Stats: 8 or more weekly drinks tied to brain injury

Heavy drinkers who have eight or more alcoholic drinks per week have an increased risk of brain lesions -- signs of brain injury that are associated with memory and thinking problems, according to a new study. The lesions cause a condition called early-stage hyaline arteriolosclerosis, which causes the small blood vessels to narrow, becoming thick and stiff. This makes it harder for blood to flow, which can damage the brain over time.