I stopped drinking alcohol when I was 18 (I am 33 now) as I could see it was effecting how well I could study. Poor sleep, hang overs, etc. made me want to take a break for a few months to concentrate on other things in my life.

6 months later I realised life was way better without alcohol. I was more motivated, I slept much better, I felt better, I could study and retain things much better than before.

I wasn't a super heavy drinker, I am from the UK so started to drink with friends at around 16. Over the past 15 years binge drinking has become a big problem IMHO. I feel I am lucky to have avoided that!

So here I am 15 years later and still not drinking at all. I would recommend taking a year off alcohol and see how it changes your life. Maybe it won't make as big a difference as it did for me but I would be shocked if it didn't make some noticeable differences to your brain.