CNN —

It's second nature for some people to pour a glass of wine on a nice evening or to pop open a can of beer during a sports event — but when does drinking become too much?

Heavy alcohol use, which researchers defined as regular alcohol consumption of three or more drinks per day, is linked to more severe brain bleeds (or a bleeding stroke) and earlier long-term brain damage, according to a study published November 5, in the journal Neurology .

"A bleeding stroke, or intracerebral hemorrhage, is when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures, causing blood to leak out and damage the surrounding brain tissue. Bleeding strokes account for about (15% to 20%) of all strokes," Dr. Mitchell Elkind, chief science officer of brain health and stroke at the American Heart Association, said in an

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