By: Lakeview Health
Alcohol in Women Can Cause Brain Damage
Women who are alcoholic run the risk of damaging their serotonin system in their brain which can ultimately result in brain damage. In as little as four years of drinking, the functioning of a woman’s serotonin system can be hindered. It takes a male up to 12 years of drinking alcohol for the functioning of the serotonin system to be affected. The damage that alcohol causes to men is every bit as serious as that to women except that it takes a longer period of time for the damage to occur. While it is still uncertain on whether or not the brain’s serotonin system can repair itself through abstinence, it is known that other damage caused to the brain by alcoholism can be repaired through extended sobriety. The best course of action for women who are alcoholics to prevent brain damage is to get go to an alcohol rehab center for their alcohol abuse. Many who suffer from alcoholism have had failed attempts at sobriety in outpatient programs, individual therapy sessions and twelve step meetings such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. While therapy, outpatient programs and twelve step meetings are helpful in maintaining recovery, the best course of action women can take to get help for their problems with alcoholism in an addiction treatment facility. Substance abuse rehab addresses all aspects of alcoholism. In addition, an alcohol treatment center will provide each client with a relapse prevention plan which could include an outpatient program, therapy and twelve step meetings to provide continued support in an individual’s new found sobriety.
