The negative impact of alcohol on human intelligence. The influence of alcohol on the mental abilities of a person, or irreversible processes in the head of a “drinker” The influence of alcohol on a person’s intelligence
Alcoholism is a serious disease that kills 75,000 people every year in Russia alone. Even more people suffer from this problem and can not stop drinking. It is known that the influence of alcohol extends to the entire body,. There is a degradation of the personality, and the intellect suffers directly. Now consider how quickly changes occur, and how irreversible they are.
Action on the brain
Every person who allows himself to drink even occasionally should know how alcohol affects the intellect. It is not in vain that scientists and doctors warn that alcohol is dangerous for health and performance. As you know, when alcohol enters the body, it slows down blood circulation in the vessels and leads to oxygen starvation of cells. Because of this, there is a weakening of memory, and also there is a slow degradation on the part of the psyche.
If a person continues to abuse alcohol, then early sclerotic changes may develop, and the risk of cerebral hemorrhage also increases.
Immediately after consumption, alcohol has the following effects:
- The person begins to think more slowly.
- His speech is confused, it is difficult to find the right words.
- He becomes forgetful.
- Perhaps inadequate behavior, attacks of aggression, apathy, depression.
- The coordination of movements is disturbed.
If a person consumes alcohol for a long time, then his intellect begins to suffer seriously. The situation is greatly aggravated if the person does not get out of hard drinking. If a healthy person has everything side effects alcohol disappear after a few hours or days, then alcoholics do not get rid of the slow reaction and inappropriate behavior at all. This can be explained by the fact that the brain cells are too damaged, and the body can no longer cope with the recovery.
For drunkards, a change in the initial size of the brain is also characteristic - the organ becomes smaller.
Hemorrhages also occur, which cause a stroke. Naturally, the brain can no longer fully function, and the human intellect is deteriorating.
What is the upshot?
If a person suffers from alcohol addiction, then this is not a reason to put an end to it. In many cases, the patient can be helped by contacting specialists. If the disease is in its early stages, then the chances of recovery are quite high. However, if nothing is done, the person will gradually get drunk.
characteristic of alcoholism. The drunkard loses his ability to work, begins to suffer from (hallucinations, apathy, depression, mania, etc.). He becomes indifferent to loved ones, he is no longer tormented by a sense of guilt or duty. As a rule, an alcoholic loses his job because he becomes irresponsible and is no longer able to perform even elementary duties.
Naturally, a drunkard cannot be considered a full-fledged member of the family. It is a burden for loved ones, and can significantly spoil their lives. If possible, then every effort should be made to prevent a person from sleeping. This will help the means from the Internet, which contribute to getting rid of addiction. It will also be useful to contact a psychologist who will help in understanding the problem, accepting it and fighting it. Of course, close people should be nearby who will help a person cope with the disease and not return to the bottle.
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Alcohol is an integral part of the Russian social scene. Alcohol consumption can cause people to lose the ability to think responsibly. After all, alcohol impairs brain activity.
Alcohol is associated with a lot of familiar cognitive changes, such as loss of reaction time, embarrassment or abnormal thinking, and unresponsive decision making. Few alcoholics have been able to avoid the consequences of drinking alcohol. However, even a short-term loss of control over oneself, over normal mental functioning, can lead to legal and personal problems that probably would not have occurred if alcohol had not been consumed that day. Alcohol consumption continues to be such an important part of Russian culture that it is almost impossible to imagine life without it.
What is alcohol?
As he says National Institute According to drug abuse, the active ingredient in beer, wine and alcohol is ethyl alcohol or ethanol, which is what has a dizzying effect on the brain.
The process known as creates alcohol. When the yeast is fermented, the sugar breaks down into carbon dioxide and this ethyl alcohol. Carbon dioxide exits in the process and leaves a mixture of water and ethanol. The process is so precise that if any air is present in the yeast, the result will be ethanoic acid, a chemical found in vinegar.
