Australians facing alcohol brain damage crisis
Australians are hugely unaware of the link between alcohol and brain damage with 70% of men and 60% of women not knowing the volume of alcohol consumption which puts them at risk.
A Roy Morgan survey has shown that people tend to vastly over-estimate the number of drinks they can consume each day before facing the possible loss of memory, and damage to concentration, organisational skill, and problem-solving ability.
More than 200,000 Australians are living with undiagnosed permanent brain damage caused by drinking alcohol and a further two million people – one in eight adults – are at serious risk of moving into a similar damaged condition, health experts have warned.
The survey found that one in five women believed they could consume four standard drinks a day over eight to 10 years without suffering brain damage when in fact drinking at that level placed them at serious risk. A standard drink is equivalent to less than a can of beer or 100ml of wine, less than the usual glass served at a bar or restaurant.
Dr Martin Jackson, of the school of psychological science at La Trobe University, said that warning signs were short-term memory loss, anxiety, anger, and confusion.
“People often get brain damage long before they actually get sick. By the time they show up in the health system, unfortunately, they have lost their jobs, families, and thinking abilities,” Dr.Jackson said.
