Do you know the true impact alcohol has on your brain?

More than one in five adults (22%) in France exceeds recommended alcohol consumption limits.

According to the National Cancer Institute, alcohol is “the second leading cause of preventable cancer death.”

Excessive ethanol consumption is the cause of many cognitive disorders.

“For your health, alcohol is a maximum of two drinks a day and not every day.”, reminds the French Public Health Service of its prevention campaigns. However, according to the latest data published by the health agency, 22% of French people admit to exceeding the recommended intake threshold. Alcohol is directly or indirectly responsible for more than sixty diseases, such as stroke or some types of cancer, especially of the liver, head or neck, breast, colon or rectum, esophagus, stomach and pancreas. Although ethanol is the second leading cause of preventable death in France after tobacco, many are unaware of the long-term effects on the brain.

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What is the long-term risk of alcohol affecting the brain?

If pure alcohol mainly affects the pancreas, heart and liver,”the brain remains the first organ affected,” warn Julien Bouveret, director of the Franche-Comté group of drug addicts, to France 3. “It is one of the most well-known neurotoxic psychoactive substances, causing harmful effects as consumption increases and increases. he clarifies. Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to serious cognitive disorders: ADHD, problems with concentration, memory loss, abstraction and executive function.

In some cases, especially in people with alcoholism, these cognitive impairments can lead to a form of dementia called Korsakoff’s syndrome. This brain disease is characterized by massive and irreversible changes in memory, a tendency to confabulate to compensate for memory loss, mood disorders and other pathologies.

Can excessive alcohol consumption cause mental disorders?

Before reaching the stage of dementia or complete loss of cognitive and executive functions, excessive alcohol consumption can cause anxiety or depression. Information about alcohol service reminds us that drinking alcohol may quell temporary feelings of anxiety, but it will never help you get through a difficult period. If your consumption seems excessive, you become isolated, your sleep is disrupted… It’s never too late to seek help.