How and why does the body/brain become “alcohol dependent” after continuous drinking? And what makes it possible for an alcoholic to experience seizures, hallucinations, heart failure, etc. (the “DTs”) when they stop drinking?
In: Biology
Let’s say your brain is a pet frog. Your frog goes out and catches flies to feed itself. Suddenly, you start to bring flies to your frog. At first, it still goes out and catches flies, but as you keep bringing more and more flies regularly, your frog no longer goes out to catch flies. And then, it forgets how to go out and hunt them. Your frog is now dependent on you for flies the way your brain is dependent on your drinking for certain chemicals that alcohol releases. If you stop drinking, it would be like if you stopped feeding your frog. It would freak out, go hungry, and potentially die if it can’t remember how to catch flies itself. You have to wean your frog off the flies you’ve been supplying and teach it to catch them again just like you have to adjust your brain to no longer having alcohol.
Latest Answers