The Long-term Neurological Effects of Alcohol
For my research project, I chose a subject that pertained to a college audience. Many individuals, including minors, often enjoy the short term pleasures that come from drinking alcohol. What these people do not understand is that while drinking at parties may be fun, suffering from dementia and major depression is not, at least for me, fun.
A common thought of people is that when people suffer from depression, they begin to binge drink alcohol to cope with the mental distress that they are currently going through. Although, in most cases, it is in fact the exact opposite. Alcohol abuse is the cause of depression, and not vice versa.
In my project, I reviewed a case study which examined children from birth to age twenty five. When participants became sixteen years old they regularly ran stress tests, and other tests relating to depression. They also recorded the amount of alcohol consumed per week. Interestingly enough, almost every participant that suffered from depression had a drinking problem before they underwent depression. I also came a crossed multiple other case studies whose facts supported the results of this study.
The next long term disease that alcohol abuse can cause is dementia. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. A study on Alzheimer’s was conducted by John’s Hopkins hospital in Maryland. In this study, they interviewed all of the elderly outpatients on the register at the hospital. The patients were tested to find out the significance of alcohol in their lives. Twenty one percent of the patients with the disease suffered also from alcohol abuse some point in their lives. Sixty four percent of the patients drank actively when their first symptoms of dementia, more specifically Alzheimer’s, occurred.
My motive for choosing my research project is because I believe that people should know about these long term effects that alcohol causes before they go out and drink. Most of the time, people think the only damage that alcohol causes is the pain of the hangover the day after consuming alcohol. In fact, the hangover is the first step of all the long term neurological effects that can come from strong alcohol consumption throughout a lifetime.
A common thought of people is that when people suffer from depression, they begin to binge drink alcohol to cope with the mental distress that they are currently going through. Although, in most cases, it is in fact the exact opposite. Alcohol abuse is the cause of depression, and not vice versa.
In my project, I reviewed a case study which examined children from birth to age twenty five. When participants became sixteen years old they regularly ran stress tests, and other tests relating to depression. They also recorded the amount of alcohol consumed per week. Interestingly enough, almost every participant that suffered from depression had a drinking problem before they underwent depression. I also came a crossed multiple other case studies whose facts supported the results of this study.
The next long term disease that alcohol abuse can cause is dementia. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. A study on Alzheimer’s was conducted by John’s Hopkins hospital in Maryland. In this study, they interviewed all of the elderly outpatients on the register at the hospital. The patients were tested to find out the significance of alcohol in their lives. Twenty one percent of the patients with the disease suffered also from alcohol abuse some point in their lives. Sixty four percent of the patients drank actively when their first symptoms of dementia, more specifically Alzheimer’s, occurred.
My motive for choosing my research project is because I believe that people should know about these long term effects that alcohol causes before they go out and drink. Most of the time, people think the only damage that alcohol causes is the pain of the hangover the day after consuming alcohol. In fact, the hangover is the first step of all the long term neurological effects that can come from strong alcohol consumption throughout a lifetime.