Alcohol And Brain Damage

Alcohol begins affecting a person’s brain as soon as it enters the bloodstream. In a healthy person, the liver quickly filters alcohol, helping the body get rid of the drug.

- Dr Arun Oommen

However, when a person drinks to excess, the liver cannot filter the alcohol fast enough, and this triggers immediate changes in the brain. Over time, excessive alcohol consumption can damage both the brain and liver, causing lasting damages. In general, the more alcohol a person drinks, the more likely it becomes that alcohol will damage the brain — both in the short and long term.

Why does drinking alcohol have such profound effects on thought, mood, and behavior? And why does alcohol dependence develop and persist in some people and not in others? Through neuroscience research, scientists are gaining a better understanding of how alcohol changes the brain and how those changes in turn influence certain behaviors.

Excessive alcohol consumption can have long-lasting effects on neurotransmitters in the brain, decreasing their effectiveness or even mimicking them. Alcohol also destroys brain cells and contracts brain tissue. Some people with a history of excessive alcohol use develop nutritional deficiencies that further damage brain function.

A number of factors influence how and to what extent alcohol affects the brain, including

• how much and how often a person drinks

• the age at which he or she first began drinking, and how long he or she has been drinking

• the person’s age, level of education, gender, genetic background, and family history of alcoholism

• whether he or she is at risk as a result of prenatal alcohol exposure and

• his or her general health status.

How Alcohol Changes the Brain: