Prolonged alcohol consumption impacts peripheral organs, including the digestive tract, liver, heart, pancreas, kidneys, and lungs (cf., Zahr & Pfefferbaum, 2017). Alcoholism can furthermore result in severe neurological consequences, including Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE), which if left untreated can progress to Korsakoff’s syndrome (KS); hepatic encephalopathy (HE); central pontine myelinolysis (CPM); and Marchiafava-Bignami disease (MBD) (cf., Zahr & Pfefferbaum, 2017). Apart from direct effects, high levels of alcohol consumption are associated with an increased risk for seizures, stroke, and traumatic brain injury (Alterman & Tarter, 1985; de los Rios et al., 2012; Eyer et al., 2011).
