Clean Recovery Explores Alcohol-Induced Dementia

Sarasota, FL – Clean Recovery Centers, a leading provider of addiction treatment, released a recent blog investigating alcohol-induced dementia. With locations across the Suncoast, their program has helped hundreds in the area to find recovery from substance use disorder as well as alcoholism.

“Alcohol-induced dementia is a condition where long-term drinking induces symptoms of dementia. Dementia causes impaired thinking, memory, and motor function and can also cause personality and behavior changes. These symptoms tend to begin gradually, and if drinking continues, the progression can lead to permanent problems. The body only has one brain, and it is not able to repair itself after severe damage,” the article reads.

There is no definitive cause of alcohol-induced dementia, but one possibility is the toxicity of alcohol. When alcohol is consumed for long periods and in excess, the brain shrinks. Over time, the shrinkage becomes permanent, leading to alcohol induced-dementia. Another cause is how alcohol can affect the heart. Drinking causes the blood vessels to constrict, making the heart have to work harder to pump blood. This leads to a lack of blood flow to vital organs like the brain can cause damage and alcohol-induced dementia.

Symptoms of alcohol-induced dementia include balance difficulties, difficulty planning, executing, or logically thinking on tasks, being unable to remember events or recall past experiences, impaired learning, and changes in personality or behavior. Because alcohol affects different areas of the brain, symptoms can be more related to memory, motor function, or behaviors.

“Alcohol is a toxic substance, and a known carcinogen according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. While not shown to cause brain cancer, having alcohol in the body still affects the brain negatively. Drinking does not necessarily cause brain cells to die off, it interferes with the process of regenerating new ones. Without new cell growth, the brain cannot properly function and damage can occur. This is how different areas of the brain become affected by alcohol,” the article continues.

The area of the brain responsible for memory creation and storage is the hippocampus. Alcohol works in the hippocampus by making it difficult to create new memories or be able to recall old memories. When alcohol is consumed to the point of blacking out, some memories may be recovered. Others will not be able to be recalled, so it is like they never happened. In the case of alcohol-induced dementia, memories become lost, and they may never be recovered. As the hippocampus becomes damaged, it may become irreversible. This makes it impossible to form new memories and recall old memories.

There is a condition that affects the brain similarly to alcohol-induced dementia called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. It is caused by a severe and prolonged vitamin B1 deficiency. This deficiency can cause brain damage that, when left untreated, can be permanent. Those who drink alcohol for long periods are more likely to be affected by Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome because poor eating habits and malnutrition cause vitamin deficiencies. However, this condition is not the same as alcohol-induced dementia, as vitamin deficiency is a clear cause of the condition. Alcohol-induced dementia has no definitive cause.

Clean Recovery Centers has been working to educate the community on alcohol use disorder as well as other substances for years. Their facilities are equipped to address all aspects of addiction and provide community to those in recovery. The therapies utilized by their staff are extensive, and each facility has a certified rapid-resolution therapist onsite to help their clients address past traumas.

To learn more about Clean Recovery Centers, call (888) 330-2532 or visit their website.