Alcohol is primarily made up of sugar and yeast, but different sources of sugar can produce different kinds alcohol. For example, sugar from grape pulp combined with yeast is used to create red or white wine. In the case of beer, the sugar source is usually barley, but other grains such as wheat or rye can also be used. To extract sugar from it, the grain must be mashed or boiled. Once the sugar is ready to use, yeast is added and the fermentation process begins. Different liqueurs are made in different ways. For example, when it comes to vodka, it is commonly believed that potatoes are usually the source of sugar; however, most vodka is made from fruit, barley, wheat, sorghum, or corn.
Alcohol consumption in Russia
AT last years alcohol consumption in Russia is rapidly declining (by almost a third over the period 2011-2016 - from 18 to 12.8 liters per person per year), and the life expectancy rate in the country is growing rapidly (since 2003, average life expectancy in Russia has increased by more than than 6 years, and for men - more than 7 years). According to the Ministry of Health, at the beginning of 2017, alcohol consumption in the country decreased to 10 liters per adult per year, while the recommended by the World Health Organization is 8 liters.
Nevertheless, the level of alcohol consumption, especially strong alcohol, is still very high and seriously reduces the quality of life in Russia - not only for the alcoholics themselves, but for all citizens.
In the field of substance abuse treatment, a person who has both a substance use disorder and at least one other mental health disorder is considered a dual diagnosis. However, there is general agreement that people who abuse alcohol and are diagnosed with a mental disorder need treatment for both conditions.
alcohol in the brain
While it is true that alcohol can initially lift people's spirits and even help them socialize at a party, it must not be forgotten that alcohol is a central depressant. nervous system. The depressive effects of alcohol can be seen when people who drink have slurred speech and poor motor coordination that prevents them from walking properly. Although these external signs of intoxication can be easily seen, it is not so clear how alcohol works at a deeper level within the body. So how does alcohol work on a neurological level?
Alcohol acts on receptors for neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) known as GABA, glutamate, and dopamine. The activity of alcohol at the GABA and glutamate sites leads to the physiological effects associated with alcohol consumption, such as slowing down movement and speech. Alcohol activity at the dopamine site in the brain's reward center creates pleasurable feelings that motivate many people to drink.
How alcohol affects a person's mood, behavior, and neurological functioning depends in part on whether the blood alcohol content (BAC) rises or falls. With 1-2 drinks, a person may feel energized or more talkative, but with more and more alcohol in their system, they become more sedated and begin to lose control of their movement and may experience impaired thinking and memory.
In addition, it is known what factors affect how alcohol affects the human brain over time:
- The amount a person drinks
- How often does he drink
- Age when he started drinking
- Number of years the person drank
- Gender, age and genetic factors of a person
- Does the person's family have a history of alcoholism
- General state human health
When considering the negative consequences of drinking alcohol, people often think about what could happen, such as being in a car accident or having a fight with loved ones. However, people play roulette with themselves when they drink, especially when they drink a lot. When other drugs are added to alcohol consumption, health risks become more serious
The link between alcohol and dementia
How alcohol affects the brain is probably more complex than most people think. However, it is well known that chronic consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol can have detrimental effects on the body. However, a surprising 2018 study from France shows a strong link between early onset dementia (a person starts showing symptoms of dementia before age 65) and alcohol addiction.
The study states that alcohol consumption is important factors risk of dementia, which can shorten life by up to 20 years, and dementia is the leading cause of death.
So how exactly is dementia, which until now has been mostly synonymous with Alzheimer's and linked to alcohol? To understand the connection between the two, it is first helpful to understand the effects that alcohol has on the brain as a whole.
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is considered to be the frequent use of alcohol: three times a day for women and four to five times a day for men.
Symptoms of alcoholism:
Physical:
- Poor coordination
- Slurred speech
- Slow reaction time
Psychological:
- Thinking disorder
- Memory loss
Behavioral
- Provocative behavior
- Depression
Abstinence from alcohol leads to sweating, nausea, restlessness, and delirium; which may include visual or auditory hallucinations.
When you consume alcohol, your liver breaks it down into non-toxic by-products, but with excessive consumption, your liver is unable to keep up with the new demands and the alcohol remains in your bloodstream. The effect of alcohol on the brain depends on the concentration of alcohol in a person's blood.
