Alcohol consumption is a common practice these days. After a long day of work, it’s become a tradition to head over to the pub or even just sit at home with a tall cold one. However, alcohol has a lasting impact on the human brain, hindering its performance and slowing its inhibitions.
Potential Risks of Alcohol Consumption
Effects of Alcohol on Human Behaviour
Alcohol consumption significantly affects human behaviour. It is responsible for producing high levels of GABA, a neurotransmitter that helps relax the body and lower blood pressure. Moreover, alcohol can double the levels of dopamine, sending ripples of pleasure to your body. This makes the person impulsive and lowers their inhibitions.
Effects of Alcohol on Prefrontal Cortex
The prefrontal cortex is part of the brain responsible for decision-making. It makes you think rationally and lets you decide accordingly. Once you consume alcohol in abundance, the prefrontal cortex activities are disrupted, severely affecting your ability to think clearly. You will find it hard to make a decision. Alcohol creates a buzz inside your brain, blurring your vision and making it difficult for you to carry out your usual activities.
If you are drunk, you can hardly make out words. You will have a hard time processing information and reaching the final decision. You will have no control over anything – neither your words nor your actions. Your brain activity will slowly become crippled, making it extremely difficult for you to process anything.
Alcohol consumption also affects the way you feel. Your brain tells your body to behave in a certain way or feel a certain thing. When you are drunk, this process gets interrupted, and you are no longer in control of your actions. You might feel nothing or everything at once. Under the influence of alcohol, your inhibitions are lowered, making you wary of the consequences of your actions.
Effects of Alcohol on Your Memory
Drunk people are more likely to get into an argument they might have no recollection of. Alcohol consumption can affect your ability to think, behave, and remember things. You might meet an accident, bang someone’s head through the wall, or commit to something you won’t remember later. Heavy drinking can permanently affect your memory.
However smart or responsible you might think you are, alcohol consumption has negative effects that cripple your brain activity and plays with your ability to make decisions. You are no longer in charge of your brain. The initial feeling of ecstasy soon subsides as the wildness takes over. You end up losing control of yourself, which can be highly consequential for you.