Mallory 4
slowly shutting down the body’s vital organs without the owner knowing it before it is too late.
Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways and can affect the way the brain
looks and how it works. Many people know its short-term effects such as regurgitating,
headaches, unconsciousness and lack of self- control, but many disregard its dangerous longterm effects. These long term effects include many painful diseases. Chronic alcoholism include
an are not limited to ulcers, liver disease, malnutrition, and stroke. Alcoholism also negatively
impacts the heart by causing high blood pressure and Arrhythmias (irregular heart beating).
Ultimately, excessive alcohol consumption weakens the immune system, leading to an untimely
death. Because of these negative effects caused by binge alcoholism, Ireland’s economy loses
billions of dollars a year treating alcohol related ailments. This wasted money could be used for
the betterment of the country, but instead is wasted on the outcomes of unfortunate habits that
Irish citizens refuse to break.
Sales in Irish pubs (bars) and surveys show that the Irish’s alcoholic beverage of choice is
beer. Consequently, Ireland sells more beer per capita than any other country in the world. The
question many journalists are asking is “why do the Ir ish drink so heavily, so often?”, especially
with all of the negative consequences connected with heavily drinking alcohol. Is it because of
depression? Is it a traditional pastime? Or maybe it’s a stress reliever. Research shows that
alcoholism in Ireland dates back to pre-colonial times when the living conditions in the entire
country of Ireland were abominable, and drinking was a means to physical, emotional and
spiritual survival. During the early 1600s heavy drinking became an epidemic among Ireland’s
lower class peasants. The pain of starvation and humiliation of poverty became too much for
these people to bear so they turned to religion (Catholicism) and drink. Although modern times