Alcoholism and Its Many Ilnesses Alcohol consumption and related illnesses are rising sharply in England. The U.K. National Health Service reports that in the past ten years the number of hospital visits for alcohol-induced liver diseases, such as cirrhosis, has more than doubled and alcohol poisoning cases leaped from 13,600 to 21,700. Cases of mental and behavioral problems from alcohol abuse rose by 75 percent. In the U.S., alcoholism and alcohol abuse remain a health threat - related illnesses in addition to those cited above include ulcers, varices, pancreatitis, bladder infection, enlarged heart, decreased metabolism, depression, insomnia, brain damage, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, and fetal alcohol syndrome.