Alcohol
Effect on Brain
Recent research indicates that even moderate alcohol consumption can have adverse effects on brain health. Studies have found that consuming as little as one to two alcoholic drinks per day is associated with reductions in overall brain volume, including both gray and white matter. These structural changes are linked to cognitive impairments and accelerated brain aging. (penntoday.upenn.edu)
Additionally, moderate alcohol intake has been associated with increased iron accumulation in the brain, particularly in regions like the basal ganglia, which are involved in cognitive, emotional, and movement-related functions. Elevated iron levels in these areas correlate with poorer executive function, reduced fluid intelligence, and slower reaction times. (ndph.ox.ac.uk)
Harm level of alcohol:
MCDA (multi-criteria decision analysis) modelling showed that heroin, crack cocaine, and methamphetamine were the most harmful drugs to individuals (part scores 34, 37, and 32, respectively), whereas alcohol, heroin, and crack cocaine were the most harmful to others (46, 21, and 17, respectively). Overall, alcohol was the most harmful drug(overall harm score 72), with heroin (55) and crack cocaine (54) in second and third places. Drug harms in the UK: a multicriteria decision analysis, Prof David J Nutt, FMedSci; Leslie A King, PhD; Lawrence D Phillips, PhD
...traditional drugs of abuse, i.e., cocaine (including “crack”), methamphetamine, heroin, and alcohol were ranked as being most harmful. Ranking the Harm of Psychoactive Drugs Including Prescription Analgesics to Users and Others–A Perspective of German Addiction Medicine Experts
Humor
Children