By Pigeni Sherehe Kabisa. This Is What Alcohol Is Doing To Your Brain.
The ubiquitous nature of alcohol in social life conceals an important fact: alcohol is a drug and a potentially lethal one.
Most people with alcohol dependence have experienced the memory problems and slowed thinking that comes with alcohol use.
While moderate alcohol consumption may offer some health benefits, compulsive or binge drinking can damage the brain. Alcohol brain damage symptoms vary from person to person and are often similar to other symptoms, such as dementia.
While drinking, they may have difficulty recalling memories or remembering new information, such as a person’s name. Afterward, they may experience a blackout: an inability to remember entire conversations or events that occurred while they were drinking.
Pigeni Sherehe Kabisa. This Is What Alcohol Is Doing To Your Brain. Photo Courtesy
It is less commonly known why these side effects occur and how heavy drinking can eventually cause serious long-term damage to the brain.
Some potential long-term effects of alcohol abuse include:
- cardiovascular health issues that increase the risk of stroke
- brain shrinkage
- poor circulation to the brain
- dementia
- nutritional deficiencies that may damage the brain or cause an alcohol-related type of dementia calledKorsakoff syndrome
- mental health issues, including hallucinations and psychosis
- changes in mood or personality
Pigeni Sherehe Kabisa. This Is What Alcohol Is Doing To Your Brain. Photo Courtesy
Short-Term Effects of Alcohol on the Brain.
When consumed, alcohol increases the activity of GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid), the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, and suppresses the activity of the neurons, causing slurred speech, unsteady gait, lapses in short-term memory, and slowed reflexes.
The brain chemistry changes associated with drinking may take a person through a wide range of moods, including euphoria, depression, mania, aggression, anger, and confusion. Too much drinking in a short period of time may even slow a person’s breathing and heart rate, causing a coma.
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