Drinking alcohol to forget bad memories doesn’t work, according to a study by Japanese scientists. Ethanol can strengthen existing memories, and rats given ethanol appeared fearful for longer, with some reactions lasting about two weeks. Alcohol also affects the heart, liver, pancreas and immune system, potentially leading to irregular heart rhythms, liver failure and an increased risk of cancer and other diseases.
People often say that they drink to forget their misfortunes. But it works? Japanese scientists have concluded that ethanol has the opposite effect on the brain: it can strengthen existing memories. In a 2008 study published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, researchers at the University of Tokyo conducted experiments on rats to see how they reacted to unpleasant stimuli. The researchers shocked the rats, then injected them with ethanol or saline. Rats given ethanol appeared fearful longer, with some reactions lasting about two weeks. “If we apply this study to humans,” the researchers extrapolated, “the memories they are trying to get rid of will remain (…) even if they drink alcohol to try to forget an event they don’t like.”
The effect of alcohol on the human body:
Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that affects some areas of the brain more than others.
Alcohol also affects the heart, liver, pancreas and immune system, potentially leading to irregular heart rhythms, liver failure and an increased risk of cancer and other diseases.
An individual with a parent or sibling with alcoholism is three to four times more likely to also be an alcoholic.
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