What Effects Does Alcohol Have on the Brain?
The effects of alcohol on your brain may be mild and temporary or may result in severe and permanent damage to your brain. Effects of alcohol on your brain depend on your gender, age and overall health as well as the frequency and duration of alcohol use and include changes in behavior, learning and memory. Consider this information from National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism on the effects of alcohol on the brain.
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Memory Lapse
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Using alcohol even in small amounts can cause you to have temporary lapses of memory, especially of the events that happened while you were drinking.
Loss of Coordination
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Loss of coordination of your muscles is an effect of alcohol on your brain and can cause outward effects slurring of your speech and difficulty walking in a straight line.
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Learning Disorders
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Alcohol use, especially when frequent or heavy, can cause you to have difficulty with learning, processing and comprehension of information and is a permanent effect of alcohol use.
Risky Behaviors
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Risky behaviors such as having sex with people you do not know are a result of the disinhibiting effects of alcohol on your brain that may lead to serious health complications.
Alcohol Dependence
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Over time, your brain may not be able to function or go through your day without using alcohol, resulting in alcohol dependence.
Blackouts
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Blackouts are effects of alcohol on your brain that result in you not being able to remember what happened for a duration of time, and are more common in women than men.
Brain Shrinkage
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Shrinkage of your brain is a type of brain damage caused by alcohol that results from death of neurons, and may be serious enough to result in loss of the ability to take care of yourself.
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