Alcohol Doesn’t Kill Brain Cells?

You’ve heard the old adage that drinking alcohol destroys brain cells.  There’s just one problem with that. It’s a myth.

Pure alcohol will kill brain cells.  However, even excessive binge drinking (so long as it doesn’t kill the drinker) won’t introduce enough alcohol into the body to kill brain cells.  This has been shown in multiple research studies, according to this post on Gizmodo.

Excessive drinking does have its share of problems, though.  It causes vitamin B1 deficiency, can damage the connections between dendrites, and lead to problems like hallucination, memory impairment, confusion, coordination, and other problems.  Worse, the excessive drinking of alcohol over time will inhibit the growth of new brain cells.

As the Gizmodo article tells us, “Bottom line, alcohol consumed in moderation, such as a small glass of wine a day, can be very good for you.  On the other hand, drinking excessively won’t kill your brain cells directly, but is still bad for your brain.  Although your body can compensate to a certain extent, and repair the damage in most cases… so long as you don’t make a regular habit of it.”