I think the physical side of alcoholism doesn't get stressed enough. Alcoholism is a body/mind/spirit deal but we most often only talk about the mental and spiritual hoping that will be enough to stop the organ damage through abstinence. I'm seeing here that it often doesn't work.
When I first entered the rooms of AA (a big room) I grabbed every pamphlet on the walls and tables there. That was enough to scare me. I had thought of the unmanageable life, etc, but never the physical consequences. If in doubt of what the future holds for someone who continues drinking, just make a trip to your local VA facility/hospital. Talk to those awaiting liver transplants getting a hog-sized needle plunged into their side to drain off the fluid accumulating in their abdomen once a week or those walking around with a pole holding a bag of food being injected to their veins because their pancreas or stomachs won't handle food by mouth... the list goes on but if you want to see the physical conseqences, that's a good place to start... and, yes, if you take the time to talk with those sitting near you... be prepared because you will come across those for whom their is no medical solution left and they're in various stages of dying because they wouldn't stop drinking... you can find a lot of those in the kidney area or dialysis waiting area.