How Binge Drinking Affects The Brain

The increasing prevalence of binge drinking is compelling health professionals, researchers, and educators to obtain a more profound understanding of this intense form of alcohol abuse—especially given that a single episode of binge drinking will negatively affect our brain, potentially resulting in severe alcohol-related organ damage.

Many people drink. In fact, recent studies reveal that globally, one in three people indulges in drinking alcohol. And with the overall rates of alcohol intake per year having surged by up to 70% between 1990 and 2017, researchers caution that this trend will persist. This is anticipated to result in approximately half of all adults worldwide consuming alcohol and 23% engaging in binge drinking at least once every month. Surely, indulging in a drink—whether it’s a glass of wine at dinner, an after-work beer with colleagues, or a round of cocktails on a girls’ night out—can be a swell way to unwind, or help us bond with people. However, as socially accepted as it might be, the ubiquity of alcohol also makes it all too easy for us to overlook a crucial reality: alcohol is a drug.

And a potentially lethal one.

What is “binge drinking” or “high-intensity drinking”?

While alcohol affects your body and brain in any case regardless of the quantity, having a drink from time to time likely won’t lead to lasting health problems. However, crossing the threshold into alcohol abuse is marked by

• binge drinking (consuming 4 drinks or more for women, or 5 drinks or more for men, over 2 hours or less, resulting in a blood alcohol content of 0.08%) or
• high-intensity drinking (an even more hazardous pattern with 8 drinks or more for women, or 10 drinks or more for men, on one occasion),

significantly increases the risk of acute harm and damage to the brain. Without intervention or treatment, repeated binge drinking behaviour may even result in permanent cognitive deficits and disorders.

Binge drinker = “Alcoholic”?

While people may dismiss a night of excessive drinking as “just having a good time,” it still qualifies as alcohol abuse. However, it’s important to note that a binge drinker isn’t necessarily a person with an alcohol use disorder, and vice versa. While the latter is struggling with a daily dependency on alcohol, the former engages in more episodic bouts of alcohol consumption and generally feels like they are still “in control” of their drinking behaviour. To identify either type of alcohol abuse, we need to consider various factors such as the frequency of drinking episodes and physical dependency:

How a single episode of binge drinking affects our brain  

Brain Chemistry

Dopamine  is a neurotransmitter, acting as a chemical messenger that transmits signals between brain cells to ensure information reaches other parts of the body. Operating in the brain’s reward  system, dopamine levels influence our mood, contributing to our feelings of happiness and motivation when elevated and to depression and lack of motivation when low. While dopamine levels naturally increase in anticipation of pleasurable experiences, even minimal alcohol intake leads to an abnormally high surge in dopamine, creating a desire to repeat the behaviour (i.e. drinking). Another neurotransmitter in the brain, glutamate, accounts for approximately 50 % of all activity between brain cells. A true “workhorse,” glutamate functions to maintain our brain’s energy levels. However, as alcohol suppresses the release of glutamate, it causes a significant slowdown in activity along our brain’s neural pathways, and consequently down our thinking.

The Amygdala

This brain region triggers our body’s “fight or flight” response in stressful situations, leading to an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and heightened awareness of threatening stimuli. Over time,  however, alcohol  makes us more sensitive to these stimuli. This dampening effect on the amygdala can lead to a loss of inhibition. In simpler terms, while one or two drinks may initially have a relaxing effect, prolonged alcohol abuse can contribute to increased stress levels.

The Cerebral Cortex

In this hub of our consciousness, incoming information is processed, and decisions are formulated. While alcohol doesn’t kill off brain cells, it does harm the ends of neurons, consequently impeding the transmission of sensory information. As a result, this impairment clouds our thought process and dulls our senses, potentially leading to poor judgment and an elevated pain threshold.

