Facts about alcohol

Where does alcohol come from? What happens to it in our bodies? Where does it go? What effect does it have? Few of us give these questions a passing thought as we sip our wine, beer or spirits. As long as we enjoy the taste and it makes us feel good, the less we know, the better. Right?
That depends. If you're consuming more than six drinks a day, you probably should know what it's doing to your brain. Among other things, the areas affected are involved in reasoning and how thirsty you feel - alcoholics are thirstier than teetotallers for a reason!
Alcohol also causes cancer and heart disease, and it wreaks havoc on the liver. In fact, thousands of Australians die every year from cirrhosis and alcohol-related diseases.
The irony is, alcohol is legal, while other much less harmful drugs aren't.
Of course, not everyone who drinks has a drinking problem. But what of people who can't control their habit? Is their behaviour genetic or learned? And is a little bit of alcohol better for you than none at all? Still want a drink?