Drinking is a significant part of various social interactions. For many people, grabbing a drink is a normal part of unwinding after a hard day’s work. However, alcohol has a strong impact on our health.
Getting intoxicated can affect your brain to a significant degree. But what about a single drink? What is the impact of one drink on your brain health?
How Much Alcohol Is There in One Drink?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a drink contains 0.6 ounces of alcohol.
This means around five ounces of wine or exactly one glass. You also get 0.6 ounces of alcohol in one can of beer.
So what exactly is the impact of one drink on your health? Does it make any difference at all?
The Effects of a Single Drink
Scientists studied a group of healthy social drinkers. The researchers scanned their brain activity. They found some interesting changes in the brain.
The drink didn’t have any impact on the part of the brain that controls movements. Hence, people don’t generally become clumsier after just one drink. It probably won’t affect your balance either.
However, the parts of the brain that make decisions go through major changes. The brainwaves you use to make choices become considerably less active. Thus, your decisions become more impulsive.
Conclusion
Knowing the impact of one drink will let you make better decisions. While you don’t necessarily need to quit drinking, you should pay attention to the way it impacts your choices.
The most important part is the impact on your driving skills. Even though you are still in control of your movements, you may not be able to drive safely.
