While alcohol can have a temporary positive effect on our state of mind, in the course of time, it can cause big problem for our mental health. This is because the brain relies so much on a delicate balance of chemicals and processes, while alcohol is a depressant. What this simply means is that alcohol can disrupt the balancing so much needed by the brain, thus, affecting the thoughts, feelings and actions of human being.
The relaxed feeling you can get when you have that first drink is due to the chemical changes alcohol has caused in the brain by depressing the part of the brain associated with inhibition. However, as more alcohol is taken, more of the brain starts to be affected. It doesn’t matter the mood you are in, it is possible that a negative emotional response will take place at more alcohol consumption. You could become angry. Alcohol could also increase anxiety and stress rather than reduce them.
When we drink, we narrow our perception of a situation and don’t always respond to all the cues around us. If we are prone to anxiety and notice something that could be interpreted as threatening in the environment, we will hone in on that and miss the other less threatening information. Thus, if you drink heavily and frequently, you are likely to develop manifestations of depression while putting the old brain chemistry to work again. Regular drinking powers the levels chemical reactions in the brain thereby regulating the mood.
Drinking heavily can also affect your relationship with your partner, family and friends. It can impact on your performance at work. And these issues can also contribute to depression. Alcohol can make people lose their inhibitions and behave abnormally, leading to actions they might not have otherwise engage in. alcohol can damage the memory. Soon after taking alcohol, the brain’s functions and processes slow down and the memory can be impaired. After large quantities of alcohol, the brain can be adversely affected slowing down the recording speed of the memory center. The alcohol addict will experience unconsciousness and incordination. That is why alcohol addict can wake up with a blank memory as to what was earlier said. This short term memory failure does not mean that the brain cells have been damaged but frequent heavy alcohol drinking periods can damage the brain because of alcohol’s effect on brain chemistry and processes.