Many individuals here in Anguilla often use the August festivities to abuse alcohol. The truth is that you can enjoy yourself without abusing alcohol, and many who abuse alcohol often do tremendous damage to themselves and others. Driving under the influence of alcohol can easily result in a vehicular accident thereby causing the death of innocent people. Alcohol can affect almost any organ in the body, but the effects on the brain can be catastrophic.
Alcohol abuse
Alcohol is a powerful chemical that can have a wide range of adverse effects on almost every part of your body, including your brain, bones and heart. It is now suggested that there is no such thing as a safe level of alcohol use – just a level when harm is at its lowest. Alcohol use and abuse are associated with various problems both in the short-term and in the long-term.
Long-term effects of alcohol misuse
Drinking large amounts of alcohol for many years will take its toll on many of the body’s organs and may cause organ damage. Organs known to be damaged by long-term alcohol misuse include the brain and nervous system, heart, liver and pancreas.
Heavy drinking can also increase your blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels, both of which are major risk factors for heart attacks and strokes.
Long-term alcohol misuse can weaken your immune system, making you more vulnerable to serious infections. It can also weaken your bones, placing you at greater risk of fracturing or breaking them.
There are many long-term health risks associated with alcohol misuse. They include: high blood pressure, stroke, pancreatitis, liver disease, liver cancer and other cancers, and sexual problems.
As well as having a significant impact on your health, alcohol misuse can also have long-term social implications. For example, it can lead to:
• family break-up and divorce
• domestic abuse
• unemployment
• homelessness
• financial problems
How does alcohol affect the brain?
Alcohol is a neurotoxin that can disrupt communications of the brain. It also affects functions of brain cells, directly and indirectly, through different organ dysfunction from alcohol usage and vitamin deficiency. Depending on the area of the brain affected, people can have different symptoms. Abusing alcohol can lead to seizure, stroke and dementia, to name a few conditions. Additionally, alcohol is toxic to a developing brain during pregnancy and can cause birth defects – including developmental disorders with lifelong impact.
A recent study, involving brain scans and cognitive testing, suggests that moderate drinking, over many years, could damage areas of the brain linked to memory and cognitive function. Various researchers have determined that alcohol can do a lot of damage to the brain – from mild memory loss to permanent brain damage.
Some of us are aware of the headache and brain fog you experience the morning after drinking too much. The effects of alcohol on the brain are profound, and heavy drinking can set you up for some of the most dreaded brain diseases. The long-term effects of alcohol can completely rewire your brain, increasing the risk of depression and other conditions.
There are several factors that determine how alcohol affects the brain and include the following:
• How much and how often drinking occurs
• Age when drinking first began
• Prenatal alcohol exposure
• Age, gender, genetic background/family history
• Level of education
• General health status
Disorders associated with excessive alcohol use include the following:
Blackouts and memory lapses
Alcohol can produce detectable impairments in memory after only a few drinks and, as the amount of alcohol increases, so does the degree of impairment. Large quantities of alcohol, especially when consumed quickly and on an empty stomach, can produce a blackout, or an interval of time for which the intoxicated person cannot recall key details of events, or even entire events.
Blackouts are much more common among social drinkers than previously assumed, and should be viewed as a potential consequence of acute intoxication regardless of age or whether the drinker is clinically dependent on alcohol. Blackouts often occurs following binge drinking – common in college students and young people. In one study, the students who were involved in binge drinking with blackouts reported learning later that they had participated in a wide range of potentially dangerous events they could not remember – including vandalism, unprotected sex and driving.
Dementia
We have known that many years of severe alcohol abuse can cause dementia, but recent studies indicate that less severe brain damage occurs in young people with fewer years of alcohol abuse.
Alcohol and the developing brain
Drinking during pregnancy can lead to a range of physical, learning, and behavioural effects in the developing brain, the most serious of which is a collection of symptoms known as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Children with FAS may have distinct facial features. FAS infants are also markedly smaller than average. Their brains may have less volume (i.e., microencephaly). They may have fewer numbers of brain cells (i.e., neurons) or fewer neurons that are able to function correctly, leading to long–term problems in learning and behavior.
Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome
Thiamine deficiency is a common occurrence in people with alcoholism and results from poor overall nutrition. Thiamine, also known as vitamin B1, is an essential nutrient required by all tissues, including the brain. Up to 80 percent of alcoholics have a deficiency in thiamine, and some of these people will go on to develop serious brain disorders such as Wernicke–Korsakoff Syndrome.
Conclusion
The effects of alcohol on the brain vary from one individual to another. What makes some alcoholics and individuals who use alcohol vulnerable to brain damage, whereas others are not, remains the subject of active research. Abusing alcohol can have many effects on the body and the brain is no exception. If you are experiencing problems with alcohol, speak with your healthcare provider or a counselor. Remember if you drink do not drive. Even small amounts of alcohol can negatively affect your judgement and driving skills.
Ask Your Doctor is a health education column and is not a substitute for medical advice from your physician. The reader should consult his or her physician for specific information concerning specific medical conditions. While all reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that all information presented is accurate, as research and development in the medical field are ongoing, it is possible that new findings may supersede some data presented.
Dr Brett Hodge MB BS DGO MRCOG is an Obstetrician/Gynaecologist and Family Doctor who has over thirty-five years in clinical practice. Dr Hodge has a medical practice in The Johnson Building in The Valley (Tel: 264 4975828).
