Here’s a sobering thought for the holidays” Chronic heavy drinking can cause insidious damage to the brain, even in people who never seem intoxicated or obviously addicted.
Experts say alcohol-related brain damage is underdiagnosed and often confused with Alzheimer’s disease, other forms of dementia or just getting older.
Now, brain imaging is revealing how long- term alcohol abuse can change the structure of the brain, shrinking gray-matter cells in areas that govern learning, memory, decision-making and social behavior, as well as damaging white-matter fibers that connect one part of the brain with others.