Alcohol And Your Brain Video Analysis

Alcohol consumption is something that almost everyone partakes in at some point in their life. At any given moment someone around the world is drinking an alcoholic beverage. Some people do it to socialize, some do it to cope and some do it because they have alcohol dependence; but I would wager that in most cases people aren’t thinking about exactly how the alcohol is affecting their brains. It is likely that people drink to experience the outward symptoms of alcohol consumption that are attractive: reduced inhibition of social behavior, increased relaxation, and increased spontaneity. The internal damage that can be done to the brain, however, can be life altering and irreversible. In this paper I will discuss both a video and an academic …show more content…
This video emphasizes the fact that alcohol is a drug and that it can cause changes and impairment to the brain. Specifically, it talks about how dangerous it is for an individual to consume alcohol while their brain is still developing and that if damage is done, it could be permanent. As it illustrates, alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream and is almost immediately pumped to the brain. Nerve cells in the brain are interrupted and delayed, which leads to certain observable drunk behaviors. The several parts of the brain that can potentially be affected by alcohol are outlined and the outcomes are described. For example, drinking has an impact on the frontal lobes which can lead to emotional instability, angry outbursts and uncontrollable behavior. A more enduring example is that alcoholic injury to the hippocampus can lead to future learning and memory issues. Overall, this video asserts that it is informing viewers about the facts about alcohol’s effects on the brain and giving them the tools to make informed decisions about …show more content…
The article I chose was titled “Alcoholism and the Brain: An Overview” and was published by Marlene Oscar-Berman and Ksenija Marinkovic. In this article, the researchers consolidated many hypotheses concerning possible factors that contribute to why certain alcoholics seem disposed to develop more severe impairments or different types of impairments in brain functioning than others. The wide variety of factors identified includes items such as age, malnutrition, education level and family history. The researchers conclude by saying that scientists have not been able to identify specific variables that can unfailingly explain the brain damage found in alcoholics, and that each has their own unique assortment of symptoms and