How does alcohol affect the brain?
An increase in the amount of alcohol in the blood on the brain across the blood-brain barrier. Alcohol causes behavioral changes by affecting certain areas of the brain that are susceptible to chemical changes.
Regions of the brain affected by alcohol
mesolimbic pathway
Alcohol stimulates the mesolimbic or reward pathway in the brain and releases dopamine, which produces feelings of pleasure.
This pathway is the main pathway associated with addiction, in which the constant stimulation of the pathway requires more and more of the substance to produce the same level of pleasure. Research has shown that a pathway that gets activated repeatedly (due to drinking alcohol) becomes coated with mesh glue, making it harder for new synapses to form or old ones to break (enjoyment). This explains why addiction is so difficult to overcome, the pattern is ingrained and held in the brain.
Frontal left and prefrontal cortex
This region is involved in decision making, motivation, planning, goal setting, problem solving, social behavior, and impulse suppression. Neuropathological studies have shown a significant decrease in the number of neurons in the prefrontal cortex of alcoholics and an overall reduced brain mass compared to controls (non-alcoholic drinkers). Damage to the frontal lobe/prefrontal cortex leads to emotional and personality changes.
hippocampus
The hippocampus lies within the mesolimbic system and is involved in motivation, spatial navigation, emotions, and is critical to the formation of memories. There is evidence that the hippocampus may also play a role in creating feelings of fear and anxiety. The hippocampus is also one of the few sites for neurogenesis in the adult brain.
neurogenesis is the process of forming new brain cells from stem cells (undifferentiated cells that can give rise to all types of cells). Studies show that increasing the dose of alcohol leads to a disruption in the growth of new cells, which leads to a deficiency in certain areas, such as the hippocampus, which will lead to a decrease in learning and memory levels. Hippocampal neurogenesis is restored after 30 days of abstinence.
Hypothalamus
The hypothalamus has connections to many systems and is involved in learning and memory, regulatory functions, eating/drinking, temperature control, hormone regulation, and emotions. Long-term damage to the hypothalamus due to alcohol leads to memory deficits and amnesia.
Cerebellum
The cerebellum accounts for approximately 10 percent of the total weight of the brain, but contains about half of the neurons. The small but powerful cerebellum coordinates voluntary movement, balance, eye movement, and governs emotion and cognition. Alcohol abuse leads to atrophy in the white matter of the cerebellum.
Amygdala
Within the temporal lobe of the amygdala, there are connections to the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and thalamus and governs the analysis of possible dangers.
Does drinking relieve anxiety and help you connect with people? British Psychological Society blog author Christian Jarrett finds out
Photo: Benjamin Nussbaum/FlickrFor thousands of years people have enjoyed drinking alcohol to help them communicate. The reasons seem obvious at first glance. Most of us need to drink a glass or two to relax, remove inhibitions, cheer up. Yet for decades, psychologists and other scientists have struggled to find evidence for the so-called "tension reduction theory," which claimed that alcohol had relaxing, mood-enhancing effects. However, in the lab, alcohol often had no effect or even made people feel worse.
A new review in the journal Behavior Research and Therapy helps to understand this discrepancy between real life and laboratory conditions. Most of the early research suggested that the effect of alcohol is simple: if you give a dose of alcohol to a person sitting alone in a psychology lab, its pharmacological effects will kick in and make the person more cheerful and less anxious.
As Michael Sayett of the University of Pittsburgh explains in his review, the reality is that the positive effects of alcohol interact in complex ways with our thoughts and emotions, as well as with the social situations we find ourselves in. To find out why social drinking is so beneficial, researchers had to develop more complex, realistic experiments. I selected five key ideas from Sayetta's review, which help explain why so many of us find alcohol to be the perfect social companion.
Alcohol helps you enjoy the moment
At moderate doses of alcohol, we seem to be less influenced by past experiences, our mood is more connected to the present moment. One study examined small groups of strangers. Comparison of changing emotions in those participants who drank a moderate amount of alcohol with those who drank a soft drink or a placebo (they thought they were drinking alcohol, but they were not) showed that alcohol reduces "emotional inertia" - that is, current participants' emotions drinking alcohol were less dependent on their earlier emotions. As Sayette writes in his review, alcohol "increases the ability to experience the present moment without associating it with past experiences."
