Alcohols and drinking, a vicious cycle.

         The drinking culture. This established culture refers to the practices and customs associated with the consumption of alcoholic beverages. There are those that drink for socializing purposes, binge drinking, part of a standard diet, relaxant and euphoric effects, medical reasons and even for artistic inspirations. However, those that partake excessively in this social culture will inevitably fall prey to the various negative side effects due to alcohol consumption.

 Various alcoholic beverages

What are alcohols?

         An alcohol is a general term for any organic compound which has a hydroxyl group, -OH, bonded to a carbon atom which may be bounded by other carbon atoms or hydrogen.The carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms.The suffix, -ol,  refers to the high priority of the hydroxyl group in the organic compound that is an alcohol.

         Ethanol (CH₃CH₂OH) is the active ingredient in alcoholic beverages which are always produced by the process of fermentation. Ethanol is more commonly referred to as alcohol. Some of the more common ingredients used to distill and ferment alcoholic beverages include grains for whiskeys and beers and grapes for wines and brandy.

          Although the culture of drinking is today's societal norm aside for the exception due to religious purposes, the negative implications far outweigh the positives in terms of both physically and psychologically. 

Below is a table that lists some of the negative complications of alcohol consumption to our health.
       

Complications	Effects and causes
Heart Disease	Liver disease and heart failure.
Dementia	Neurological damage ,memory loss, cognitive problems and alcohol abuse
Cancer	Linked with breast cancer in women, increases the risk of cancers of the mouth, esophagus, pharynx, larynx, colorectal, liver, stomach and ovaries.
Diabetes	Damage to the kidneys done by excessive consumption of alcohol
Obesity	Excessive amounts of alcohol in a standard diet
Mortality Rate	Decreased mortality rate due to the abuse of alcohol
Depression	Dependency on alcohol as a psychoactive drug that has a depressant effect

All in all alcohol consumption has its benefits as well being able to induce body warmth as well as for various medical reasons. However if taken in excessive quantities or abused as a substance, more harm than good will eventually come to the consumer.