Question:
Alcohol has always been a drug. And I'm pretty sure it was a drug before I was born. And it was a drug when you became addicted to it. And I think it still is a drug if i'm not mistaken. And marijuana is a drug too.. How's that for reality, bong breath ? I haven't had a drink of alcohol since Oct. which was my dad's 90'th birthday. We had a small drink of brandy. How's that grab ya bong breath ?!

Answer: We compare the heavy drinker with an injured person - the body is damaged and must heal. The damage is done by the toxic effects of alcohol, by nutrient deficiencies and by other adverse effects of the wrong food such as food allergy. Heavy drinkers tend to starve - they eat little or have limited, inferior food choices. They have used up their nutrient stores and are often drawing on their own tissues for fuel .The Negative Effects of alcohol abuse include:

Thiamine deficiency may occur in long-term alcohol users as a consequence of both inadequate ingestion and malabsorption of the vitamin. With severe deficiency, major brain disturbance or alcoholic psychosis emerges (Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome). The brain dysfunction is global, with disordered thinking, feeling, remembering, and disturbed motor coordination. Thiamine replacement corrects the grosser dysfunctions of the brain and it has been proposed that alcoholic beverages be fortified with thiamine as a means of preventing this syndrome.

Pyridoxine: (B6) metabolism is disturbed by the process of alcohol oxidation, contributing to anemia. Pellagra, or niacin deficiency, is common in chronic alcoholics. Pellagra is recognized by the three D's: Diarrhea, Dermatitis, and Dementia.

Vitamin A storage is commonly decreased in alcohol-induced liver disease. With ABAB, protein-calorie malnutrition often occurs. Liver disease may lead to low blood protein and decreased serum levels of branched-chain amino acids.

Micronutrients: Trace element metabolism may be disordered with regular AB input. Alcohol may increase the urinary loss of zinc and the gastrointestinal absorption of iron. Zinc deficiency aggravates vitamin A deficiency, since zinc is needed in the transformation of vitamin A into its active form. Contamination of beer with arsenic or cobalt has caused death from heart failure.