But in general , that can predict whether or not you're somebody who has a predisposition for alcoholism or not . One also very interesting finding is that alcohol changes the relationship between what's called the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland and the adrenals . Now , the hypothalamus is a small collection of neurons about the size of a large gum ball sits above the roof of your mouth and it houses neurons that are responsible for some incredible aspects of our behavior and our mindset , things like rage , things like sex drive , things like temperature regulation , very primitive functions including appetite , thirst , et cetera , alcohol because it can go anywhere in the brain .
So this again could be just one or two drinks per night or it could be somebody that drinks just on Fridays or just on Saturdays or maybe just on the weekend , 2 to 4 drinks . Well , those people experience changes in their hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis that result in more cortisol , more of this so called stress hormone being released at baseline when they are not drinking . This is really important .
But there are also people who drink often who start to experience this increase in alertness , the longer they drink across the night . Part of that effect we think is because of changes in this hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis . So alcohol is kind of a double hit in this sense .
Ok . So the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis , I know it's a mouthful . You don't need to remember the names , but the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis maintains your physiological balance of what you perceive as stressful and what you don't perceive as stressful .
So the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis , I know it's a mouthful . You don't need to remember the names , but the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis maintains your physiological balance of what you perceive as stressful and what you don't perceive as stressful . People who drink regularly .
