New study uncovers worrying way excessive drinking for 35 years impacts your brain
The impact builds up over decades
There's never been more incentive to cut back on our drinking habits alcohol, with an abundance of studies revealing the devastating effects it can have on both physical and mental health.
We've seen personal accounts of how long-term alcoholism resulted in serious health complications, including hospital seizures and months of jaundice.
Meanwhile, some YouTube simulations have demonstrated the remarkable transformations your body experiences when you stop drinking alcohol entirely.
Now, scientists have discovered the impact chronic alcohol consumption can have on the brain.
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Previous research has shown how alcohol alarmingly causes more deaths than terrorism, warfare, homicides and car accidents combined, while rapidly increasing the risk of dementia.
In the post-mortem study, Spanish researchers examined the brains of 18 people who were alcohol-dependent for an average of 35 years.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines alcohol use disorder (AUD) as 'an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences'.
Brain tissue samples came from the New South Wales Tissue Resource Centre in Australia, specifically from individuals with chronic AUD who hadn't used illegal substances.
The research focused on the endocannabinoid system, which helps regulate mood, pleasure, stress responses, memory and motivation. The findings, published in the journal Addiction found that those with long-term alcohol dependence showed major gene changes that increase vulnerability to addictive behaviours, compared to those without alcohol addiction.
In fact, the CB1 receptor, linked to cravings and relapse, was much higher in decision-making and reward centres, making addictive behaviour more likely to be reinforced.
Meanwhile, CB2 levels, which help protect the brain and reduce inflammation, were cut in half, suggesting that the brain becomes less capable of defending against alcohol-induced damage.
"This approach provides a much clearer picture of how alcohol alone reshapes gene expression in brain regions central to addiction,” said Professor María Salud García-Gutiérrez, first author of the study.
The study also noted GPR55 variation, which rose in brain areas responsible for decision-making while declining in reward-processing regions. Interestingly, this change has never been demonstrated before in human alcohol addiction research. Furthermore, the FAAH enzyme experienced opposing changes across these regions, probably affecting the balance of the brain's 'feel-good' chemicals.
Altogether, these shifts suggest alcohol rewires brain signalling in ways that may increase cravings, compromise decision-making, and disturb emotional regulation and stress management.
"Alcohol use disorder is one of the leading causes of disease and death worldwide, yet despite its enormous social and health impact, available treatment options remain limited," explained Jorge Manzanares, senior author of the study and professor at The Miguel Hernández University. "Understanding what changes in the brain after decades of alcohol consumption is essential for developing more effective therapies."