While certain nutrients like thiamine (Vitamin B1) deficiency play a role, the primary culprit is the alcohol itself, which affects how the brain metabolizes essential nutrients. While moderate drinking can’t always harm your body, overconsuming alcohol can be dangerous. Binge drinking is linked to certain cancers, liver disease, and damage to the brain.

Village Green: support for seniors with alcohol use disorders

Treatments are available for people whose alcohol use affects their memory and overall functioning. According to research from 2021, thiamine supplementation or intravenous (IV) thiamine can help alleviate symptoms of WKS, which is caused by a thiamine deficiency. While some brain damage caused by alcohol can be partially or fully reversed, other effects may be permanent.

Alcohol-related dementia usually affects people between the ages of 40 and 50 who have been drinking heavily for years. But you can develop alcohol-related dementia at any age if you’re drinking more alcohol than is safe. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to ask for help if it’s hard for you to stop drinking. Substance use disorder is a health condition, not a sign you’re a bad person. Note that alcohol-related dementia is sometimes confused with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. While the two conditions share some similarities, they have different causes.

What Are the Treatment Options?

In order to make a diagnosis of alcohol-related ‘dementia’, a doctor may ask the person to do a paper-based test to check for problems with memory and thinking. It can be beneficial to work with a social worker who is experienced in managing alcohol-related dementia and who can guide you and provide you with advice, support, Alcoholics Anonymous and resources as you cope with this condition. Memory and decision-making are also severely affected, which means that people living with this condition need help from trusted family or friends to manage home, finances, transportation, and more. You and your healthcare providers will have to decide on a plan to determine the safest steps as you begin the process of quitting alcohol. Therapy for alcohol-related dementia can include management of AUD, nutritional supplementation to compensate for nutrient deficiencies, and exercises to help improve cognition (thinking abilities) and motor skills. Seeking help for alcoholism is a brave and crucial step towards a healthier, more fulfilling life.

What can happen if a person drinks too much alcohol on a regular basis?

The risk of suffering from alcohol-induced dementia was increased in a study of individuals who abstained from alcohol in their midlife and consumed roughly less than 14 units of alcohol a week. Thus, it’s important to be aware of one’s own threshold for consuming alcohol. Once a person abuses alcohol to the point of developing alcohol-induced brain damage or dementia, the symptoms are more obvious and often quite severe. For example, the symptoms of the form of dementia known as Wernicke-Korsakoff’s Syndrome are sudden and often quite severe. Symptoms of Wernicke-Korsakoffe Syndrome can appear when a person is withdrawing from alcohol. According to The Alzheimer’s Association, alcoholism has been known to cause a more rare type of dementia called Korsakoff syndrome.

Damage to nerve cells

It’s more accurate to specify the type of dementia, such as dementia related to thiamine deficiency or cerebellar degeneration due to alcohol use. Early signs include memory lapses, difficulty concentrating, poor coordination, irritability, and struggles with daily tasks. These symptoms often mimic general forgetfulness or stress but worsen over time if untreated. Medical detox is the first step to safely eliminating alcohol from the body. During this process, individuals receive medical supervision to manage withdrawal symptoms and prevent complications such as seizures or delirium tremens. This stage typically disrupts daily functioning, and professional treatment is essential to halt further damage.

Even though there is no exact test to identify ARD, a combination of these tests may be necessary. The Alzheimer’s Association states that heavy alcohol consumption increases your chances of getting dementia, including Alzheimer’s. Studies show that alcohol use accelerates brain aging, decreasing brain volume and cognitive abilities. In summary, while both ARBD and dementia involve cognitive impairment, they are distinct conditions with different causes and characteristics. ARBD is directly caused by long-term heavy drinking and can potentially be halted or reversed by abstinence, while dementia has many potential causes and is generally progressive and irreversible.

Supporting a drug addiction treatment person with alcohol-related ‘dementia’ can be challenging for their carer, friends and family. They will need different kinds of support, which may not always be easy to access. After the first part of treatment, a person with alcohol-related ‘dementia’ will need support from different kinds of services.

• Professional help should be sought as soon as possible – early treatment is key.
• That damage destroys nerve cells that you need to control your thoughts and body movements.
• In very rare types of dementia, there might be a very strong genetic link.
• Early signs include memory lapses, difficulty concentrating, poor coordination, irritability, and struggles with daily tasks.

The results also showed that heavy and former heavy drinkers had higher odds of developing tau tangles (41 percent and 31 percent higher odds, respectively). It’s essential to find support networks and financial resources that can assist not just with treatment, but also with housing, job training, or education, facilitating a comprehensive, sustainable recovery. Some of alcohol’s effects on memory are apparent — maybe you wake up after a night of drinking and have a bruise you don’t remember getting, or you don’t recall any of the night’s previous events. Doctors have identified several ways excess alcohol can affect a person’s memory. In the later stages of dementia, symptoms can be very severe, and people will require assistance with basic tasks like eating and bathing. Communication becomes extremely difficult, and they may eventually lose the ability to communicate verbally.

• However, the amount of people that contain this genetic link to dementia is small.
• ARBD is directly caused by long-term heavy drinking and can potentially be halted or reversed by abstinence, while dementia has many potential causes and is generally progressive and irreversible.
• Alcohol-related ‘dementia’ can also cause problems with a person’s mood, such as apathy, depression or irritability.
• Numerous support systems are available to help navigate these difficult waters, ensuring you and your loved ones receive the support you need.
• The characteristics and impact are on the brain’s neurons and its brain cells.

Alcoholic dementia

Korsakoff syndrome makes it very hard to learn new things or remember recent events, and it can also create gaps in long-term memories. While memory problems can be extremely severe, other abilities like thinking and social skills often remain mostly unaffected. It is not safe to drink alcohol if you are under the legal drinking age, pregnant, taking medications that can interact with alcohol, or are recovering from an alcohol or substance use disorder 11. Some guidelines state that males can safely drink a slightly larger amount than females, equating to 2 drinks per day or 21 units per week for males, and 1 drink per day, or 14 units per week for females 1. Our compassionate team offers expert care, various treatment plans, and real support to help you or your loved one reclaim clarity, health, and peace of mind.

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It can affect several areas of the brain, but it most commonly affects the mammillary bodies found on the hypothalamus. At the current time there are no acceptable criteria to definitively define alcohol-related dementia. They will also take a patient’s history, perform a physical exam, and conduct lab tests.

Sometimes, nutritional supplementation can help prevent the progression of this type of dementia. Additionally, stopping alcohol use can help prevent additional damage. It can be dangerous to stop alcohol abruptly, and it’s safer to go through alcohol detoxification under medical supervision.