Alcohol interferes with short-term memory , even at low quantities (Cardoso,2000. p.2). At greater quantities, it can even damage long-term memory.

If alcohol consumption regularly exceeds these National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)'s guidelines can cause real damage to the areas in the brain needed for memory function. (Cardoso, 2000. p. 35-36)

• Men over 21 years old: no more than 4-6 standard drinks per week (any drink containing about 10 g of alcohol)
• Women over 21 years old: no more than 2-4 standard drinks per week.

Research shows that at least some of memory damage due to drinking can be reversible, if:

• a balanced diet is maintained
• drinking is stopped

Improvement begins with level of attention & immediate memory ability, and slower improvement is seen with long-term memory (Cardoso, 2000. p. 35-36).

Excessive drinking can lead to Korsokoff's Syndrome , an extremely serious memory disorder.