Alcohol reduces anxiety, but not fear
Moderate intoxication does not appear to reduce our fear of an impending threat, but does reduce our anxiety about unpredictable threats, which may explain its appeal in social situations. The unpredictable threat is more like the problems of social situations where you never know when you might next be insulted or embarrassed. The researchers demonstrated this effect of alcohol by measuring participants' responses to loud noises during a task in which some of them knew they would definitely receive a mild electric shock, while others were unsure whether they would or not. Drinking alcohol reduced participants' responses and their subjective anxiety only when the threat of a stroke was vague. "This experiment clearly shows that alcohol reduces stress better when there is uncertainty about the severity of an impending threat than when the threat is well defined," the researchers say.
Alcohol reduces concentration, helps to ignore worries and threats
When we are slightly drunk, we have less mental capacity, which means that while we are distracted by a pleasant or non-threatening task - like chatting with friends - our mind is less likely to devote resources to worrying about other things. In a study published in 1988, participants were either slightly drunk or sober and either watched art slides or sat quietly while waiting for an upcoming performance. Getting drunk and viewing the art slides helped reduce anxiety about the upcoming speech—that is, drunken participants could not worry about the upcoming speech because the artwork took their attention away. Alcohol or artwork alone had no such effect.
Alcohol enhances social connections and the palpability of positive emotions
Not surprisingly, early studies failed to identify the beneficial effects of alcohol: many of them involved testing participants individually, while some significant effects of alcohol appear to be specific to social situations. Recent studies have begun to cover these social effects. For example, when psychologists filmed small groups of strangers getting to know each other, they found that in those groups where people were slightly drunk, participants reported increased feelings of closeness with their new acquaintances. They showed more sincere "Duchene smiles" compared to the sober groups or those who drank a placebo. Moreover, alcohol increased the frequency of "golden moments" when all three members of the group simultaneously showed "Duchene smiles."
Men and extroverts benefit more from moderate drinking
Studies that used the same format of filming groups of strangers getting to know each other found that extroverts were more likely to talk about the effects of alcohol on mood and social bonding. This may partly explain why extroverts are more likely to have problems with excessive drinking. Similarly, men were more susceptible to social consequences alcohol. Other studies, in which the number of conversations served as a measure of social fun, have shown that small groups of sober women appear to be more cheerful than small groups of sober men, but this gender difference disappears when participants drink alcoholic beverages. The researchers say this shows "a greater impact of alcohol on male groups, and thus identifies a mechanism that supports excessive drinking in the context of male drinking."
We have already started talking about the influence of alcohol on personality. Let's stop there.Let's start with the question of moderate drinking. Many drinkers say they know their limits. Is it so?
Under moderate use alcoholic beverages we usually understand:
- the use of weak drinks;
- moderate doses of alcohol taken, that is, not causing a state of intoxication;
- when a person takes alcohol no more than once a month;
- consumption of alcoholic beverages outside of working hours.
A reading above these is called drunkenness. So it is unlikely that many drinkers are telling the truth when talking about their moderate consumption of alcohol.
But even moderate drinking adversely affects the human body.
For an hour in an adult, 7 g of alcohol is excreted from the body. The feeling of slight intoxication is caused even by its small amounts - 50-100 g of vodka, or 150 g of wine, or 0.5 l of beer. Light intoxication is sometimes imperceptible to others and the person himself, but his behavior is still affected.
The number of errors in human actions is sharply increasing. He often takes right decisions. The quality of work suffers. If the drunk is driving or in a hazardous industry, there is a high risk of an accident.
At the first stages, alcohol in the blood simply causes a feeling of euphoria, and this has already been discussed. Then the person becomes aggressive. Negativity manifests itself in relation to other people. Conflicts haunt him everywhere - at work, at school, in the family, and he seems to be trying to cause them on purpose. Such a person is easily influenced by others and almost does not resist him.
