Liquor and its effect on the brain: the science behind drinking

For comparison, science knows that cocaine acts mainly on our dopamine and noradrenaline systems, which drive motivation, alertness and energy, ecstasy mainly stimulates the release of serotonin and oxytocin, which elevate mood, empathy and social connection, and opiates like heroin act on the endorphin system, which causes deep relaxation and euphoria.

Alcohol affects all of these, as well as the two most common neurotransmitters in the nervous system: glutamate, which activates brain cells so they can send information, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (or GABA), which slows or blocks certain signals to help the brain relax.

“Alcohol reaches the brain within minutes, and the first thing it does is start to change the balance between the two inhibitory and excitatory chemical messengers,” Zaffer said. “It improves the level of GABA and inhibits glutamate, and the initial feeling of ‘headedness’ is a sign that the frontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for judgment, restraint and self-monitoring, is starting to shut down. This is related to the release of dopamine and endorphins in the reward circuits that provide motivation, relaxation and energy. This way people feel calmer, more talkative, and less socially inhibited.”

As the concentration of alcohol in the blood increases, it begins to affect deeper and more primitive areas of the brain – including the cerebellum, which is responsible for body movement, and the brain stem, which regulates basic functions such as heart rate and breathing. “It gradually turns off higher-order control systems, and then the circuits that keep us physically coordinated,” Zaffer says. This means speech is clumsy, balance is compromised and reaction times slow. If you ignore all the warning signs until your blood alcohol levels reach critical mass, it can slow down the brain stem so much that it forgets to tell your lungs to breathe or your heart to beat.

Another factor that is increasingly understood in the effects of alcohol on our mood is the gut-brain axis, or the communication network that connects our central nervous system with our digestive system.

So how do you actually give up the pleasure that doesn’t do too much good for the body? “I think the most helpful change is to stop thinking about alcohol — or any other psychoactive drug — in moral terms like ‘good’ or ‘bad,’ ‘strong’ or ‘weak,'” Zaffer said. “Alcohol works because it’s biologically efficient. It changes stress systems, reward circuits, and social processing in ways that feel useful in that moment. Understanding the internal reason for alcohol consumption helps people be more intentional. Instead of asking, ‘Should I drink?’ You should ask – ‘Why do I use this drink?'”.

If the answer is stress relief, social comfort, or disconnection, you may find that you don’t really need that much of it to get the desired effect—or you’re not ready to handle the neurochemical recovery it promises. You may set simple “rules” for yourself about when – and how much – to drink, just so you don’t overdo it.