Question:
My question is what particular aspect of alcohol causes brain damage? I vaugely recall that alcohol is very simlar to sugar and was wondering if it was a chemical that the body produces to break it down is what causes the actual damage. The reason I ask is because I have been drinking quiet a lot of soft drink lately (usually 2 litres in the space of 2-3hours) and have felt my symptons of alcohol abuse worsen even though i don't drink anymore. This has me worried as i feel it might start to be obvious to other people i have some kind of brain damage.

Answer: Alcohol abuse can and does cause permanent brain and other neurological damage. But that is usually pretty late stage. If you only drank alcoholically for four years and you're only seven months sober, I wouldn't be too quick to believe your symptoms are necessarily permanent. Most of us experience memory lapses and bouts of fuzzy thinking during the first year or so.

Try eating a healthy diet, getting some physical exercise, and regularly exercising your mind.

If that doesn't seem to work, consult your doctor. There are tests for abnormal brain function.