Concerning Alcohol

Overconsumption of alcohol may occur on accident or on purpose. Intoxication is when alcohol

becomes concerning because it interferes with an individuals ability to make neural connections
as it normally would. This is concerning because it makes the person who consumed alcohol
vulnerable to manipulation. Shakespeare references a concern in alcohol consumption because it
is known to interfere with memory, it allows murderous acts to happen, and due to the cultural
and religious backgrounds of this region, alcohol is typically perceived in a negative way.
Alcohol can damage neurons but it cant kill them. The brain has billions of neurons. In a study,
chronic alcohol exposure caused a 50% reduction in dendritic spines in the hippocampus. The
hippocampus is the part of the brain that is responsible for memory. The neuron is still alive,
just the dendrites do not branch out as they would with no alcohol consumption. The severity of
the dendritic spine loss depends on the length of exposure to alcohol. The loss of spines in the
hippocampus is a cause for memory loss. These are temporary changes because the dendritic
spines regrow when the individual stops consuming alcohol (Marshall, Callahan, Bellini 2013).
Alcohol is concerning because it can interfere with memory. Binge drinking can cause blackouts.
A blackout can involve a small memory disruption, like forgetting someone's name, or it can be
more seriousthe person might not be able to remember key details of an event that happened
while drinking (Duke).
It is easy for alcohol to reach the brain. Just like water, glucose, and vitamins, the ethanol is
small enough that it gets into the bloodstream and it is easily able to enter the brain since because
it can pass through the blood brain barrier because it mixes easily with the fat in the membrane
(Duke).
Brain fingerprinting is a scientific technique for determining whether certain information is in
the brain or not by measuring brain waves. In criminal cases, it can be used to determine if a
suspect committed a crime. If the suspect generated memories while committing the crime, they
will exhibit a brain murmur when reminded of it. Measuring brain waves allows scientists to see
when the murmur becomes present. Memories are stored in the brain, and the person will
recognize information regardless of what the person wants to reveal. The senator Charles
Grassley supports measuring memory generation because its in the governments interest to
make sure the innocent go free and that the guilty are punished. If king Duncans murder was
tried with this technology, it would be in the royal families interest to have prosecutors use brain
fingering on MacBeth to scientifically measure the record stored in his brain and match it to the
crime (Brain Fingerprinting - 60 minutes).
Shakespeare references alcohol as concerning in Macbeth. The play shows that alcohol is
dangerous when abused (Nguyen 2012). In the Scottish Play, [i]t was not the drink itself that
made men fools, but their individual weaknesses. Thus, alcohol was closely associated with
manhood and shame (Nguyen 2012).

In the renaissance, people associated an individuals personality and temperament with health.
This is called the theory of humoralism. It was commonly believed that individuals who
manifested certain humors over others were more prone to acquire certain diseases, addictions,
or tempersany sickness of the mind or body was attributed to an imbalance of these
humorsit is reasonable to expect that an Elizabethan audience would be able to analyze and
relate to the characters in plays based on their ailments, affinities, and addictions, including
alcoholism (Nguyen 2012).
Alcohol made Duncans death possible. It eliminate[d] the chance of interruption during the
assassination, and [allowed him to] evade his subjects suspicion at the banquet he and Lady
Macbeth host[ed] (Nguyen 2012). In order to create the celebratory atmosphere, alcohol was
served at the feast. It is possible that alcohol was the reason that all the feast attendees stayed
asleep while Macbeth stabbed Duncan to death. If Duncans guards, the Porter, and the banquet
guests had not been drinking, Macbeth would not have been able to enact so many murders or to
get away with his killing spree for as long as he does (Nguyen 2012).
Some argue that the prevalence of alcoholic imagery in a characters dialogue reveals his or her
inner workings (Nguyen 2012). Macbeth and his guests also drink at the feast when he sees
Banquos ghost. Instead of suspecting that Macbeth is a murderer, they think his crazy behavior
is due to intoxication. Alcohol serves to expose Macbeths true character and anxieties to the
audience and amplifies the dramatic element of [this] scene (Nguyen 2012).
Religion has shaped attitudes regarding alcohol consumption or what constitutes moderate and
responsible drinking (Engs 2000).
Many studies suggest that Protestants consume less alcohol but perceived great problems with
the substance. In contrast Roman Catholics consume more alcohol but do not perceived its
consumption as problematic (Engs 2000). This is most likely due to the difference in drinking
cultures between the northern and Mediterranean areas of Europe caused by their ecosystem[s],
seasonal variations, climate, and socio-political structures (Engs 2000).
Barbarians in the northern parts of Europe, such as Scotland, drank to intoxication with grain
based drinks at feasts or during special occasions. They were very extreme. They would drink
heavily and then abstain from it completely for long amounts of time. This is because grain
based alcohol needs to be consumed quickly since it is perishable. Depressing winters and an
unsteady alcohol supply may have also led to a feast or famine situation, meaning heavy
drinking whenever one could get their hands on some. The resulting mayhem could have led
to [being]either strongly against or strongly in favor of heavy alcohol consumption within
this culture (Engs 2000).
In contrast, wine was consumed daily with meals by everyone in the Mediterranean area. Wine is
easy to store so it was available year-round. In this culture, public drunkenness was frowned
upon (Engs 2000).
The Romans conquered many parts of Europe bringing their wine drinking habits. However the
northern parts like Scotland were untouched by direct Roman influence[They] continued
their traditional heavy, "feast", "binge" or episodic drinking patterns (Engs 2000).

