Right now is a pretty important time for your brain. In fact, it’s shaping itself at this very minute. So it needs you to provide it with a positive and alcohol-free environment to thrive.
The brain controls your body’s organs, muscle activity and drives the release of hormones. This allows you to respond in a quick and coordinated way. Drinking alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways and how it controls your body – it can change your mood and behaviour, and make it harder to think clearly and move.
The effect alcohol has on your brain can kick in after only one or two drinks, but may last a lifetime.
Drinking only one or two drinks can:
- Blur your vision
- Cause memory problems
- Make you lose your balance and coordination
- Slow your reaction time
- Slur your speech
These symptoms should stop after your body metabolises the alcohol. Depending on how much alcohol you have consumed, that can take a while.
Drinking can lower your inhibitions
Alcohol depresses the cerebral cortex of the brain, making the person less inhibited. It slows down the processing of information from the eyes, ears, mouth and other senses, and inhibits thought processes, making it difficult to think clearly.
Drinking can make you clumsy
Alcohol affects the brain’s cerebellum which controls movement and balance. This means drinking makes it harder to move and stay upright.
Drinking affects sex
Alcohol depresses the areas of the brain that controls sexual urges and performance. Although your sexual urges might increase in the short-term, your performance will decrease overall.
Drinking makes you sleepy
Alcohol depresses your consciousness, lowers your body temperature and decreases your breathing – a life threatening combination.
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The truth about kids who drink
Under 18? Hang on. Before you grab that drink think about what you’re really doing. It’s not just about the law it’s about your body too. Drinking alcohol can be risky for growing bodies and brains. So is it worth it?
Alcohol on the flip side. Know the risks.
Alcohol. It affects everyone differently. So how you react may be completely different to your friends. Sometimes these effects are only temporary, however excessive drinking can lead to some pretty scary short-term and long-term consequences. So it’s important to know the risks.