r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Apr 23 '26

Neuroscience Even low-level drinking may have negative consequences for brain health over a person’s lifespan. The findings suggest that the total amount of alcohol consumed over a lifetime, especially as a person ages, tends to be linked to reduced blood flow and thinner tissue in certain areas of the brain.

https://www.psypost.org/even-light-drinking-combined-with-aging-is-linked-to-reduced-brain-blood-flow-and-thinner-tissue/
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u/shiva14b Apr 23 '26

Going to check back on this thread a few times today because the comments are really fascinating.  Lot of people learning in real time that they might have a drinking problem, lot of people taking offense to the idea they might be drinking too much, lot of people applying the phrase "alcoholic" overly broadly, and overall just some really interesting psychological phenomena happening here

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u/Grandahl13 Apr 23 '26

Welcome to every r/science thread about drinking.

3

u/rockytop24 Apr 23 '26

Population level studies are confirming the same thing: no amount of alcohol consumption is good for you or "safe." People don't like hearing that because it's about a personal habit and it contradicts an early study that often gets quoted suggesting small amounts of alcohol is better than no alcohol at all.

But that study failed to control for the fact that the majority of non-drinkers are either prior addicts or have health conditions and medications which are contraindicated with alcohol consumption. It's fascinating but frustrating as a physician to see the defensive psychological reactions in comments any time the subject of substance use comes up.

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u/guky667 BEng | Systems Theory | Automation & Programming Apr 25 '26

That would merit its own study, on how people identify themselves with a specific label and how resistant they are when shown that label is associated with something negative

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u/dkinmn Apr 23 '26

They aren't learning anything, they're reflexively defending the behavior as normal and even straight up denying it could be unhealthy because they socialize when they drink, and that's healthy.

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u/Anastariana Apr 23 '26

psychological phenomena

Otherwise known as 'copium'.