RT Book, Section A1 Schuckit, Marc A. A2 Kasper, Dennis A2 Fauci, Anthony A2 Hauser, Stephen A2 Longo, Dan A2 Jameson, J. Larry A2 Loscalzo, Joseph SR Print(0) ID 1120820613 T1 Alcohol and Alcoholism T2 Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 19e YR 2014 FD 2014 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9780071802154 LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1120820613 RD 2022/05/23 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.