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alcoholism
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Excessive alcohol use can damage all organ systems, but it particularly affects the brain, heart, liver, pancreas and immune system. Alcoholism can result in mental illness, delirium tremens, Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome, irregular heartbeat, an impaired immune response, liver cirrhosis and increased cancer risk. Drinking during pregnancy can result in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Women are generally more sensitive than men to the harmful effects of alcohol, primarily due to their smaller body weight, lower capacity to metabolize alcohol, and higher proportion of body fat. Alcoholism reduces a person's life expectancy by approximately ten years.
The word is dipsomania. And it regards an craving, a sort of addiction, that is very prevalent in western cultures. It often results in destructive behavior, not limited to spending beyond one's means, but to psychological and physical harm as well.
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