How Drinking Affects Your Memory

We usually associate alcohol with memory loss, but a small new study suggests it may actually have the opposite effect. The research found that individuals were better able to remember information if they drank alcohol after learning. Of course, this does not offset the dangerous health consequences of abusing alcohol, but a celebratory drink after class may not be such a bad idea. The study found that individuals who drank alcohol after completing a word-learning task were able to remember more of what they learned than those who did not drink alcohol. The researchers suggest the reason for this may be related to alcohol's effect on the hippocampus, the area of the brain that consolidates new information into memories.