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Indeed, you may know about the short-term effects that drinking too much can have on your memory (a blackout). However, chronic excessive drinking can cause your brain to age more quickly than you do.
5 Long-Term Risks of Excessive Drinking
Neurologists went inside your mind to share the long-term risks that excessive alcohol use poses to your memory.
2. It disrupts your brain's communication system
Dr. Sheth explains that neurotransmitters are the brain's chemical messengers, and your ability to recall previous events (and where you put something) relies on them. However, he notes—and a 2024 study backs this up—that alcohol can "mess with neurotransmitters," like glutamate and GABA.This imbalance impairs how brain cells talk to each other, making it harder to lock in long-term memories," he shares.
4. It can cause nutrient deficiencies
Blood flow helps provide nutrients to the brain. However, alcohol can also deprive the body of nutrients in another way. "It can also use up the body’s resources that it needs for brain health, so that the brain gets starved of those vitamins, like thiamine—vitamin B1," warns Dr. Daniel Lesley, MD, a board-certified neurologist at Remo Health. "That can lead to severe damage to parts of the brain that take care of memory and balance."He adds that the effect of alcohol use is the most dangerous when someone is already eating poorly, sharing, "They aren’t getting the vitamins they need, *and* they’re using up whatever reserves of those key nutrients they have."Dr. Najimi says that, in severe cases, alcohol can contribute to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, explaining, "Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome [is] a disorder caused by vitamin B1 deficiency that makes it difficult to form new memories and may cause confusion, vision problems and difficulty walking."
5. Alcohol doesn't help other body parts, either
Related: 7 Foods Neurologists Always Eat for Dementia Prevention
Those risks become more pronounced as you age. "For those over 60, even lower amounts can be risky due to slower metabolism and increased sensitivity," Dr. Sheth says. "A rough guide: more than one to two drinks per day regularly is concerning for brain health."Related: Cardiologists Are Begging You to Break This Super-Common After-Work Habit ASAP
Signs You're Drinking Too Much—And Where To Find Support
Memory lapses or blackouts after drinking.Needing more alcohol to feel the same effects (tolerance)Drinking despite problems at work, home or with health.Mood swings, irritability or trouble sleeping.Neglecting responsibilities or hobbies for drinking
Help is available. Dr. Sheth suggests speaking with your primary care doctor, who can help you find addiction specialists and support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous and SMART in your area.
"It may mean avoiding places in which everybody is drinking, especially if they’re drinking heavily, so you don’t have to choose to limit yourself to ‘just’ one or two drinks," he says. "It may mean not keeping alcohol in the house, so it doesn’t feel tempting to ‘have just one or two’ when you’ve had a hard day."
Up Next:
Related: Here's Exactly What Happens to Your Body When You Drink Alcohol During the Day
Sources:
Dr. Kevin Sheth, MD, the director of the Yale Center for Brain and Mind HealthDr. Neda Najimi, MD, a neurologist at Kaiser Permanente in MarylandAssociations between alcohol consumption and gray and white matter volumes in the UK Biobank. Nature Communications.Association between alcohol use and retinal dysfunctions in patients with alcohol use disorder: A window on GABA, glutamate, and dopamine modulations. Journal of Psychiatric Research.Morphologic characteristics of distal intracranial arteries in relation to structural changes in the brain after chronic alcohol consumption, Scientific Reports.Dr. Daniel Lesley, MD, a board-certified neurologist at Remo HealthWhat is the impact of thiamine deficiency on cognitive function in patients with alcohol use disorder? – A systematic review. European Journal of Internal Medicine. Facts about Excessive Drinking. CDC.Hence then, the article about stop doing this by age 60 to protect your memory neurologists say was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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