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+--- Thread: Research Research links early adult drinking to middle age cognitive decline (/thread-19989.html)
Research links early adult drinking to middle age cognitive decline - C C - Mar 17, 2026
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1120145
INTRO: It’s well known that alcohol consumption is an age-old method for coping with stress. But surprising? research led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that, when such self-medication begins in early adulthood, negative cognitive effects start to show up in middle-age—even after long periods of total abstinence.
These effects include a decreased ability to cope with changing situations, an increased likelihood to drink when stressed and the kinds of cognitive decline associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The new research, published recently in the journal Alcohol Clinical and Experimental Research, helps us understand how alcohol rewires the brain’s circuitry and can help suggest new approaches for helping people adapt to the long-term effects of alcohol use... (MORE - details)