Answer:
In a summary:
Short-term, it can cause muscle damage to the heart since alcohol speeds up the circulation process, and in the long term, it can affect the efficiency of how much the heart can eject and the pumping (which means improper ejection of blood).
It can also increase the risk of alcohol abuse, heart attack, stroke, A-fib and hemorrhagic stroke.
Some of the most preventative measures people could use is that they abstain from ever drinking (or drink in moderation, which means no more alcohol consumption than what their body can handle and requesting counseling if behavior starts to interfere with daily activities (because usually it's the first sign of substance abuse the lack of control).