Alcohol’s Effects on the Brain

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Recommended: Negative impacts of drinking alcohol

Alcohol seems to be a common topic for teenagers in today’s society. Mainly alcohol is consumed by adolescents that are bored or trying to fit into a crowd by attempting to look ‘cool’. Students are aware of the effects but why is nothing being done? There are many consequences that come along with drinking; alcohol negatively affects not only the body, but the brain.
Alcohol is officially defined as ‘a colorless volatile flammable liquid, C2H5OH, synthesizes or obtained by fermentation of sugars and starches and widely used as a solvent and in drugs’ according to thefreedictionary.com, but it is much more than that. The human brain does not stop growing until the person is in their late 20’s. Because the brain is still developing rapidly through adolescence, which is the prime time for binge drinking, the brain is involved.
When someone drinks an alcoholic beverage, it is absorbed through the stomach or small intestine. Once absorbed, the alcohol merges into the bloodstream and travels its way through the body. Although the liver does help to eliminate as much alcohol as possible, not all is filtered. This alcohol filled blood will flow through the body in a circuit and eventually go through the brain (Watson 4). Since the brain is still in the process of developing mature lobes, alcohol can revise the way cells are working. A healthy brain has an increase in myelination which is essential for gaining and obtaining knowledge and also allows for beneficial communication between lobes. The key operational method to the brain is that all the lobes work together (Squeglia 1). Alcohol increases the effects of the inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA, which means chemical messengers decrease electrical brain activity (Watson 5).
The ter...

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...nd spatial skills. There are many changes that occur while consuming alcohol such as brain volume decreasing, white matter quality and abnormal patterns in the brain are shown. Although it may be ‘fun’ at the time, drinking alcohol affects the brain in the long run and someone can be diagnosed with many syndromes and disorders.

Works Cited

Mattson, Sarah N. "Teratogenic Effects of Alcohol on Brain and Behavior." Teratogenic Effects of Alcohol on Brain and Behavior. NIAAA, n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.
Paturel, Amy. "Neurology Now." Neurology Now. American Academy of Neurology, Dec. 2011. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.
Squeglia, L. M. "The Influence of Substance Use on Adolescent Brain Development." Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. National Center for Biotechnology INformaiton, 24 Feb. 2010. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.
Watson, Stephanie. "How Alcoholism Works." HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.

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