Oscar Wilde, the noted Irish author and humorist, once said that “all excess … brings its own punishment”. He knew what he was talking about for more than one reason. Plenty of experience with drinking too much and suffering from hangovers made him describe himself as an alcoholic and a regular used of absinthe (http://www.absinthe101.com/famous.html). He used his wit to speak of his dependence on alcohol in a humorous vein. Writing in the late 1800s, he may not have known how much punishment alcohol can actually deliver. Scientific research today shows that alcoholism damages brain matter, and it is no laughing matter.