TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Alcohol and Alcoholism A1 - Schuckit, Marc A. A2 - Kasper, Dennis A2 - Fauci, Anthony A2 - Hauser, Stephen A2 - Longo, Dan A2 - Jameson, J. Larry A2 - Loscalzo, Joseph PY - 2014 T2 - Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 19e AB - Alcohol (beverage ethanol) distributes throughout the body, affecting almost all systems and altering nearly every neurochemical process in the brain. This drug is likely to exacerbate most medical problems, affect medications metabolized in the liver, and temporarily mimic many medical (e.g., diabetes) and psychiatric (e.g., depression) conditions. The lifetime risk for repetitive alcohol problems is almost 20% for men and 10% for women, regardless of a person’s education or income. Although low doses of alcohol might have healthful benefits, greater than three standard drinks per day enhances the risk for cancer and vascular disease, and alcohol use disorders decrease the life span by about 10 years. Unfortunately, most clinicians have had only limited training regarding alcohol-related disorders. This chapter presents a brief overview of clinically useful information about alcohol use and problems. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2022/05/23 UR - accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1120820613 ER -