Today, alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence are major public health problems in North America, costing the region's inhabitants an estimated US$170 billion annually. Alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence are life-threatening problems that sometimes end in death, particularly through liver, pancreatic, or kidney disease, internal bleeding, brain deterioration, alcohol poisoning, and suicide. Heavy alcohol consumption by a pregnant mother can also lead to fetal alcohol syndrome in the fetus, an uncurable and damaging condition.