Medical Disorders of Alcoholism

Alcohol is the most frequently abused drug throughout the world. In the United States, it is consumed regularly by about half the adult population, and about 15 to 20 million people are alcoholics. Alcoholism claims 100, 000 lives annually and carries an annual price tag of more than 100 billion. 1 Among persons admitted to general hospitals, 20 to 40 percent have alcohol-related problems, and among the elderly, alcohol-related hospitalizations are as numerous as those due to myocardial infarction. 2 Alcohol permeates all tissues of the body and affects most vital functions, because it is a small molecule soluble in both water and. . .