We all enjoy a good party. But with St. Patty's day just around the corner, we thought it might be time to remind ourselves what's not so great about green beer and Irish car bombs — the dangers of over consumption.
See what alcohol does to your brain and body >
When you take alcohol into your body — no matter if it is in the form of wine, hard liquor, or beer — it all goes to the same place: Your stomach, then your small intestine.
In the intestines, the alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream. From there it circulates through your entire body, where it crosses the barrier to get to your brain cells, and impacts countless other organs.
Alcohol interferes with your brains coordination centers, making you clumsy.
Loss of coordination stems from alcohol's effects on the neurotransmitter GABA in the brain, which turns off some brain cells. Alcohol enhances these inhibitory effects, resulting in sluggish movements and reaction times that can make you lose coordination, Psychology Today explains.
A recent study in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, published Sept. 15, 2011, suggests that damage to the brain's cerebellum from heavy drinking can cause balance problems for years, even after heavy alcoholics sober up.
A drink or two makes you creative and relaxed, but more can loosen your inhibitions too much.
People under the influence of alcohol have decreased brain activity in other areas of the brain too, specifically the prefrontal cortex, Psychology Today reports. This area is responsible for rational thought and decision making, so lowered activity makes you put less thought into your actions and decisions.
This relaxing effect can be helpful at times, when alcohol is taken in moderation. A study in BPS Research Digest, and a second one published in Consciousness and Cognition, suggest that a drink or two could help you perform better at work and make you more creative.
Your brain doesn't make long term memories right when sloshed, making you forget parts of your night.
Alcohol use causes the brain to become a sieve of information — though you are still awake and moving around, large amounts of alcohol stop your brain from being able to make and keep new long-term memories.
The third brain area where alcohol interacts to dumb-down the brain is the temporal cortex, including the hippocampus, a brain region responsible for making new memories, is located.
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