Yes– there is an Alcohol Dementiaa
Most of us know there are several diseases that can cause Dementia, including; Alzheimer’s, Vascular Dementia, Lewy Body Dementia, Front temporal Dementia and Parkinson’s. What comes as a surprise to many is that heavy drinking for an extended period can also result in dementia.
Alcohol Dementia affects long-time heavy drinkers of at least 20 years or longer. This dementia is often called Korsakoff’s syndrome as well. Named for the neuropsychiatrist who popularized the theory, Sergei Korsakoff.
Constant drinking of alcoholic beverages rids the body of thiamine (vitamin B1). This deficiency causes damage to the medial thalamus and possibly to the mammillary bodies of the hypothalamus as well as generalized cerebral atrophy.
What this means is that the person will have retrograde amnesia, severe memory loss.
Just as with other forms of dementia, when the memory is lacking and, in an attempt to “fit in,” the person with memory loss will make up stories to fill the gaps and compensate for his failing memory. This is known as “Confabulation.”
Because the person is able to conceal his memory loss and work well in a social environment, people with Alcohol Dementia rarely get an early diagnosis. Instead they progress from mild to moderate stages of their disease without getting a diagnosis or beginning any sort of medical regimen to improve their circumstances.
While a feature of Alzheimer’s Disease is the loss of the ability to learn new things or retain new information, for the person with Alcohol Dementia these issues are especially severe.
Treatment:
The best thing to do is to stop drinking. But that isn’t always easy for the long-term alcoholic. If they are a daily drinker, they should not attempt to stop drinking on their own but seek medical attention. There can be severe side affects to withdrawing from alcohol abruptly.
If the person with Alcohol Dementia stops drinking the dementia will NOT get worse–unless there is also another underlying dementia such as Alzheimer’s or Vascular dementia.
If the person can remain without alcohol for a year, you may see some improvement in overall functioning. But it is unlikely that they will return to a prior level of functioning.
Are you coping with this issue? What do you think?
Have you seen signs of Dementia in someone you love?
Read the First Chapter “Free” Below
“Understanding and Defeating Alcoholism”
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