Alcohol consumption is synonymous with good times and as a way to wind-down after a hard day in the office. While it’s been perceived as a cultural ritual that has social benefits, there’s no real evidence to support any claim of health benefits, according to Dr Nicole Lee, a professor at Curtin University’s National Research Institute in Melbourne.
Alcohol is often referred to as a social lubricant because of its ability to suppress the cerebral cortex – the function centre of the brain which works with information from a person’s senses – and to depress inhibitions and blunt the senses. These effects explain why booze makes us feel more relaxed and talkative, as well as appearing more happy and confident.
Muireann Irish, associate professor of the Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, adds that while the exact mechanisms by which alcohol affects the brain remain unclear, converging evidence indicates that alcohol disrupts brain chemistry by altering the brain’s delicate balance of inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters, thus slowing the transmission of signals in the brain. “The excitatory chemical messenger is suppressed, resulting in slower speech, movement and thinking, while the inhibitory creates a sedative effect,” says Muireann.