Alcohol Related Brain Damage is a brain disorder that includes several different conditions. One of those conditions is wet brain. A person with wet brain acts much like the Alzheimer patient with loss of recent memory, disorientation and confusion believing something is not true or real when in fact it is or vice versa. Truly an ultimate and tragic consequence of years of alcoholic drinking.
Wet brain or Wernicke-korsakoff syndrome occurs from a thiamine deficiency due to malnutrition most commonly from alcoholism. In its early stages, the syndrome can be partially reversed through treatment with large doses of thiamine (vitamin B-1). In later stages, there is no effective treatment to reverse the damage.
Alcoholics become deficient in thiamine through poor eating habits (liquid meals), damaged gastro intestinal systems which do not absorb nutrients well, and through liver damage. This leads to a reduction in thiamine absorption and processing in the body.
Thiamine is an essential nutrient for glucose conversion in the brain. Over time, a thiamine deficiency leads to significant brain cell death and serious structural damage in certain areas in the brain. Areas of the brain most affected include the brain stem, the cerebral cortex and the pons.
Symptoms of wet brain are an abnormal gait, confusion which often manifest as apathy to external surroundings, low voluntary verbal participation, confabulation or the fabrication of events that did not happen, and believing them to be true, dementia, aural, tactile, or visual hallucination and severe memory loss.
These effects may be reversed if the symptoms are caught early enough. It is vital for the person to stop drinking and begin replacing the lost vitamins by starting on a healthy diet. Recovery is more easily achievable for women than men, but in all cases the support of family and friends are a must.
Though a person might sometimes drink to forget or bury unwanted thoughts or feelings, the drinks of some percentage of heavy drinkers can lead to permanent memory loss and irreversible brain damage.
If you are a heavy drinker you also run a high risk of thiamine deficiency and may suffer symptoms down the road. Alcohol also has other tragic consequences like poor dental heath due to lack of hygiene. Study shows woman that drink have an increased risk of breast cancer.
Drinking alcohol to excess also leads to a condition called Myositis which causes inflammation of the bones, muscles, chest, and shoulders. Studies have shown concrete evidence that it exacerbates the skin condition psoriasis causing reddish spots and patches on the body and face, Inflammation of joints, nerves, and a cause of gout. Alcohol is also the number one contributing factor in many heart attacks and strokes.
Anyone concerned about symptoms of wet brain needs immediate medical attention and rehabilitation. The person should seek treatment for even brain damaged alcoholics can expect neural recovery with prolonged sobriety. It’s never too late to stop drinking.
