UMass Amherst finds early drinking may cause lasting brain damage
A new study from UMass Amherst says that drinking to deal with stress in your early-adult years could leave lasting damage on your brain.
Heavy drinking mixed with chronic stress messes up the brain's ability to handle stress, lowers mental flexibility, and causes cell damage linked to aging and diseases like Alzheimer's disease.
What's worrying is that these effects can stick around even after you stop drinking for years.
Alcohol and stress impair mice cognition
Researchers found that mice exposed to both alcohol and stress had lingering cellular damage and struggled to adapt their thinking, even months after quitting alcohol.
This suggests that using alcohol as a coping mechanism can make it harder for your brain to bounce back from stress, possibly leading to more dependence or relapse.
The study calls for better treatments focused on repairing the lasting impact of alcohol, not just stopping drinking.