One large component of American popular culture is alcohol: an addictive substance commonly used similarly as aspirin and caffeine. Alcoholism has no racial, sexual, or economical preference but instead is a malicious disease that attacks randomly. For most people who drink, alcohol is a pleasant accessory to societal leisures. Numerous people become troublesome due to their drinking. "Currently, nearly 14 million Americans-1 in every 13 adults abuse alcohol or are alcoholic. Several million more adults engage in risky drinking that could lead to alcohol problems. These patterns include binge drinking and heavy drinking on a regular basis. In addition, 53 percent of men and women in the United States report that one or more of their close relatives have a drinking problem." Due to hereditary and ecological factors, alcoholism is inclined to run in families. "In 1990, 68.3 percent of whites, 64.5 percent of Hispanics, and 55.6 percent of blacks used alcohol."
             Alcoholism is a progressive, chronic disease that can be fatal without treatment. Alcoholism is defined as a pattern of incessant drinking in which harmful consequences often result for the drinker even though they continue to drink. The Webster New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines alcoholism as, "a complex psychological and nutritional disorder associated with excessive and usually compulsive drinking." Alcoholism refers the drinking of alcohol to such a degree that major aspects of one's life are seriously and repeatedly interfered with. These aspects include work, school, family relationships, personal safety, and health. Alcoholism is considered a disease and is a very complex disorder. It has known physical, psychological and social symptoms. Alcoholics increase the amount of alcohol over time due to an increased tolerance and increasing desire for the alcohol. They become dependent on the chemical effect in order to function daily. Alcohol becomes the alcoholic's ...