How Long Term Alcohol Abuse Affects the Brain

How Long Term Alcohol Abuse Affects the Brain One in every thirteen adults suffer from alcoholism today in the United States alone (Connery 1). This is just one of many devastating truths about alcoholism. Available information on alcohol is abundant and includes not only statistics, but the differences between an alcoholic’s brain and a healthy adult’s brain, the negative affects alcohol has on the brain, and how to prevent those effects. Many people do not understand what, exactly, alcohol is. ORACLE Think Quest states the following: Alcohol is a clear drink that is made from corn, barley, grain, rye, or a beverage containing ethyl. When someone drinks alcohol, about 20 percent is absorbed in the stomach, and 80 percent is absorbed in the small intestine. The concentration of alcohol, the type of drink, and whether the stomach is full or empty depends on how fast the alcohol is absorbed. Once the alcohol is absorbed into the tissue, it affects your mind and body. Blood alcohol concentration can rise up to 20 minutes after having a drink. After alcohol is absorbed it leaves the body in three ways: the kidneys, lungs, and liver (“ORACLE Think Quest” 1). Alcohol can affect your body in many ways such as your liver and many other major body organs. “But long term, heavy alcohol abuse has more lasting effects on the brain. Research studies show that between fifty and seventy-five percent of alcoholics experience difficulties in learning, remembering, perceiving, and solving problems” (Berger 2). The liver is in charge of breaking down all of the alcohol in the body (“Alcohol Alert” 2). The liver can only handle about one drink per hour. When someone drinks more than one to two drinks an hour, they are more likely to pass out or black out. Also, liver diseases are able to develop from alcohol abuse. One disease being Liver Cirrhosis. Liver Cirrhosis is basically a disease that kills the liver very slowly. Luckily, there are many symptoms