circumstances, can be risky?
levels, you may be putting yourself at risk for serious problems with your health as well as problems with family, friends, and coworkers. This booklet explains some of the problems that can be caused by drinking that you may not have considered. LONG-TERM HEALTH PROBLEMS Some problems, like those mentioned above, can occur after drinking over a relatively short period of time. But other problemssuch as liver disease, heart disease, certain forms of cancer, and pancreatitisoften develop more gradually and may become evident only after many years of heavy drinking. Women may develop alcohol-related health problems sooner than men, and from drinking less alcohol than men. Because alcohol affects nearly every organ in the body, long- term heavy drinking increases the risk for many serious health problems, some of which are described below. Alcohol-related liver disease. More than 2 million Americans suffer from alcohol-related liver disease. Some drinkers develop alcoholic hepatitis, or i
