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(Illustration by George Wylesol for The Post)

Here’s what happens to your brain when you stop drinking alcohol

Alcohol is one of the most popular drugs in the world, with millions enjoying the buzz produced by a cocktail of pharmacology and social ingredients.

But there is “no free ride in the brain,” said George Koob, the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at the National Institutes of Health.

Research shows that over time, alcohol can change the brain, leading to decreases in gray matter volume. And even relatively low levels of alcohol may worsen feelings of anxiety and depression, disrupt sleep, and, over time, increase dementia risk, in addition to upping other health problems, such as breast and colorectal cancer risk.

But there is now increasing evidence that the brain can recover to an extent when drinking is reduced or stopped.

Here’s what alcohol does to the brain, its health effects, and what happens when we reduce and abstain.

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