As studies point out, alcohol has been with us since late Stone Age (judging by the discovery of beer jugs dated 10.000 BC). It may have even been invented before bread. Still, it is the subject of many disputes and the stated cause of many wrongdoings. Some claim it's a medicine, while others point out its negative effects, but the reason we’re focusing on it today is the result of a recent study developed at the University of Sussex, which indicates that there's a reason drunk people forget the nasty stuff they do after getting wasted.

Researchers claim their study demonstrates a viable association between alcohol usage and the general tendency to forget embarrassing moments while remembering the nice ones. 

As the experts claim, a person who is merely tipsy at the beginning of a party experiences nice socializing moments and strongly records them as fun and happy, thus being able to remember them later on, after the drinking effects wear off. Instead, upon getting drunk, unpleasant moments take place, such as falling, talking non-sense (or worse) or throwing up. These moments, scientists say, the brain chooses not to record, possibly more because of the fact that alcohol has a negative chemical impact on the regions of the brain related to memory formation.

The study leader, professor Theodora Duka, from the experimental psychology department at the University of Sussex stated, "This bias towards positive memories means that people are more likely to drink heavily the next time they go out because they only remember the good memories about the last time. It is not exactly clear how alcohol changes the way memories are made, but it could be altering the neurotransmitters that form memories."

The test consisted of comparisons between the ability of the test subjects to remember a series of images they were presented after they had previously consumed either an alcoholic beverage or a non-alcoholic one. As expected, the memory storage for the pictures seen by the subjects before drinking the alcoholic beverage didn’t seem to have been affected, although the process was impaired after consumption. Also, the images that triggered strong emotions were more likely to be remembered than the ones that didn't.

The study has also emphasized the results of previous research, which expressed the association of alcohol consumption with the happy memories that remain imprinted in mind after becoming sober again. This phenomenon causes people, especially youngsters, to want to drink more. The studies performed by Dr. Duka and Dr. Matt Field, a lecturer in psychology at Liverpool University, also indicated that young people who drink excessively are much more likely to take risks, even when they're sober.

As Dr. Field states, "Young people in the UK drink more alcohol and start drinking at a younger age than ever before. Approximately 20 per cent of 13-year-olds consume alcohol each week, with this figure rising to 50 per cent in 15-year-olds." Based on other research, he also claims that people who are more impulsive are more prone to drinking.