Alcohol and brain damage: Cause or association?

Abstract

It seems unwarranted to endorse a public health policy that warns of the long-term dangers of social drinking upon cognitive functioning. No one would deny that there are clear dangers from 'social drinking' as attested to by the number of fatal accidents committed by persons who were intoxicated although not necessarily alcoholic. However, without current data to establish the prevalence of cognitive deficits caused by alcohol, whether they are reversible, and whether they signify anything resembling impairment in functioning in the 'real' world, it would appear premature to condemn 'social' alcohol consumption.