How does alcohol affect the brain?

Immediate Effects

When you drink alcohol, it quickly affects how your brain works. It boosts a chemical called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which helps calm you down and make you feel relaxed. At the same time, alcohol slows down another chemical called glutamate, which helps with your thinking and coordination. This is why drinking can make you feel relaxed but also make it harder to move or speak clearly.

Impact on the Brain’s Reward System

Alcohol also affects your brain’s reward system. Alcohol consumption triggers the release of dopamine in the brain, which is a key neurotransmitter associated with pleasure, reward and reinforcement of behaviours. This feeling of pleasure can reinforce the desire to repeat the behaviour and drink more, leading to potential addiction over time. 

This reinforcement mechanism is one of the reasons why alcohol can be addictive. Eventually, if we consume a lot of alcohol, the brain may become accustomed to higher levels of dopamine release, leading to tolerance where more alcohol is needed to achieve the same effects. Chronic alcohol use can also disrupt the brain’s natural dopamine balance, which can then give you withdrawal symptoms when you stop.

Mental Health

Alcohol can also affect your mental health. While alcohol might temporarily make you feel less anxious, it can actually exacerbate anxiety and lead to depression with long-term use. Drinking can trigger psychotic episodes or worsen conditions like schizophrenia. Many people with mental health issues use alcohol to cope, which can make both problems worse.

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Long-Term Effects

Drinking a lot over a long time can change your brain in serious ways:

– Brain Changes: Your brain can adapt to alcohol, needing more to get the same effects and causing withdrawal symptoms when you stop.

– Memory and Thinking Problems: Long-term drinking can hurt your ability to remember things and make good decisions.

– Brain Damage: Heavy drinking can shrink your brain and affect how your brain’s white matter works, which can affect your thinking.