Alcohol Effects On The Brain

Experts around the world have defined alcohol as a drug. For thousands of years, various civilizations and countries have been making alcohol through various fermentation techniques. It is classified as a depressant, meaning it slows down the body’s vital functions and inhibits the ability to react. Within the last ten years, it is estimated that approximately 15 million Americans suffer from alcoholism, and it is estimated over 76 million people worldwide suffer from an alcohol related illness. Alcohol abuse has many physical, emotional, and developmental effects on the human body.

Alcohol use in the past was divided into two subcategories: alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. In May 2013 the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder

(DSM) was revised to classify those types of alcohol use as alcohol use disorders (AUD). In DSM-IV an individual would fall under either alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence with specific criteria and treatment for each. With the revision of DSM-5 the two disorders are now integrated into AUD and given sub categories- mild, moderate and severe (Alcohol Use Disorder: A Comparison Between DSM–IV and DSM–5). As per the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), “....anyone meeting any two of the 11 criteria during the same 12-month period receives a diagnosis of AUD. The severity of an AUD….is based on the number of criteria met.”(Alcohol Use Disorder). To name just a few, the questions cover areas such as cravings, effects on personal relationships, and whether or not alcohol is interfering with day to day responsibilities. As stated by the NIAAA, the ranges of mild, moderate or severe are based on the number of criteria. To clarify, this means that one can meet two or more of the criteria without being considered alcohol dependent. An individual can fall in the mild category while being an alcoholic as well as fall into the severe category and be an abuser. However, the professional diagnosis given will be that the individual has an alcohol abuse disorder.
Abusing alcohol negatively impacts emotional growth. Research on rehab patients supports that individuals who struggle with alcohol use also struggle with dealing with emotions. In turn, many who started off as the occasional drinkers turn to alcohol as a coping mechanism. Alcohol helps numb and disengage from the feelings the user is avoiding. Over time, this can lead to an addiction to alcohol. Alcohol is assisting the brain in having to deal with such emotions. In turn this causes emotional growth to come to a stand still. When the user continues to drink after they become addicted, the body will continue to mature but the emotional state of the individual will not change. For instance, if a person begins drinking at 15 not only are they more susceptible to developing an addiction, but their emotional growth will halt until they deal with their addiction (Caplan). Using alcohol as a coping skill works for some as a short term band aid, but in the long run will inhibit an individual’s ability to develop coping skills actually suited to the underlying issues. Studies show that when a user takes alcohol away from the equation, the individual does not possess the skills to deal with their emotional issues another way (Caplan).
Studies show that alcohol has a wide variety of effects on brain development.

Exactly how much alcohol it takes to affect an individual varies from person to person. Research is constantly ongoing as to how much alcohol affects the brain as well as how many of the effects are reversible. Heavy drinking can cause a wide variety of memory problems such as “blackouts,” where one might have issues remembering a specific night or event. These memory lapses will start with events during the drinking and over time expand to include hours before drinking as well, leading to longer periods of memory loss. Heavy drinking can eventually lead to permanent memory conditions that require lifelong care. While evidence supports that heavy drinking can have debilitating effects, moderate drinking can also have short-term memory effects on the brain (Alcohol’s Damaging Effects on the Brain). Researchers have to take into consideration many factors about users that will contribute to how alcohol impacts the brain. How much or how often a person drinks, what age someone was and how long they have been drinking, and his or her general health status are just a few of the factors researchers have to consider. The Alcohol Alert published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, stated:

Using imaging with computerized tomography, two studies (8,9) compared brain shrinkage, a common indicator of brain damage, in alcoholic men and women and reported that male and female alcoholics both showed

significantly greater brain shrinkage than control subjects. Studies also showed that both men and women have similar learning and memory problems as a result of heavy drinking (10) (Alcohol’s Damaging Effects on the Brain).
In addition, the Alcohol Alert shows extensive research that women are more likely to experience the brain effects from alcohol before men due to the way they metabolize alcohol. However, the study discovered that women had been drinking excessively for only about half as long as the men. Women on average had spent about half the duration as the men heavily drinking, yet women and men were both showing the same levels of damaging effects on the brain.
Alcohol also has physical impacts on the body.

These impacts range from health issues that stem from long term usage, to participating in risky behavior. One research study showed, “Students who binge drank were more likely than both nondrinkers and current drinkers who did not binge to report poor school performance and involvement in other health risk behaviors.” (Miller, Naimi, Brewer, Jones). Driving under the influence, unprotected and/or risky sexual behaviors, and using illicit drugs are just a few of the reported behaviors from college students who drank heavily on a regular basis. Engaging in risky behavior, however, is just a part of some of the physical repercussions of heavy drinking. Liver diseases are also very common among alcoholics. These can range from fatty liver, to hepatitis, to the most severe of cirrhosis. At least 20% of all alcoholics or heavy drinkers will develop fatty liver, and 50% of patients that develop hepatitis will die as a result of the disease. A lesser known negative effect on the human body is hepatic encephalopathy (Mann, Smart, Govoni). Hepatic encephalopathy occurs when the liver is no longer able to filter toxins from the body, which in time results in a loss of brain

function.
Alcohol use and abuse is a subject far more involved than the common terms of alcoholism and alcohol abuse. Research shows that those with alcohol use disorders are at risk for a variety of health complications. Stunting emotional growth, extensive liver diseases, and long term memory problems are some key issues that those with AUDs may face. Emotionally, physically and developmentally, there are a number of facts to consider.