If you’re going through a severe alcohol abuse, you may need a prompt alcohol intervention in order to avoid the damaging effects of this substance. You need to understand right away what happens to your body when you abuse drinking and how it can be treated. While moderate alcohol consumption is linked to numerous health benefits. The abuse of alcohol can cause a great deal of damage to the brain. Here are some ways alcohol can harm your brain.

What Alcohol Does to Your Brain

Memory

Our memories are perhaps one of our most prized possessions, and having a good memory is important for daily functioning. However, alcohol has a significant effect on the hippocampus, the brain region responsible for encoding and storing memories. High alcohol consumption interferes with the encoding process, which makes it hard to form new memories. In addition, high alcohol consumption can make it harder to retrieve existing memories, which manifests in ways such as difficulty remembering names. A poor memory can affect your work performance, learning, and even personal relationships.

Insomnia

Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to problems with sleep, causing frequent awakenings throughout the night due to headaches and excessive sweating. Excessive alcohol consumption can also lead to vivid dreams, not all of them pleasant, which decrease your ability to get a tranquil full night’s rest. This can make you groggy and make it hard think clearly. In extreme cases, it can lead to paranoia and delusion.

Social Skills

The ability to act in social situations is diminished significantly with alcohol abuse. Although people may be less inhibited after having a few drinks, in the long-term, abusing alcohol can lead to impairments in perceiving emotions, hearing intonation in speech, and understanding humor, amongst many others.

Depression

Alcoholics have high rates of depression, with many scientists pointing towards alcohol as the main cause of the disorder. Depression refers to a prolonged period of time feeling hopeless, lonely, apathetic, and devoid of energy. Alcohol accomplishes this by causing decreases in important neurotransmitters that regulate our mood.  

Get a prompt Alcohol Intervention

It may seem like the effects that alcohol has on the brain are permanent. However, it is never too late to seek alcohol intervention to stop the damaging effects of excessive drinking, or to reverse them altogether. If you are experiencing difficulties with curbing your alcohol consumption, don’t wait to do further damage. At Summit Estate, their compassionate staff with data-informed training are ready to help you overcome your problems. Make a consultation today, call at (866) 569-9391.