A statistical analysis shows that Roman Provinces that tend to speak a Latin based language,
consume much wine and have commercial wine interests (Engs 2000). In contrast, northern
European cultures, which tend to be Protestant, perceive many problems related to alcohol
(Engs 2000) as shown by policies to control alcohol consumption. They have lower alcohol
consumption rates compared to Mediterranean catholic cultures. They did not have roman
interest and their languages derived from a Germanic language.
Anti-alcohol Protestantism wasnt just a religious belief, [i]t was a social psychology system
with a focus on self-restraint and self-regulation. Drunkenness and episodic drinking patterns
leading to mayhem, vomiting and brutality, found from antiquity in the Northern cultures, were
perceived as "out of control" behaviors (Engs 2000). Protestant groups had movements against
alcohol consumption. Some of this was in an effort to force self-restraint upon groups that were
perceived as being out of control (ie, heavy drinking Irish Catholic immigrants) (Engs 2000).
Some protestant religious denominations including the Mormon and Baptist consider any
alcohol consumption as evil and sinful. They see the substance as unacceptable in any
circumstances even when consumed in moderation with meals (Engs 2000). Others believe
moderate use is fine, but generally frown upon drunkenness. Regardless of culture, Roman
Catholics are more accepting of alcohol consumption (Engs 2000).
These anti-alcohol views arent found in catholic, Mediterranean European countries. [E]ven
though they consume two to four times more pure alcohol than northern cultures, they dont
perceive alcohol to be a problem (Engs 2000).
In conclusion, Shakespeare references a concern in alcohol consumption because it is known to
interfere with memory, it allows murderous acts to happen, and due to the cultural and religious
backgrounds of this region, alcohol is typically perceived in a negative way.

References
60 Minutes. [dmoney1429]. (2007, August 22). Brain Fingerprinting - 60 Minutes [Video file].
Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REqfGFKxBzU
Marshall, K., Callahan, K., Bellini F., [fgbellini]. (2013, May 16). Does alcohol kill brain cells?
[Video file]. Retreived from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k14M-7Im2o
Nguyen, B. (2012, April). Dressed in Drunk Hope: Alcoholism in Shakespeare's Macbeth.
Retrieved from: http://commons.marymount.edu/magnificat/dressed-in-drunk-hope-alcoholismin-shakespeares-macbeth/
Duke. (n.d.). Alcohol, memory, and the hippocampus. Retrieved from:
http://www.rise.duke.edu/apep/pages/page.html?030403
Engs, R. (2000). Protestants and Catholics: Drunken Barbarians and Mellow Romans? Retrieved
from http://www.indiana.edu/~engs/articles/cathprot.htm