DOES ALCOHOL KILL BRAIN CELLS?—

From: “Life’s Little Mysteries” www.livescience.com/mysteries

If you’ve ever been drunk (or even tipsy), or seen someone who is, you know there’s definitely some cognitive impairment going on. Reaction time, coordination and speech are slowed. Judgment and decision-making abilities get a lot worse, sometimes wrongly convincing us we are more attractive to the opposite sex—or we can safely drive our car.

But is the impairment permanent or temporary? Some people believe the consequences of drinking alcohol are far worse than a nasty hangover; it can actually lead to brain damage because alcohol kills brain cells. During Prohibition, teetotaling temperance activists asserted this belief, citing it among the dangers of drink.

It is not the brain cells themselves but the nerve connections between them (called dendrites) which are most affected by alcohol. The communication signals are inhibited, thus slowing down mental processing and the central nervous system. But the brain cells themselves bounce back with no damage for the most part.

Long-term alcohol use, however, is another story. There’s plenty of research showing sustained alcohol consumption can--and does--cause irreversible neurological disorders.


BOOK REPORT--

Spare Parts by Buzz Williams

A US Marine reservist’s journey from campus to combat in 38 days; it is a penetrating view of the struggle to transform from citizens to soldiers and back again. One decorated veteran said the story “...brings honor and respect to our nation’s part-time warriors...”

I agree; it’s a good read.