Behavioral studies and consumer behavior articles claim that wine drinkers are generally have higher levels of education and live more sophisticated lifestyles, compared to people who drink other types of alcohol. Additionally, many wine drinkers are thought of to have higher incomes and better health, due to their consumption of healthy foods.

However, epidemiologic studies can not prove that wine consumers suffer less from cardiovascular diseases and mortality than people who consume other types of alcohol, after all adjustments for lifestyles have been accounted for.

Previous long-term studies on older Americans concluded that it was the associated lifestyle, habits and environmental factors that exponentially explained their better health. However, some people were concerned that the study's approach was flawed, claiming that the data presented on paper were inadequate to support the study's conclusion.

While the study may have been flawed due to its research on only a single estimate of alcohol intake and large adjustments for what the authors deemed as low-wine and high-wine consumers. Regardless, the study did confirm lower mortality rates for wine consumers than non-alcohol consumers.

To support this find, experimental studies show that some polyphenols and other constituents present within wine and other alcoholic beverages have independent properties that can protect against most cardiovascular risk factors.

Regardless, whether such advantages are found among moderate wine or beer drinkers is hard to determine. Epidemiologic studies have a hard time proving one or the other because comparisons among wine, beer and spirit drinks are not being made. Instead, what is being compared are humans who consume these beverages, and of course, it is hard to make conclusions based off human research, due to complex differences between each individual.

So what's the problem? The problem is that alcohol addiction can absolutely destroy lives. It destroyed the lives of my grandparents, although my grandmother was able to eventually turn her life around. Alcohol addiction can rob a person of his or her job, family, friendships, health, wealth and self-respect.

But alcohol addiction can also be beat - and that is the good news.

Alcohol addiction is a bigger problem among men than among women for whatever reason. About 7 percent of men are addicted to alcohol, while only about 2.5 percent of women are. Why such a difference? Nobody knows for sure, but from a very young age drinking beer and getting drunk are behaviors that are glorified to young men, so perhaps cultural factors play a key role.

In any event, the truth is that there are millions of Americans who are addicted to alcohol, but only about 700,000 of them have been treated for alcoholism.

So how do you know if you are addicted to alcohol? The following are some of the warning signs.....

*You experience slurred speech, dizziness and extreme clumsiness when you are drunk.
*You experience increasingly frequent blackouts.
*Alcohol addiction can sometimes be accompanied by significant weight loss.
*You have a painful or upset stomach that doesn't seem to ever go away.
*You notice increased redness in the face or cheeks.
*You experience numbness or tingling in the hands and feet.
*You are not able to control your drinking. In other words, "one drink" is never enough.
*You may find yourself driving while drunk on a regular basis even though intellectually you know that it is wrong.
*You may experience increased irritability and anger, and you may find yourself resorting to violence much more easily.
*You may find yourself avoiding activities that do not involve the opportunity to get drunk.
*You may find yourself crying more often or exploding in irrational emotional outbursts.
*Those addicted to alcohol often have many unexplained absences from work and have difficulty sleeping.

So does that sound like you?

If it does do not panic.

It is important to face up to where you are at and what will happen to you if you do not quit.

The following are some of the effects of alcohol addiction if you do not quit:

-Permanent damage to vital organs such as the brain and liver.
-Mothers may give birth to infants with fetal alcohol syndrome.
-The children of alcoholic parents are at a significantly greater risk than other children of becoming alcohol addicts themselves.
-The destruction of huge numbers of brain cells, possibly leading to brain damage.
-Massive damage to the central nervous system, hindering the ability to retrieve, consolidate, and process information.
-Alcohol abuse seriously reduces the oxygen supply of the brain, therefore making the possibility of a blackout much more likely.
-Inflammation of the mouth, esophagus, and stomach. Ultimately this could lead to cancer in these areas, especially in drinkers who also smoke.
-Many alcohol addicts also experience irregular heartbeats, high-blood pressure, heart attacks, and other heart damage.
-Alcoholism also can seriously harm vision and damage sexual function.

So if you are addicted to alcohol, what should you do?

There are basically four key steps that you need to take.

#1) Admit You Have A Problem

Most addicts refuse to admit that they are addicts. They ignore the problem and so they never get any treatment for it. If you are going to beat this, then at some point the first step is to admit to yourself and others that you do indeed have a problem.

#2) Decide That You Want To Change

Many addicts are perfectly content to stay in their addicted state. It is comfortable for many of them. But in order to change you have to decide that is what you want, and you aren't going to accept the pain and suffering that your addiction is causing you any longer.

#3) Reach Out For Help

Talk to someone that you trust and ask for help. This involves swallowing your pride. Often a good first step is to reach out to a trusted family member. After that, reaching out to a professional who works in the field of your addiction or reaching out to a spiritual advisor can be extremely helpful. You are likely to need help in overcoming your addiction, and family, friends and licensed professionals are there to be that help.

#4) Turn To God

Ultimately this is the most important step. Many have found that they did not have the power in themselves to beat an addiction, but that when they turned to God they found all the power that they ever needed. The truth is that we all need God whether we are addicts or not. We are all messed up in some way and we have all sinned. But the good news is that Jesus Christ came to this earth to die for our sins on the cross. We urge you to invite Jesus Christ into your life today, because He will not only help you overcome your addiction - He will forgive your sins and give you eternal life, and nothing is more important than that.