by Lisa Frederiksen
This is a common phrase repeated by many who have a loved one who drinks too much, as if it somehow excuses their loved one’s drinking too much, or more importantly for most, as if it some how “proves” their loved one is not an alcoholic. But the real issue is, “Do your love one’s behaviors change when they drink?” The label is irrelevant. Why?
“Too much to drink” is relative. The impact of alcohol on the brain and body depends on a number of factors beyond the very general rule of thumb that it takes the liver about one hour to process one standard drink. When a person drinks more alcohol than their liver can metabolize, the excess alcohol stays in the bloodstream and suppresses certain brain functions – especially those related to judgment, decision making, learning, memory and pleasure. In other words, the very areas of the brain a person needs in order to think straight and act responsibly, which is why a person’s behaviors change so much when they drink too much.
Weight, stress, gender, medications, tolerance, stage of brain development, lack of sleep, amount of food eaten and how quickly the alcohol is consumed or the presence of anxiety or depression or some other mental illness are a few of the factors that determine “how much is too much” for a particular individual.
The less a person weighs, for example, the less body water s/he has and consequently the higher his or her alcohol-to-water concentration. This means a lighter weight person (e.g., a woman) will be more affected than a person who weighs more (e.g., a man) when drinking the same amount of alcohol. This explains why the “moderate” standard drink limits are lower for women than they are for men.
Additionally, some people have lower amounts of the enzyme ADH in their livers, so their liver doesn’t process the alcohol the same way as someone with normal levels, and thus the alcohol remains in their system longer. Some people have genetic differences, such as a genetic predisposition as a result of having a parent or sibling with the disease of addiction. [Alcoholism is one of the diseases of addiction. Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease.] Other people have brain changes caused by early use of alcohol and/or having experienced one or more of the other risk factors for developing alcohol misuse problems. All of this described here adds to the variables that impact how alcohol affects one person as compared to another.
Bottom line: protect your brain, and if you have any of the risk factors (see below), be especially careful. Above all, know that the brain can change. Stopping substance abuse allows the brain to rewire and/or repair neural networks.
Risk Factors for Developing the Disease of Addiction (in this discussion, alcoholism), include:
- genetics
- early use
- social environment
- childhood trauma
- mental illness (such as depression, anxiety, bipolar, PTSD, ADHD).
The more risk factors a person has, the more they need to be wary of drinking too much. Addiction (e.g., alcoholism) is a developmental disease. It doesn’t just happen. The chemical and structural changes in the brain caused by repeated alcohol abuse make a person especially vulnerable to his/her risk factors. In turn, a person’s risk factors make them vulnerable to repeated alcohol abuse.
Cover Design Irene E. Yu
© Lisa Frederiksen, Excerpt from the 20-page booklet, titled: “Seven Myths That Can Kill…” by Lisa Frederiksen, available September 2010.
