Reportedly a glass of your favourite alcoholic beverage is enjoyable, and many experts would tell you that it even has some health benefits. But drinking too much on any occasion or too frequently is neither healthy nor enjoyable. Alcoholism or alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a type of addiction where a person cannot control his or her alcohol consumption and is dependent on it both physically and emotionally.

AUD is a serious chronic disease and can lead to several health issues. According to a study in Alcohol Research Current Reviews in 2011, alcohol abuse is an underlying cause for more than 30 conditions - including cancer, infectious diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and liver disease - and a contributing factor to many more. It should, therefore, be taken very seriously, and you should do all you can to stop its progress as soon as possible. There’s a difference between being a social drinker and a habitual one, and it lies within this factor. If consuming alcohol is a central part of most of the plans you make, or if you think that social gatherings are fun only when you have a peg or two at hand, you may have a problem and be using your social life to justify your drinking habit.

Alcohol abuse leads to many health issues, and if you go to a doctor about any of them you will be asked about your drinking habits among other things. If you’re honest with the doctor and you should be, because your doctor wants the best possible health outcome for you and he or she says you’re drinking too much, pay attention. A mild hangover is natural after an overindulgence, but if you find yourself with frequent hangovers and other symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, you should know that things are not as fine as you thought they were. Signs of alcohol withdrawal include trouble sleeping, shakiness, restlessness, nausea, sweating, high heart rate and seizures.