And although alcohol is commonly known to be a social lubricant, it can also severely impair judgment and cause a person to carry out an action or become interested in something they otherwise would never explore or even encounter. .
Methods and Results .
When studying brain pathology, it is common to conduct postmortem research. This is because when a brain is functioning, it can be very difficult to view more than just images of the brain's activity level. After a person dies, their brain goes through a process in order to preserve the brain structure, which in turn enables studies to be done (Sullivan et. al 2010). Studies conducted this way have contributed to our knowledge of the permanent nervous system damage from long-term and reoccurring alcohol intoxication. In terms of temporary effects, the list includes impaired judgment, poor insight, distractibility, cognitive rigidity, and reduced motor skills. Acute alcohol intoxication compared with sobriety effects hand-eye coordination, stability in gait and balance, and speed performance. This translates into alcoholics still being able to do tasks that require hand-eye coordination, it just seems to take them a longer amount of time to do so (Sullivan et. al 2010). When viewing a brain in vivo, a MRI is conducted and the images presented give insight as to which parts of the brain are being used while in the scanner. This machine has allowed comparison between a frequent drinker and a sober person. The average person uses the part of the brain called the dorsal neural stream when they are recalling memories whereas alcoholics use a different part of the brain called the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (Sullivan et. al 2010). Many problems contracted while alcoholism is taking place can start to recover over extended sobriety, however they are also in danger to further decline with continued drinking. .
In terms of physical and emotional effects of alcohol, it does seem to play a role in many sexual adventures.
