Alcohol Addiction, commonly called alcoholism, is variously defined by the medical community but is distinguished by the chronic abuse of alcohol in the face of consequences sufficiently destructive to deter most other people, but not the alcoholic.
Effects of Alcohol on the Brain
Destructive behavior is more than contradictory: prolonged alcohol abuse can make profound changes to the brain, both in structure and function. Among other actions, alcohol artificially amplifies the effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid, an inhibitory neurotransmitter (GABA). Over time the brain compensates by limiting its own production of GABA. Physiological changes such as this, which impair the body's normal function, are what categorize alcoholism as a disease.
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