fatal. While alcohol abuse is basically different from alcoholism, it is important to note that many effects of alcohol abuse are also experienced by alcoholics. Set a drinking goal for yourself.
Some people choose to abstain from alcohol, while others prefer to limit the amount they drink.
Examine situations that trigger your unhealthy drinking patterns, and develop new ways of handling those situations so that you can maintain your drinking goal. While AA is generally recognized as an effective mutual help program for recovering alcoholics, not everyone responds to AA's style and message, and other recovery approaches are available. Even those who are helped by AA usually find that AA works best in combination with other elements of treatment, including counseling and medical care. Most people do not cut down or give up drinking all at once. Just like a diet, it is not easy to change.