priority and everything else is secondary: family, financial means of support, hobbies, everything ceases to hold any importance. Alcoholism, also known as alcohol dependence, includes four basic symptoms: the phenomenon of craving, loss of control, physical dependence, and tolerance. Over time, some people become tolerant to the effects of drinking and require more alcohol to become intoxicated, creating the illusion that they can 'hold their liquor.' They have blackouts after drinking and frequent hangovers that cause them to miss work and other normal activities. Alcoholics might drink alone and start early in the day. They periodically quit drinking or switch from hard liquor to beer or wine, but these periods rarely last. Severe alcoholics often have a history of accidents, marital and work instability, and alcohol-related health problems. Episodic violent and abusive incidents involving spouses and children and a history of unexplained or frequent accidents are often signs of drug or alcohol abuse. Alcohol itself is simply the symptom of the underlying manifestation and continuous scapegoat brewing in the alcoholics' mind. The craving that an alcoholic feels for alcohol can be as strong as the need for food or water. An alcoholic will continue to drink despite serious family, health, or legal problems. Alcoholics have little or no control over the quantity they drink or the duration or frequency of their drinking. They are preoccupied with drinking, deny their own addiction, and continue to drink even though they are aware of the dangers. Unfortunately, this merely is a description of people in the throes of alcoholism.
             There is a thin line that can be crossed between the border of socially acceptable drinking and abusive drinking. Nearly 14 million people in the United States--1 in every 13 adults--abuse alcohol or are alcoholic. Experts define levels of alcohol use and abuse as follows. Moderate drinking is equal to or less...