The Cerebellum

Ever wondered why police officers insist on the “walk & turn”-test during a DUI stop? As alcohol impairs this brain region responsible for coordination, movement, and equilibrium, we are likely to stagger, or even fall. The entry of alcohol into the cerebellum is also the cause of shaky hands or the inability to hold onto things.[iv]

The Hypothalamus and the Pituitary

These two collaborate to connect our nervous system with the endocrine system, essentially coordinating automatic brain functions and hormone release. As alcohol disrupts the balance between these two systems, certain bodily functions will increase (such as blood pressure, hunger, thirst, the urge to urinate, sexual desire), while simultaneously others will decrease (such as body temperature, heart rate, sexual performance).

The Hippocampus

Here, memories are formed. Even after just one or two drinks, we may experience minor memory loss, such as having trouble remembering a name we recently learned. Repeated binge drinking episodes can have a lasting impact on memory and the ability to learn and may even contribute to dementia.

The Medulla

Indeed, a drink can certainly bring out your inner merrymaker, but eventually, it induces drowsiness. Why? Because alcohol also influences the brain region that governs automatic bodily functions, including breathing, body temperature, and consciousness. It’s crucial to note, however, that excessive alcohol consumption not only induces sleepiness but can also lead to unconsciousness or even coma. In summary, alcohol’s impact on the medulla can be life-threatening.

Can this kind of brain damage be healed?

The positive news is that if initiated promptly, abstaining from alcohol can potentially reverse a significant portion of the physical damage. Just as the adaptability of the brain contributes to the development of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), it can be leveraged to aid in the brain’s healing process and establish healthy behavioural patterns that support recovery. While the full extent of our brain’s ability to return to “normal” after long-term sobriety is not completely understood, an increasing number of studies suggest that at least some of the brain changes induced by AUD—and the associated alterations in thinking, feeling, and behaviour—can show improvement and possibly reverse with several months of abstinence. Moreover, even in individuals experiencing persistent changes in brain circuitry and function due to AUD, there is evidence that alternative circuits can compensate to help restore compromised function. In essence, their brains find alternative ways to perform tasks, steering clear of damaged areas, and gradually recovering their working memory.

Binge drinking in adolescence

While the college years are a notably common period for experimenting with binge drinking, this dangerous drinking pattern has also been observed among underage middle and high school students. The adolescent years mark a crucial phase in brain development, and repeated episodes of binge drinking have been found to result in persistent deficits in cognitive functions. Research indicates that these effects stem from epigenetic changes that impact a protein essential for the formation and maintenance of neural connections in the amygdala. Epigenetic changes involve chemical modifications to the activity of genes without altering the genes themselves. Such modifications occur during normal brain development influenced by learning and repeated behaviours, but they are also triggered by factors like alcohol or stress. These latter epigenetic modifications are linked to an increased risk of psychological problems and alcohol addiction later in life.

Binge drinking and fetal brain health

It may be difficult to fathom today, but it wasn’t until 1973 that scientists recognised fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) as a consequence of substantial maternal alcohol consumption. Before this insight, pregnant women were encouraged to enjoy a 5 o’clock cocktail, believing that a martini could soothe nerves and a glass of wine could aid in sleep. Some obstetricians even posited that alcohol might prevent premature labour, leading to instances where women in premature labour received vodka and orange juice or alcohol administered intravenously upon arrival at the hospital. Children with FAS display symptoms such as small stature, facial dysmorphology, growth retardation, and central nervous system dysfunction. An active area of research, the FAS spectrum encompasses challenges in discerning whether prenatal alcohol exposure directly causes these deficits or if other contributing factors are at play. Nonetheless, experts unequivocally assert that there is no safe level of maternal drinking from conception to birth and maternal binge drinking is indisputably associated with impaired cognition in the child. In other words, FAS-related disorders are preventable through abstaining from alcohol during pregnancy.

Get help now

Don’t let binge drinking damage your life or the life of a loved one. At NEOVIVA we understand the importance of focusing on sobriety and other healthy life choices that provide a safe framework for better brain health. Don’t hesitate to contact us to learn more about how we incorporate brain-focused care into our treatment plan.