A complex mixture of genetic and environmental factors influences the risk of the development of alcoholism. Genes that influence the metabolism of alcohol also influence the risk of alcoholism, and may be indicated by a family history of alcoholism. One paper has found that alcohol use at an early age may influence the expression of genes which increase the risk of alcohol dependence. Individuals who have a genetic disposition to alcoholism are also more likely to begin drinking at an earlier age than average. Also, a younger age of onset of drinking is associated with an increased risk of the development of alcoholism, and about 40 percent of alcoholics will drink excessively by their late adolescence. It is not entirely clear whether this association is causal, and some researchers have been known to disagree with this view.

Severe childhood trauma is also associated with a general increase in the risk of drug dependency. Lack of peer and family support is associated with an increased risk of alcoholism developing. Genetics and adolescence are associated with an increased sensitivity to the neurotoxic effects of chronic alcohol abuse. Cortical degeneration due to the neurotoxic effects increases impulsive behaviour, which may contribute to the development, persistence and severity of alcohol use disorders. There is evidence that with abstinence, there is a reversal of at least some of the alcohol induced central nervous system damage. The use of cannabis was associated with later problems with alcohol use. Alcohol use was associated with an increased probability of later use of tobacco, cannabis, and other illegal drugs.

Alcohol is the most available, widely consumed, and widely abused recreational drug. Beer alone is the world's most widely consumed alcoholic beverage; it is the third-most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is thought by some to be the oldest fermented beverage.

Visual looming syndrome is a problem with visual perception that causes people to inaccurately think that a stationary object is moving towards them, and might poke their eyes.

It is a neurological and muscular state, where faulty eye coordination causes the brain to interpret incoming information as a visual looming event (i.e. feeling that an object is approaching and might hit the eye). Because this condition is muscular in nature, anything that causes eye cooperation to fail, such as being tired, under the of narcotics or alcohol, or even minor differences in eye pressure or eyesight (e.g. nearsightedness), may be the cause of an episode. The is usually a narrow or pointy object which is near enough to cause confusion in the eyes, or which is in front of an undetermined or busy background. Some peer to peer studies have indicated that certain conditions, such as nyctalopia or night blindness, may worsen the syndrome.

There have been hypotheses about visual looming syndrome to be linked with several neural and gastroenterology diseases, such as celiac disease, epilepsy and migraines. Also physical differences between the eyes, such as astigmatism may be a factor. There have not been any empirical medical studies about the syndrome, though the consensus is all these may have affect on the muscular function of the eye, but most likely the visual looming syndrome is a separate symptom. There have been studies of a similar neurological situation. Gabbiani Peron has studied the "looming stimulus selectivity in a collision-detecting neuron". Beverley Regan has studied "Binocular and monocular stimuli for motion in depth". Moors P, Huygelier H, Wagemans J, de-Wit L, van Ee R; "Suppressed visual looming stimuli are not integrated with auditory looming signals"

Peer to peer studies have shown many common symptoms, such are "fear of pointy objects hitting the eye", "weird sensation behind the eyes", "difficulty in focusing on objects nearby, which are moving and are not operated by the observer, such as windscreen wipers or a pencil someone else is holding". In these studies visual looming syndrome is often referred as sharp edges eye syndrome (SEES).