Alcohol's health toll extends far beyond liver damage. Chronic drinking affects every major organ system—causing brain atrophy, alcoholic neuropathy, cardiomyopathy, pancreatitis, and increasing cancer risk across multiple sites. With over 200 alcohol-related diseases contributing to 178,000+ annual deaths, understanding these long-term effects of alcohol is crucial. The encouraging news: many conditions improve significantly with sustained sobriety and proper medical care.