Archive for the ‘Alcohol’ Category
Booze On The Brain
So you like the odd beer or glass of wine? Many people do. Alcohol is the original social lubricant where parties loosen up, strangers become friends, and laughter is spun from the strained silence of the sober.
But be careful, this social hair of the dog has the ability to drive thoughts of value into brooding silence. Drinking is socially rewarding for precisely the same reason it produces suffering – it diminishes the influence of remote stimuli.
About 30 seconds after entering the bloodstream, alcohol quickly bypasses the electrical-chemical gateway known as the blood/brain barrier. Consequently, alcohol has an immediate and profound effect on behavior.
So after tipping one too many drinks, the cocky, careless, behavior of most drunken people comes to the foreground. Cognitive resources take a nose dive, social hang-ups flee towards the sunset and Howie Mandell crashes the party.
But all is not fun and games. Other aspects of this alcoholic collision with the brain inhibit loss of fine motor skills, impair vision and slur speech – the all too familiar defining characteristic of the brain taking a temporary vacation. But hey, it’s all in fun right? Not too fast, there’s more.
Long term abuse gets somewhat more complicated with the brain. The findings of imaging techniques, such as CT scans consistently show an association between heavy drinking and physical damage. In other words, memory goes AWOL, personality changes occur, and most seriously, there may be an overall reduction in brain size. A study of a group of alcoholics who drank heavily over a 5-year period showed progressive brain shrinkage. It is said that after 40, some of the changes may be irreversible.
I focused the reaction of our cranial orb, because long term health is often sacrificed for short term social pleasure. Regardless of whether it is beer, tequila, wine or cider, alcohol takes a powerful and detrimental toll on the brain, as well as the total body. So keep it moderate, don’t overlook the effects and enjoy it the way it was meant to be consumed – in moderation.
