Impaired Decision-Making

Alcohol impairs judgment, memory, concentration and coordination, as well as inducing extreme mood swings and emotional

Alcohol is a liquid substance that can which when consumed slows down the brain. It also alters the brain to increase the risk of depression and anxiety. When too much alcohol is consumed it can cause memory loss.

As a college student, alcohol is a very real and prevalent temptation. It is a normal occurrence for a Friday night to be filled with friends, a bonfire, and alcohol out on the lake. Unfortunately, not many students know the effects of alcohol on their brain. I took a personal interest in this subject because alcoholism runs deep in my family. I want to know what effects my personal consumption of alcohol have on my brain and how they will affect my life if I continue to drink or choose to stop.

Working Memory is STM. In contrast to the Multi-Store Model, where all the information goes to one single store (Unitary store), there are different systems for the different types of information. Working Memory consists of

This work was discussed and summarized in a book titled. The Disease Concept of Alcoholism, by E.M.Jellinek, published in 1960. Sufferers of this disease often drink until intoxicated, on a daily basis, causing all sorts on health problems. Cirrhosis of the liver, brain damage, and organ failure are just a few of the effects of this disease of the body and mind called alcoholism.

An alcoholic beverage is a drink that contains a psychoactive drug ethanol, a depressant which in low doses causes euphoria, reduced anxiety, sociability which in higher doses could be caused by unconsciousness, lack of critical mental function and intoxication. Drinking alcoholic beverages is not a current event, the production, transportation and the distribution of alcohol were banned in the 1920s under the presidency of President Woodrow Wilson by the Eighteenth Amendment. This paper talks about the effects of excessive drinking of alcohol termed as alcohol dependence on the volume or size of the hippocampus of humans. The hippocampus is a small organ located in the temporal lobe. The hippocampus is an important part of the limbic system. The hippocampus is mainly associated with memory, mainly long-term memory which is important in the learning process.

MAIN POINTS/FINDINGS: The authors first looked at the premature aging hypothesis and its association with alcoholism. They reported that most studies found that as an individual ages the harmful neurological effects of alcohol become more pronounced and the brain is more susceptible to permanent damage or greater reduction in size of the cerebral cortex, corpus callosum, hippocampus, and cerebellum. There is also an association between neuropsychological and psychomotor deficits in older alcoholics. In terms of gender the review found evidence episodic memory tasks were performed better on by women across all varying degrees of drinking habits (non, light, moderate, and heavy) than men. Men performed better on visuospatial tasks, but only in the non and light drinker groups. fMRI data looking at gender differences in alcohol-related brain impairment showed inconsistent results and the authors suggested that further research is necessary in this area of study. Results of twin, family, and adoption studies showed that there are genetic risk factors that influence susceptibility to alcoholism, while

The term “alcoholism” describes a drinker who is mentally and physically dependent on alcohol, and who would most likely have withdrawal symptoms upon trying to quit. This dependence prevents most alcoholics from being able to control when they drink and how much they drink. For that reason, alcoholics usually drink to excess despite the consequences. Alcoholism, like any addiction, is a chronic disorder which involves continued use despite negative consequences and requires ongoing treatment and management. This research paper will cover many aspects of alcoholism including the causes and effects of drinking and different treatment approaches.

Alcoholism has raised many debates over the truth of its nature. Many scholars argue that alcoholism can be treated as a disease. Such approach to defining alcoholism means denying that alcohol abusers own a choice. In consequence, the treatment related differs and may or may not actually help alcoholics recover. A wrong diagnostic of this addiction can lead to serious health issues; therefore, it is vital to answer the following question: Is alcoholism a disease? Most experts in this field criticises this view of alcoholism as a disease due to the fact that this theory simply lacks a cure. It also victimises alcohol abuser, hence, completely negating the power of will. Finally, the disease theory comes from a history of misinformation that has now resulted in the very source of confusion within our society. Alcoholism is extremely complex and affects all part of the abuser, the brain, the body, the genes, and the psychic; hence, it is hard to classify alcoholism as a whole Instead, it should be regarded in a case-by-case fashion.

Alcohol affects the brain for a short-term– but repeated drinking may have an impact down the road, especially as a person’s brains grow and develop (NIDA, 2016). When a person is under the influence, he or she may feel their bodies having less aware of their surroundings. A person also may feel very relaxed and perform risky behavior, without even realizing. Long- term effects of alcoholism can cause a person to have trouble processing, learning, or a dependence on

Research testing the role of alcohol in T2D has provide conflicting conclusions, with some researchers predict an escalation in risk of diabetes in alcohol consumers, while other researchers have predicted the opposite view. Even though there are a number of extensive investigations and assessments, the specific role of alcohol consumption in the occurrence and workings of T2D are inadequately known. The target of this research is to look at the connection of alcohol use as it relates to diabetic pathology and cognitive behavior. (p. 811)

When alcohol is consumed it attacks and impairs a variety of cognitive processes (Norton & Halay, 2001). Some of these cognitive processes include: executive decision making, impulse control, modification of emotion, and future preparation (Norton et al., 2001). The focus of this Research Paper will be to examine the cognitive effects of alcohol consumption and any correlations between impulse control (impulsivity) and alcohol consumption. Research studies have shown that alcohol use disrupts the neurocognitive processes involved in self-regulation and is associated with a high level of behavioral disinhibition, which is characteristic of the personality trait impulsivity (Noel, Tomberg, Verbanck & Campanella, 2010).

This essay addresses the working memory model which was proposed by Baddeley and Hitch (1974 in Smith & Kosslyn, 2007) as a response to Atkinson and Shiffrins (1968 in Smith, 2007) multi-store model. According to Baddely and Hitch the multi-store model failed to explain most of the complexities of the human memory and viewed it as being too simplistic. They argued that the short term memory store must have more components rather it being a single inflexible store as suggested previously by Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968). The working memory model is therefore an enhancement of the multi store model. According to Baddeley and Hitch working memory is a limited- capacity system that stores and processes information.

In alcoholic beverage users, there was at least a ten percent decline. Significant neuropsychological deficits are