Alcohol is part of American culture as millions of people use it as a way to socialize, party, cry, or relax. For some people, however, drinking is more than an occasional recreational activity, it's a lifestyle. The Mayo Clinic defines alcohol use disorder as “A pattern of alcohol use that involves problems controlling alcohol use, worrying about alcohol, continuing to use alcohol even when it causes problems, having to drink more to get the same effect or have withdrawal symptoms when you reduce or quickly stop drinking” (2015). Alcohol use and abuse may date back thousands of years, but for much of its history it has been considered a moral weakness rather than a medical disease. Indeed, most people viewed alcoholism as a social disease caused by personal weakness, poor self-control, or lack of faith until the World Health Organization declared it a medical disease in 1956 (Gifford, 2009). Since then, perceptions of alcoholism have changed dramatically, awareness has spread and research has made great strides. Alcohol use disorder is a serious disease as it has been prevalent throughout history and continues to affect millions of people, has several causal factors, and leads to serious short- and long-term health effects. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Scientists have not been able to identify a specific cause for alcoholism, nor do most believe one exists. Instead, research indicates that alcohol dependence results from a combination of genetic, environmental, psychological and neurobiological factors. According to the Principles of Psychiatric Genetics by John Nurnberger and Wade Berrettinist, variations in certain genes have been shown to influence the risk of developing alcohol use disorders (2012). In fact, the risk of developing an alcohol use disorder is three times higher in subjects with a positive family history of the disease in first-degree relatives. In addition to genetic variations, the risk of developing an alcohol use disorder is also linked to variations in the environment such as alcohol accessibility, price, and social norms (Nurnberger & Berrettinist, 2012). An interaction between genetic and environmental factors can also increase risk. In other words, when someone is genetically predisposed to alcohol use disorder and is exposed to environmental risks, the risk of developing the disease is greater than it would be with either of these factors taken individually. The third factor related to the development of alcohol use disorder is psychological influence. People who suffer from this disease are often diagnosed with other psychiatric disorders in addition to alcohol use disorder. This dual diagnosis is known as comorbidity. According to an article published in Alcohol Research & Health, comorbidity between alcohol use disorder and other psychiatric disorders occurs in nearly ninety percent of patients diagnosed with alcohol use disorder (Petrakis, Gonzalez, Rosenheck, & Krystal, 2002). Of this ninety percent, twenty-nine percent were diagnosed with comorbid mood disorders including depression and bipolar disorder, thirty-seven percent were diagnosed with comorbid anxiety disorders including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, and twenty-nine comorbidities. four percent have been diagnosed with schizophrenia. This article also finds that the majority of patients with comorbidities report having suffered from other psychiatric disorders prior to the disorderalcohol use and having used alcohol as a way to manage unpleasant symptoms. The fourth influence that scientists have discovered is associated with the development of alcohol consumption. The disorder is due to neurobiological factors. The brain is an incredibly complex organ that must maintain a constant chemical balance to function properly. Alcohol consumption will upset this balanceany brain except the brain is able to recover and return to balance. However, if the brain is constantly exposed to alcohol, it cannot restore this chemical balance. According to the American Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, this may cause certain parts of the brain to function differently to compensate for this constant chemical imbalance and allow the brain to function normally in the presence of alcohol ("Neuroscience: Path to Alcohol addiction", n.d.). Therein lies the reason why a person with alcohol use disorder is not only psychologically dependent on alcohol, but also physically dependent on alcohol. One of the main symptoms characterizing alcohol use disorder is continued alcohol use despite short- and long-term negative health. effects (Petrakis, Gonzalez, Rosenheck, & Krystal, 2002). Alcohol immediately enters the bloodstream when consumed, leading to an increase in blood alcohol content. As someone continues to drink blood, the alcohol content in the blood will continue to increase, which can cause several immediate effects in the body. Because alcohol acts as a depressant, one of the first systems to be compromised is the central nervous system. The weakening of the central nervous system causes a slowdown in brain activity which can lead to impaired judgment, perception and attention, as well as a reduction in motor coordination, balance and reaction time (Sullivan, Harris and Pfefferbaum, 2010). The more alcohol you consume, the more severe these symptoms become. If someone drinks more alcohol than their body can metabolize, they run the risk of developing more fatal symptoms such as loss of consciousness, nausea, respiratory dysfunction, or even death. Those who suffer from alcohol use disorders consistently experience these short-term effects because they consume alcohol regularly. In addition to alcohol's short-term negative health effects, long-term alcohol use has several long-term consequences, such as organ loss. dysfunction, organ failure, compromised body systems, and other medical illnesses. Furthermore, according to the Mayo Clinic, alcoholism is a significant risk factor for the development of several types of cancer, especially of the aerorespiratory tract, but also cancers of the digestive system, liver, breast and ovaries (2015) .The organs most often affected by alcohol include the brain, heart, pancreas, liver, stomach. According to an article written by Thomas Cargiulo in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, alcohol disrupts several processes in the brain that can cause dysmorphia and a change in physiology (2007). As a result, you may suffer from changes and disturbances in mood, behavior, coordination and other cognitive processes. The heart also experiences intense stress from chronic alcohol abuse, which increases the risk of hypertension, coronary heart disease, and ischemic stroke (Cargiulo, 2007). The pancreas, which is a very important organ of the endocrine system, can suffer long-term damage resulting from chronic alcohol abuse. The pancreas produces insulin, which is a hormone needed to regulate blood sugar. Alcohol has a high sugar content which causes hyperglycemia, which then stimulates the pancreas to secrete excessive amounts of insulin which can then cause.