How much alcohol do you have to consume to kill braincells?

[Elvin]

I don't drink everyday. I usually drink 1 or 2 glasses of alcohol, then i wait 2 or 3 months later before i drink again. Sometimes i drink 4 or 5 small shots of alcohol instead of 1 or 2 glasses of alcohol. Will 1 or 2 cups of alcohol kill a lot of braincells ?

 

[madison1101]

I believe every drop of alcohol consumed kills some brain cells. Alcohol is a poison to the body, and does organ damage. In addition to the brain, it impacts the pancreas and liver. It is also a drug that acts as a depressant.

Another thing, the quantity of alcohol is relative to the proof of it. The proof of a drink determines the amount of alcohol in it. The higher the proof, the more alcohol. Beer usually has the least amount of alcohol per ounce. Wine has a little more. Liquors vary, making them much stronger. So, when you say one or two glasses of alcohol, are you talking about beer, wine, or whiskey? Also, how big are the glasses you are using? When I was in my worst relapse, I would consume very large glasses of wine. One glass of my wine may not be the same size as one glass of yours.

 

[SpiritualAntiseptic]

I believe every drop of alcohol consumed kills some brain cells. Alcohol is a poison to the body, and does organ damage. In addition to the brain, it impacts the pancreas and liver. It is also a drug that acts as a depressant.

Another thing, the quantity of alcohol is relative to the proof of it. The proof of a drink determines the amount of alcohol in it. The higher the proof, the more alcohol. Beer usually has the least amount of alcohol per ounce. Wine has a little more. Liquors vary, making them much stronger. So, when you say one or two glasses of alcohol, are you talking about beer, wine, or whiskey? Also, how big are the glasses you are using? When I was in my worst relapse, I would consume very large glasses of wine. One glass of my wine may not be the same size as one glass of yours.

Hi, I was wondering where you went to medical school?

 

[madison1101]

Hi, I was wondering where you went to medical school?

I learned this in an alcohol treatment facility where I was a client. I also know plenty of people in AA who have been treated for pancreatits and cirrhosis of the liver. Some people I know in AA need liver transplants, or became diabetics because of the damage to their pancreas.

It doesn't require a medical degree to learn how alcohol damages the body. All that I have posted is available on the Internet.

Oh, and I also worked in two treatment facilities as a social worker.

What's your problem? Does the truth hurt?

 

[cactusrose]

You need to do your research.But moderate amounts of alcohol actually have health benefits.Just breathing the air kills brain cells.We are all physically dying every day just from age.Sugar destroys our cells that does not mean we should never eat a peach which contains sugar.

The benefits of small/moderate amounts of alcohol are documented which are life span lengthening .Over use of alcohol will cause harm including contributing to an early death.Moderate would for example be 2 glasses of red wine(10 ozs) for a 180 lb male.Or or 2 3 oz's shot of liquor..Moderate amounts of alcohol as described above have beneficial health consequences.Lowered cholesterol /triglycerides and LDL ..But you would never get intoxicated on the amounts that are healthy.

 

[madison1101]

You need to do your research.But moderate amounts of alcohol actually have health benefits.Just breathing the air kills brain cells.We are all physically dying every day just from age.Sugar destroys our cells that does not mean we should never eat a peach which contains sugar.

The benefits of small/moderate amounts of alcohol are documented which are life span lengthening .Over use of alcohol will cause harm including contributing to an early death.Moderate would for example be 2 glasses of red wine(10 ozs) for a 180 lb male.Or or 2 3 oz's shot of liquor..Moderate amounts of alcohol as described above have beneficial health consequences.Lowered cholesterol /triglycerides and LDL ..But you would never get intoxicated on the amounts that are healthy.

I beg to differ with you. Because I had gastric bypass surgery, one glass of wine gets me drunk, and has me flat on my back. Also, alcoholics who do not want to get drunk MUST totally abstain, because one drink leads to another, and another till the person is out of control.

Dangerous advice to give someone who may be an alcoholic.

 

[Thefunkyfundy]

I don't drink everyday. I usually drink 1 or 2 glasses of alcohol, then i wait 2 or 3 months later before i drink again. Sometimes i drink 4 or 5 small shots of alcohol instead of 1 or 2 glasses of alcohol. Will 1 or 2 cups of alcohol kill a lot of braincells ?

Don't worry you have over 200 billion of them.

 

[Rhizobium]

Sometimes i drink 4 or 5 small shots of alcohol instead of 1 or 2 glasses of alcohol. Will 1 or 2 cups of alcohol kill a lot of braincells ?

I noticed that you originally posted this question several months ago. Sorry I didn't see it earlier. You can't directly kill your neurons with ethanol; it isn't neurotoxic at the levels even a heavy drinker can achieve in the bloodstream. If you take neurons and place them in a solution of 30% ethanol you'll see some cellular damage over time, but your blood alcohol content will never reach that level.

However, you can indirectly kill neurons in any number of ways. For example, if you drink way too much, the neurons that control basic functions like breathing and heart rate will fail to function properly, which will ultimately result in death or brain damage. Heavy long-term drinkers also rarely develop a disorder called Korsakoff's syndrome, which results in a vitamin deficiency that ultimately causes memory loss.

Ethanol can damage your liver after long periods of heavy use though, so you shouldn't make a habit of drinking to excess regularly.

If you want to know more about how ethanol works within your body, I'd recommend reading Buzz: The Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine.

 

[WhoeverLovesGod01]

I don't know the answer to that but think about this. My girlfriend is a nurse and treats these people...

...she said even moderate, sustained drinking can lead to kidney failure. You won't know your kidneys are about to fail until you have only 5% function left. Then you will have to go on all kinds of medication and operations and tubes and stuff just to make sure you stay functioning.

That 5% is all the warning we're gonna get if we carry on drinking like there's no consequences. It doesn't happen to everyone but it can happen to anyone.

That kinda freaks me out...I won't know my kidneys are going to fail until there's just 5% of them left. Wow.

 

[Rubiks]

I'm pretty sure the idea that alcohol kills brain cells was a myth created in the temperance movement, or so I've heard

 

[WhoeverLovesGod01]

HowStuffWorks "Alcohol Kills Brain Cells"

 

[manitouscott]

this is a really old thread. Both of my brain cells just figure this out.

 

[pinkstars86]

Really old thread or not, YES alcohol can affect the brain negatively! LOL Who are yall who are critisizing the lady with blue writing??? I work in psych and see patients with alcohol dementia quite often. I would like to see exactly how much alcohol consumption can get to that point because of that I'm not sure. I do remember one patient who said he drank a case of beer per day (24 beers) and would even fry his eggs in beer lol. Not so much funny, but still. It says something.

 

[redcake]

Hello, people said that Jesus was a drunk because He drank wine. This is in the Gospels. He wasn't a drunk obviously. I also back up the other person saying that alcohol does not damage brain cells. This is a myth. I believe drinking the amounts you drink are fine from as health perspective. Jesus also performed His first miracle by turning water into wine at a wedding for people to drink. I not suggesting you start drinking more, but from what you've said it seems that your drinking is not a problem. And life is better when you're sober in my view. Balance is key. God bless

 

[Standing_Ultraviolet]

Neuron death can sometimes happen as a result of a thiamin deficit because of long-term alcohol abuse, or because of excitotoxicity following either long-term alcohol abuse or an episode of binge drinking. Alcohol itself doesn't directly kill cells, and a relatively small amount (like a glass of wine, if that's what you mean by a glass of alcohol) isn't likely to lead to significant excitotoxicity. The four or five shots, on the other hand, might, if they're standard drink size shots, which would be two ounces of hard liquor.