Gradually, the personality is socially maladapted, that is, the skills of existence in society are lost. A person cannot communicate with non-drinking people - they do not understand him. He is looking for a company of his kind. Theft and parasitism are becoming the norm. For such a person cease to mean something material values. They are perceived only as a kind of payment for a bottle. And so everything that can be exchanged for alcohol is taken out of the house.
Apathy overwhelms the person.
He becomes completely helpless. Often quits work and school. And often they don't stay in one place for long. Employers quickly figure out what the problem is and immediately point to the door. A person becomes a parasite and lives at the expense of his household. He begs them for money for alcohol and often causes irreparable damage to the family budget. Drinking more and more. Behavior becomes antisocial, because for the sake of alcohol a person is ready for anything.
Most of these people do not have a family: wives get tired of such a life and leave, parents do not maintain relationships with naughty children. A person completely withdraws from participation in family affairs - he has no interest in the problems of relatives or relatives. Alcoholics often have casual sex.
Excessive alcohol consumption contributes to problems with the law. It is known that many crimes - from theft to murder - are committed while intoxicated. -
And having come to his senses, a person cannot understand in any way how he decided on this.
“The demon beguiled” - this can often be heard from him. The statistics are like this. Under the influence of alcohol intoxication is committed:
- hooliganism - 7.6%;
- thefts - 2.8%;
- infliction of light bodily harm - 0.2%;
- negligence crimes - 7.4%;
- fraud - 0.3%;
- petty hooliganism - 18.5%;
- facts of vagrancy - 0.2%;
- evasion from alimony - 0.2%.
Rudeness, scandals and obscene behavior, lack of control over one's feelings and emotions, fights, swearing and constant stupid muttering - these are the usual behavior of a person with alcoholism.
An alcoholic has impaired mental activity and memory.
Now let's trace all the changes by stages. They are:
1. Changes in thinking.
2. Deterioration of intellectual potential.
3. A sharp weakening of abilities.
4. A sharp deterioration in relations with other people.
5. A sharp change in character traits for the worse.
6.
Change, or rather, a sharp weakening of the will.
7. Change in behavioral motives.
8. A sharp deterioration in mental state.
9. Changing the subconscious for the worse.
How does thinking change with alcoholization of a person? At first, after drinking, a person feels high spirits. He becomes unusually talkative - and sprinkles with words. He wants to appear simple and glorious, so that everyone listens only to him, he likes to be in the center of everyone's attention. But it is difficult to concentrate thoughts.
A person jumps from topic to topic, often forgetting what he was talking about a minute ago. And sometimes he talks long and tediously or reads notations on very insignificant occasions. Thinking is characterized by fragmentation. But most often there is such a disorder as delirium.
Brad scientists-psychologists consider as a contradiction of reality. There are several types of this disorder.
With alcoholism, delusions of jealousy are most often noted. A person in this state is inclined to see manifestations of betrayal in all the actions of the second half, even in the most ordinary ones. Moreover, he quite coherently substantiates his claims.
Another common form of delusion is persecutory delusion. It seems to the alcoholic that someone is constantly watching and threatening him. In this state, a person is capable of the most terrible deeds. One of the families I know had an alcoholic father. In his fairly advanced age, he suffered from this form of delirium. Households told with horror how he once doused a TV set with acetone and tried to set it on fire, motivating this by the fact that some black men were constantly watching him from it. Then the fire was barely averted.
What happens at the level of intelligence? Intelligence - the totality of the mental abilities of a person. It helps a person make decisions, cope with problems and adapt to the conditions of the environment. With the constant use of alcohol, the level of intelligence drops sharply. Sometimes there is a so-called dementia. A person cannot make right decisions and think properly.
How does alcohol affect the human abilities that nature has endowed each of us - reproductive, specific, creative and others? If a person drinks, then he is unable to correctly evaluate the information. It is perceived in a distorted form - as dictated by his drunken imagination. Often a person simply does not understand the task assigned to him.
