How Drinking Affects Memory

This condition is a form of alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) that is directly related to alcohol use and may cause both physical and mental impairments. Understanding the symptoms, causes, and most effective treatments can help those struggling with dementia from alcohol use to seek help as soon as possible before damage to the brain becomes completely irreversible. The effect of alcohol use on the risk of AD has been explored much less extensively than the effect of other potential risk factors, such as can alcoholism cause dementia tobacco use. The possibility of a protective effect of moderate drinking on AD, raised in a few studies, may not be compelling, but methodological issues need to be resolved before such an association can be definitively dismissed. Moderate drinking has been reported to have some beneficial vascular effects (NIAAA 2000), which could possibly reduce the risk of AD. The nonsignificant association between alcohol use and risk of AD reported by most studies does not necessarily mean that alcohol has no effect.

Despite these different reports, reviews of population-based observational studies indicate that the alcohol-dementia relationship is J-shaped. More specifically, low levels of alcohol use may provide some benefit in reducing the risk of dementia, https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/relapse-prevention-plan-how-it-can-help-you-stay-on-track/ whereas excessive alcohol consumption likely increases the risk of dementia in a dose-dependent manner. Alcoholic dementia, or alcohol-related dementia, is a severe form of alcohol-related brain damage caused by many years of heavy drinking.

How is alcohol-related dementia treated?

The current study’s researchers emphasize that their findings must be balanced against existing literature reporting the association between moderate alcohol use and poor brain health, as well as other health conditions like cancer. Thus, the current study findings are not meant to encourage alcohol consumption and instead question whether current guidelines on reducing alcohol consumption in individuals over the age of 60 is an effective approach to preventing the development of dementia. However, an analysis of three case-control data sets (Tyas et al. 2000) has provided some support for the hypothesis that smoking influences the effect of alcohol use on AD. In one of the data sets, the risk of AD was significantly increased in drinkers. Study participants who smoked as well as drank, however, had a lower risk than those who only drank. The pattern in the other two data sets varied depending on whether the participants had a history of hypertension.

After stabilizing the patient and the detox process has been completed, therapeutic treatment approaches, such as one-on-one counseling, as well as group counseling, can be important for addressing the underlying causes of alcohol addiction. Behavioral approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) have shown to help lay a strong foundation for recovery and lasting sobriety. For anyone struggling with alcoholic dementia, it’s imperative to quit drinking and remain sober for any possibility of recovery to be successful. This will require professional medical help and may take months or years to see improvement for many symptoms, but it is well worth the effort. Seeking early treatment for alcohol-related dementia symptoms is absolutely vital.

Alcoholic Dementia Life Expectancy

There is some debate about whether alcohol use increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease at all, or whether it increases the chance that it will occur at an earlier age than it usually would. While this matter has not been fully settled, most experts agree that heavy drinkers have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. This scoping review was limited by the large amount of heterogeneity in the operationalization of outcomes and the small degree of overlap of underlying studies between reviews (Additional file 1).

• The decision to transition your loved one to a memory care community should be based on a thorough evaluation of their specific needs.
• The program’s goal is to change people’s perspectives about alcoholism and guide them to positive life changes.
• Some people may not get enough nutrients in their diet because they skip meals.
• Quitting drinking will prevent additional loss of brain function and damage.
• The findings, which are published in The Lancet Public Health, came as a shock to the researchers involved.

Graves and colleagues (1991) conducted another meta-analysis that included a fifth study, which had used a different definition of alcohol use, but they still did not find a significant association between alcohol use and AD. Meta-analyses have increased power to detect significant associations but are still limited by the flaws of their constituent individual studies. While alcohol-related dementia is more common in older adults, ranging in age from 40 to 50 years old, it can also occur in those who are younger, depending on his or her level and duration of alcohol use. It can be difficult to know exactly how much alcohol can cause dementia because each person is unique with varying degrees of alcohol use. Some research suggests that men who drink 35 alcoholic beverages a week and women who consume 28 drinks a week, over a five-year period, have a greater risk of developing alcoholic dementia.

Signs and symptoms

Although the above factors adequately explain why alcohol abuse and dementia may be linked, the exact size and scale of the issue is not clear. Certain risk factors — such as aging, smoking, and depression — are already known, but the role of alcohol has proven more difficult to pin down. Exercise helps the brain function better and keep it working at its best and most effective level. Even if you exercise daily, you should still eat healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The best way to prevent alcohol-related dementia is to refrain from drinking. So, does alcohol use disorder (AUD) really contribute to or cause this health condition?

A summary of 11 of these case-control studies showed that 9 of the studies found no significant relationship between alcohol use and AD, 1 found that alcohol use increased the risk, and 1 found that alcohol use decreased the risk of AD (Tyas 1996). Most of these studies examined drinking status of study participants (whether they consumed alcohol at a specific, usually high level) rather than using more detailed measures of amount consumed. These case-control studies, however, may not have found a significant association because they had too few subjects (often less than 100 cases) and thus lacked statistical power. This possibility was addressed in two reports from a meta-analysis (Graves et al. 1991; van Duijn and Hofman 1992) that pooled the data from four individual case-control studies. However, the researchers did not find significant results for low, moderate, or high alcohol consumption even with this larger sample.

Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

Improvement of cognitive function in alcoholics after abstention from alcohol suggests that the cognitive deficits may reflect neurochemical alterations rather than neuronal loss (Kril and Halliday 1999). Alcohol-related memory loss can be partially reversed by compounds that stimulate the cholinergic system (e.g., nicotine; see section below on alcohol, tobacco, and AD) (Arendt 1993), illustrating the importance of the cholinergic system in alcohol’s effects on memory. Alcohol-induced cholinergic receptor losses in alcoholics with AD may contribute to the clinical symptoms of dementia. Alcohol does not appear to accelerate the AD process but instead induces its effects on the cholinergic system, independent of the cholinergic deficits caused by AD (Freund and Ballinger 1992). In addition, alcohol has extensive effects on neurotransmitter systems other than the cholinergic system and may also affect AD through these pathways (Diamond and Gordon 1997). Alcohol itself does not cause Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome as much as the damage to the brain cells that takes place with a thiamine deficiency (vitamin B1).

• Others may not be able to digest food properly because chronic alcohol misuse damages the pancreas and other organs.
• However, investigation of the effects of alcohol use on AD within these gender, genetic, or vascular risk subgroups may prove informative.
• While there is still some debate on whether alcohol can cause Alzheimer’s disease, there is a clear consensus that those who already have Alzheimer’s disease or dementia should not drink alcohol.
• This condition is a form of alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) that is directly related to alcohol use and may cause both physical and mental impairments.
• The best way to prevent alcohol-related dementia is to refrain from drinking altogether or be very careful about drinking in moderation.

Cholinergic neurons are specifically affected in AD (see section below on biological mechanisms). Some of the detrimental effects of heavy alcohol use on brain function are similar to those observed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Although alcohol use may be a risk factor for AD, it is difficult to study this relationship because of similarities between alcoholic dementia and AD and because standard diagnostic criteria for alcoholic dementia have not yet been developed. Similar biological mechanisms may be involved in the effects of AD and alcohol abuse on the brain. Epidemiologic studies have investigated the relationship between alcohol use and AD but have not provided strong evidence to suggest that alcohol use influences the risk of developing AD.

Alcohol use disorder is a ‘major risk factor’ for dementia

The same was true in comparison between lifetime abstainers and current drinkers. The global prevalence of dementia has been rising over the last two decades, with the number of dementia patients expected to reach 152 million by 2050. Although there remains a lack of effective treatments for dementia, certain behaviors have been shown to increase the risk of its development. In fact, according to the 2020 Lancet Commission for Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care, up to 40% of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed if 12 distinct risk factors were avoided.

• The individual will be in the care of medical professionals 24 hours a day, seven days a week while in this program.
• Firstly, when alcohol is broken down in the body, it produces acetaldehyde, which is toxic to brain cells.
• Thus, the current study findings are not meant to encourage alcohol consumption and instead question whether current guidelines on reducing alcohol consumption in individuals over the age of 60 is an effective approach to preventing the development of dementia.
• If your senior loved one drinks excessively, look out for the following symptoms.
• Over 25% of American adults report at least one instance of heavy alcohol use each month, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
• Thus, it’s important to be aware of one’s own threshold for consuming alcohol.

Anyone struggling with the symptoms of alcohol related dementia should seek professional alcohol treatment at an inpatient substance use addiction facility. Because alcohol related dementia is such a serious problem, it’s common for people to spend several weeks in hospital to stabilize during the early phases of treatment. Very often, people who drink excessive amounts of alcohol may experience severe withdrawal symptoms once they stop drinking and will need an alcohol detox program that is supervised by medical professionals. It’s important that patients going through alcohol withdrawal are monitored in a medical setting because it can be extremely dangerous and uncomfortable. In some cases, there are medications that can help ease the difficult symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. For alcoholic dementia, patients may also need thiamine supplements, combined with a well-balanced, healthy diet to restore their strength and cognitive functioning.

Of the 350 results from the original search, a total of 28 systematic reviews, most of which were published after 2010 [11, 20, 22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47], met all inclusion criteria. We are ready to cheer you on as you continue down the road of recovery toward a healthier, happier you. According to information published by the Alzheimer’s Society, drinking too much alcohol can lead to neurological issues.

Before transitioning to writing, she gained industry insight as an account executive for senior living communities across the Midwest. Many of these symptoms may coincide with signs of inebriation — for example, your loved one may often repeat phrases or have balance problems after drinking heavily, according to the Banyan Treatment Center. Summit Malibu is the longest running boutique addiction treatment center in Malibu, California.

Diagnosis

Sign up for our e-news to receive updates about Alzheimer’s and dementia care and research. To investigate the relationship further, Rehm and his colleagues analyzed hospital records of more than 1 million adults in France who were diagnosed with dementia between 2008 and 2013. The researchers looked for known dementia risk factors, such as tobacco smoking, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, lower education and hearing loss. But they also looked for evidence of alcohol use disorders—identified as alcohol-related mental, behavioral or physical health conditions (like liver disease or head injury) listed on patients’ hospital records. Reviews or meta-analyses were included if they described the systematic search process with listed databases and search terms.

The association between alcohol use and dementia remained significant across all age groups in the study, and across all different types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Most types of dementia are progressive, meaning they get worse over time. Unlike Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, and Lewy body dementia, alcohol dementia may have steady symptoms that don’t progress, especially if a senior receives treatment for alcohol misuse after noticing early signs of alcoholic dementia. Talk to your loved one’s doctor to create a plan of action after a dementia diagnosis. If the symptoms of memory loss due to alcohol abuse are recognized early enough, it is possible to reverse the effects. Lost memories will never return, but the ability to form new memories can be restored.