Jan 04, 2022 06:00:00

What kind of changes will occur in the brain and body when a person who drinks alcohol stops drinking?

Previous studies have shown that habitual drinking has a significant effect on the

brain and DNA. On the contrary, Asap SCIENCE , a YouTube channel for science-related movies, explained what would happen if a person who had been drinking before refused to drink.

What Happens When You Quit Alcohol?-YouTube


Alcohol kills 3 million people annually, making it the number one cause of death that can be prevented. Therefore, reducing the amount of alcohol consumed is a major issue, but the theme of this movie is 'What kind of changes will occur in the human brain and body when actually quitting alcohol?'

Changes appear 6 hours after the abstinence, but the degree of change varies depending on how much alcohol was drunk before the abstinence.

After 12 to 24 hours, delirium tremens , a withdrawal symptom that causes seizures and hallucinations, begins. Delirium tremens can last for as long as 7 days or more, with 1 to 5% of people having delirium tremens. You will lose your life. Therefore, those who have been soaked in alcohol should not stop drinking at their own discretion and should receive the guidance of a specialist.

This happens because alcohol changes the way the brain and nervous system work. When you drink alcohol, alcohol is absorbed in the stomach and small intestine and carried into the bloodstream to the brain.

Alcohol that reaches the brain suppresses excitatory nerves that are stimulated by the neurotransmitter glutamate, and enhances inhibitory nerves that are also stimulated by the neurotransmitter GABA.

In other words, alcohol is a substance that suppresses the work of the brain. It is also because of this effect that you feel happy when you drink alcohol. You may also feel that your thoughts are clear as a result of your brain slowing down and receiving only large signals.

However, when alcohol runs out, the suppression of the brain stops and the brain becomes overloaded. This causes the aforementioned delirium tremens.

24-48 hours after abstinence, the person becomes agitated. This is because there is a shortage of

serotonin , a hormone that brings about clear thinking and well-being that can be obtained with alcohol. Losing this pain, most people will reach for a bottle again.

After a few days, the release of

adrenocorticotropic hormone increases cortisol, which can lead to loss of appetite and anxiety.

Experiments with animals and

brain scans of people with alcohol use disorders have shown that overdrinking alcohol literally reshapes the brain, including altering 163 genes in the prefrontal cortex.

Three days after abstinence, the level of dopamine , also known as a hedonic substance, drops, making you feel even worse.

The function of dopamine finally recovers on the 4th day after abstinence, and you can begin to feel that good changes are occurring in your body.

Three weeks after you stop drinking alcohol, the intestinal leak syndrome, in which harmful substances leak from the intestines that have been damaged by alcohol, subsides and the digestive system begins to recover.

At this time, the intestines have not fully recovered, so the mood continues to be depressed due to poor physical condition, but it will return to normal after 4 to 8 weeks.

Four weeks after you stop drinking, your sleep quality will improve. It is often said that 'drinking alcohol helps you fall asleep', but alcohol reduces the quality of your sleep at the cost of better sleep. Therefore, you can sleep better by not consuming alcohol.

Alcohol causes dehydration due to its diuretic effect, so you will be able to feel that your skin is feeling better as the amount of water in your body increases 5 weeks after you stop drinking.

Three studies confirm that people six weeks after abstinence have higher thinking, problem-solving, memory, and attention than those who continue to drink.

George Brown, who is in charge of narration and may have a mild alcohol use disorder himself, said, 'I would like to use the knowledge of alcohol I learned to make this video to spread modest drinking.' I concluded.