The Effects of Alcohol on Learning

Advances in neuroscience and brain research have revealed more about how humans learn and what factors affect learning. Alcohol consumption has been found to negatively affect learning in several ways, especially for infants still in the womb and for teenagers. Much of alcohol's effects on learning can be traced directly to the ways that it changes brain functioning and development. Other effects are tied to the social and cultural challenges that alcohol consumption can introduce.

Effects of Pre-Natal Alcohol Exposure on Learning

• When mothers consume alcohol during pregnancy---even in amounts as small as a half glass a day---the child's learning is put at risk. The most commonly known effect on the developing brain is fetal alcohol syndrome. Children with this syndrome are smaller than normal and often have brains with a lower volume, fewer numbers of brain cells or fewer brain cells that can function correctly. These all cause extensive problems in learning. It has also been discovered that even moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy can lead to speech and language development delays, attention deficit disorder, behavior problems and learning disabilities.

General Effects of Alcohol on Learning and the Brain

• Overconsumption of alcohol can cause brain disorders that compromise learning ability.

  While medical experts and researchers are still learning exactly what alcohol does to the brain, there are some factors that nearly everyone agrees on. Drinking alcohol can lead to reduced coordination, slurred speech, blurred vision, slower reaction times and an impaired memory. People under the influence of alcohol have less impulse control and impaired judgment. Some of these effects are temporary while others are more long-lasting. Alcohol consumption can also lead to blackouts and lapses in memory. Long-term alcohol abuse can cause Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which is a brain disorder that causes mental confusion.

Effects of Alcohol on Teenage Brains and Learning

• The effects of alcohol on teen learning appears to be more severe than it is with adults.

  The American Medical Association recently announced that alcohol has a different effect on teenagers and their ability to learn than it does on adults. This is primarily because the teenage brain is still changing and developing in a way that the adult brain is not. Underage drinkers were found to have hippocampuses that were 10 percent smaller than non-drinkers. This matters when it comes to learning because the hippocampus is the part of the brain that is responsible for memory and learning. Because of the changes that the teen brain is going through, alcohol use can "seriously damage long- and short-term growth processes," the AMA reported in 2003. When teens drink alcohol, their brain does not develop the areas needed to store new information, which means they won't be able to learn as well even as adults later in life. Alcohol slows down brain activity and can reduce the development that it needs for robust learning.

Social Effects of Alcohol Consumption that Inhibit Learning

• Drinking can impair judgment and lead to social problems that prevent learning.

  The brain isn't the only factor in a person's ability to learn. The external environment also plays a crucial role in determining how much a person can and will learn. Alcohol use, especially among teenagers, can lead to social problems that can have long-term effects on learning. Underage drinking has been linked to poor academic performance and harmful behaviors such as illegal drug use and promiscuous sexual behavior. These social problems can reduce the opportunities students have to learn as they may be denied access to certain educational offerings or compromise their ability to get into schools or training programs. Alcohol use has been linked to higher truancy rates, which translate into fewer learning opportunities.