Alcohol very easily finds its way into the brain, and when there, has a profound effect on many of the brain’s structures and functions. Alcohol is a neurotoxin, meaning it is poisonous to neurons, the main type of brain cell. It causes both short term and long term effects and harm to the brain, although the risks and harms change throughout our life course.

Our film looks at how alcohol gets into the brain, which parts of the brain it affects, the acute and chronic harms it can cause, how it can harm the brain of foetuses, adolescents, adults, and older people, and what can be done to reduce this harm. Our expert speaker is Dr Anya Topiwala, Senior Clinical Researcher at the University of Oxford, who has published brain imaging studies relating to alcohol consumption and harm. [11.41 minutes]

00:00 - Intro
00:28 - How does alcohol enter the brain?
00:56 - What parts of the brain does alcohol affect?
02:22 - Acute effects and harms of alcohol
03:22 - Chronic effects and harms of alcohol
04:52 - Alcohol's effect on the brain of a foetus
05:42 - Alcohol's effect on the brain of adolescents
07:02 - Alcohol's effect on the brain of adults and older people
10:20 - What can be done to reduce harm?