So apparently, drinking affects your brain.  Sorry to break the news but the consumption of alcohol can reduce your brain size, according to some smart people in the Archives of Neurology.

Even though brain shrinkage is inevitable with age, consuming alcohol will affect your brain even more and could possibly influence dementia. According to the studies conducted, a decline in brain volume estimated at 2 percent per decade is natural in aging. But with the assistance of alcohol, it could result in a higher percent decline in brain volume.

In the study, 1,839 healthy people with an average age of about 61 were tested. Overall, the more alcohol consumed, the smaller the brain volume was. Abstainers of alcohol had a higher brain volume than former drinkers which included light drinkers (one to seven drinks per week), moderate drinkers (eight to 14 drinks per week), and heavy drinkers (14 or more drinks per week).

It was also found that men were more likely to be heavy drinkers than women. However, the link between brain volume and alcohol wasn't as strong in men compared to women. For men, only those who were heavy drinkers had a smaller brain volume than those who consumed little or no alcohol. That’s great…not only do we have to give birth, have menstrual cycles, and go through menopause, but no if we drink, we're more likely to be dumber.  In women, even moderate drinkers had a smaller brain volume than abstainers or former drinkers.

However, there is good news!  The study did not demonstrate that the smaller brain volume actually impaired memory or mental function.

Well, sorry to be a debbie downer, I know this is a little depressing to learn/hear about. So my advice is to make yourself a margarita to feel better.  Because I think I’d rather be 1/8th less smart than I should be, than give up alcohol completely. Who else is with me?