Alcohol & Your Brain

"Alcohol is by definition a biochemical toxin since consumption of alcohol causes tissue damage, inhibits normal bodily functions and promotes cellular dysfunction. 

While the body is built to proactively protect itself from invaders and filter out toxins, alcohol crosses through what’s known as the blood-brain barrier. 

Once inside, alcohol disrupts your brain's neurotransmitters needed for normal function. 

Specifically, the result of alcohol's interaction is to sedate certain parts of your brain and suppress its normal activity. 

Evidence suggests that long-term exposure to alcohol can permanently alter your brain's signaling chemistry, and this is what is suspected to play a role in the development of dementia.
When alcohol is consumed in excess it can lead to inflammation of the brain, called neuroinflammation. 

In fact, emerging research shows the inflammation caused by excessive alcohol consumption may contribute to gut dysbiosis, or an imbalance of the bacteria living in your microbiome."
Elizabeth Shaw