How does alcohol affect the brain and its ability to function?

On Behalf of | May 30, 2019 | Car Accidents

When you look at consuming alcohol through a scientific lens, it is no surprise that alcohol-involved car accidents occur. In truth, it is a wonder that they do not happen more frequently. Consuming intoxicating beverages has many immediate and delayed effects on the brain and on one’s ability to function properly.

According to American Addiction Centers, alcohol affects both moderate and chronic consumers in several ways. For the occasional drinker, the effects of alcohol include:

  • Impairs memory
  • Causes blackouts
  • Causes recklessness and loss of inhibitions
  • Impairs the ability to make sound decisions

For heavy or chronic consumers of alcohol, the effects are much worse. Examples of such effects include:

  • Reduces the brain’s gray matter
  • Interferes with the ability to think in abstract ways
  • Minimizes visuospatial skills
  • Causes loss of memory
  • Diminishes the attention span

All of the effects mentioned above can cause problems for even rare drinkers. However, a much worse problem occurs during a drinking binge. Intoxicated people often feel that they can do anything. This feeling makes drinkers believe that they not only can drive but that they can drive well.

Unfortunately, as we all know, this is absolutely untrue. Even small amounts of alcohol impair cognitive functioning to the point where car accidents are a real and immediate concern. Victims who have suffered devastating injuries in alcohol-involved car accidents find they have little recourse in the aftermath.

Just about the only way to attempt to recapture their previous lifestyle is to pursue a legal solution. This can reward victims with enough compensation to continue getting the medical treatment they need to recover. If you are one of the many drunken driving car accident victims in the Andover region of Massachusetts, please consider speaking with an injury attorney about your case.