Letting alcohol take control over your life has many negative effects on a person and the people around them. One important effect is the damage you can do to your body. Drinking can lead to severe illness and even eventual death; some health consequences to consider might be liver disease, kidney failure and, for pregnant women, the loss of their unborn child. Another detriment is that an addiction could lead to drinking and driving; possibly causing a fatal car accident for either yourself and/or an innocent by stander. Another concern to consider is the relationships alcohol can destroy. Alcohol abuse can have very serious affect on a person’s temperament, which can lead to spousal and even child abuse. Alcohol often is the number one cause in divorce and spending time in jail. It can also affect relationships outside of the family; many people have lost life long friends whether it is due to foolish arguments and behavior or possibly death. Lastly, drinking has negative effects on self-esteem and rational thinking. People become more self-centered, develop low self-esteem, doing things or behaving in ways that they would not normally. They have little or no regard to the outcomes of what is said or done when they grow reliant on getting that alcohol high. The negative effects of alcohol abuse are overwhelming when considering the many consequences that drinkers and the people around them have to deal with.