A new study has shown for the first time how heavy drinking can cause long-term damage to the brain, even after someone stops drinking.
This may explain why people with alcohol use disorder often struggle with making good decisions, even after months or years of sobriety.
The research was done by scientists at Johns Hopkins University and published in Science Advances. They studied rats to understand how alcohol affects the brain over time.
In the study, researchers gave rats high doses of alcohol for one month. This amount was similar to what a heavy drinker might consume. Then they let the rats stay alcohol-free for nearly three months—which is like years of recovery for a person. After this break, the rats were given a test to check their memory, learning, and ability to adjust to changes.
The test had two levers. One gave a reward more often, but the “better” lever switched every few minutes. The rats had to notice the change and pick the new better lever to keep getting rewards.
Healthy rats were able to figure out the pattern and change their choices. But the alcohol-exposed rats had trouble. They made poor choices, didn’t adjust well, and took longer to respond. Their thinking was slower and less flexible.
Brain scans showed why. A part of the brain called the dorsomedial striatum, which helps with decision-making, didn’t work as well in the alcohol-exposed rats. The signals in this brain region were weaker, suggesting that alcohol had damaged the circuits needed for smart decision-making.
One of the most surprising findings was that the brain problems didn’t go away. Even though the rats were sober for months, they still performed badly on the task. This shows that heavy alcohol use can have lasting effects on the brain. It may help explain why people often relapse after rehab. Their brains may still be struggling to make good decisions.
“This tells us that the brain doesn’t just bounce back after someone stops drinking,” said lead researcher Patricia Janak. “Even when sober, people with a history of heavy drinking may have trouble making healthy choices.”
Interestingly, only male rats had these problems in this study. This doesn’t mean females are safe from alcohol’s effects. The researchers believe there are differences in how male and female brains respond, and they plan to study this more.
Next, the scientists want to look at other brain regions that work with the dorsomedial striatum. They also want to learn more about the brain differences between males and females after drinking.
This research is important because it helps us understand alcohol addiction better. It shows that stopping drinking doesn’t fix everything. The brain might still be damaged. This knowledge could help create better treatments that focus on decision-making and stopping relapse.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about Vitamin B9 deficiency linked to higher dementia risk, and cranberries could help boost memory.
For more health information, please see recent studies about heartburn drugs that could increase risk of dementia, and results showing this MIND diet may protect your cognitive function, prevent dementia.
Copyright © 2026 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