Why does alcohol destroy relationships with others? How does it affect communication with people? On the one hand, drinking alcohol in pain / in-stve cases implies drunken companies, consisting of the same individuals who are ready for anything, just to drink. On the other hand, a person in such companies often acutely feels his loneliness, inner loneliness. He develops a fear of starting relationships with other people. So he sobered up - and realized how flawed compared to others. And the thought sits in the brain as a splinter, how difficult it will be to communicate with normal people. Therefore, it is better to drink again. And then again.
If we talk about the changes taking place in the sphere of temperament, then this primarily concerns the properties of character. Resilience and activity in overcoming various problems decrease, adaptability to life changes and emotional perception of events worsen.
In the first place is not the will, but the desires of one's own sick organism. Man is constantly pursued obsessive thoughts. Therefore, even if he makes a promise not to drink, it is in vain, he will still break it. The sense of discipline, responsibility, adherence to principles and perseverance completely atrophies.
The slightest thought of drinking or the presence of alcohol deprives a person of the remnants of will.
What happens to behavioral motives? Previously, a person had a completely adequate motivation for activity, which helped him to study and work, to have a normal family and friends. With a passion for alcohol, the place of these motives was taken by more base ones: where to get a drink, with whom to satisfy your sexual hunger. Economic views are also changing. If earlier a person earned money for a decent life in his understanding, now he is trying by any means to get money for alcohol.
The person does not adapt well to environment, he is uncomfortable among ordinary people. They do not accept it - hence the aggression, rudeness towards others. This is a kind of protection. And when sober, such people are angry and gloomy.
In a drinking person, emotions and thoughts are superficial. His inner essence is changing for the worse. He completely loses the sense of shame, which is so important in terms of morality.
The worst thing is that under the influence of alcohol, the mind of a person gradually dies. A person cannot control his thoughts and desires, form concepts. Human dignity is being lost.
The latest research by German scientists: how alcohol affects the human brain and the processes occurring in it. Are losses recoverable?
How quickly does alcohol penetrate the nervous system and intoxicate? Can the brain recover from alcohol damage? The search for answers to these questions was taken up by German researchers from the Heidelberg University Hospital. They came to a disappointing conclusion: people get drunk faster over time, and the destruction of their brain is not replenished.
German doctors treated guinea pigs with alcohol in an amount equivalent to three beers or two glasses of wine. This resulted in an increase in the blood alcohol content of the animals by 0.05–0.06 percent.
After that, the rodent brain was examined using magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The scientists found that after just six minutes, the brain cells of the guinea pigs had undergone changes.
At the same time, the concentration of creatine, a carboxylic acid, which is the main conductor of energy at the cellular level, sharply decreased in neurons. The vacated place was taken by alcohol molecules.
At the same time, the amount of choline in cell membranes, one of the few vitamins that can be synthesized in the body of mammals, also decreased. Choline is responsible for the production of neural signals and is one of the most important components in the reactions of the nervous system. Its absence leads to sharp drop mental abilities and memory impairment.
The data obtained are easily extrapolated to the human body, since our metabolism is in many ways similar to that of laboratory rodents. And, unfortunately, the result of research shows that alcohol can change chemical composition cell membranes.
However, this is not the only bad news from German biologists.
“For a long time it was believed that the metabolism of the brain of a healthy person allows you to completely neutralize damage to neurons the very next day after drinking alcohol., says research team member Dr. Armin Biller. - Our experiments have shown that this statement is true only with very moderate alcohol consumption. When the dosage is exceeded, the ability of the brain to regenerate is greatly reduced or completely turned off.
Editor's note: Most scientists argue that brain neurons are not capable of self-healing. So the statement about "moderate use" can only show the quantitative difference in dead brain cells - thousands, millions, tens of millions. A "moderate drinker" does not go stupid as fast as a heavy drinker. But in general, the processes proceed in exactly the same way.
The Department of Neuroradiology at Heidelberg University Hospital, which conducted the study, has been analyzing the effects of alcohol on mental capacity and structure of the human brain.
Scientists note that from year to year, the body's resistance to alcohol among the examined volunteers decreases, and the consequences of heavy libations are expressed more and more. Researchers continue their work, looking for the cause of such degradation both in the human body and in the quality of the produced alcoholic products.
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