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CCSU Counseling and Wellness Center |
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Cravings and the Brain
Understanding
cravings means understanding the brain mechanisms that lead to urges. One theory is that alcohol consumption activates a "reward center" in the brain. The cues that are associated with drinking (bars, commercials, liquor stores) may actually set off cravings themselves, even when a person is no longer drinking. It is possible that heavy drinking may ultimately damage certain conscious processes (thinking, judging, decision making) thus making the person less able to deal with urges to drink. Cravings may also be linked to actual
permanent tissue damage in the nervous system leaving the brain vulnerable to
relapse drinking. These changes persist even in the absence of alcohol, and
may create actual physical and mental distress. Alcohol's Effects on the Brain:
How Big
According to studies*, exposing the brain to alcohol during adolescence may interrupt key processes of brain development, possibly leading to mild cognitive impairment as well as to further escalation of drinking. Subtle alcohol-induced adolescent learning impairments could affect academic and occupational achievement. And although the prevalence of high-risk drinking declines after early adulthood, alcohol-induced brain damage may persist. In one study, sophisticated imaging techniques revealed structural differences in the brains of 17-year old adolescents who displayed alcohol-induced intellectual and behavioral impairment. Specifically, the hippocampus- a part of the brain important for learning and memory- was smaller in alcohol-dependent study participants than it was in nondependent participants.** *Alcohol Alert; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, No. 59. April 2003 **DeBellis, M.D.; Clark, D.B., Beers, S.R.; et al. Hippocampal volume in adolescent onset alcohol use disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry 157(5):737-744, 2000.
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