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We are dedicated to transforming the despair of addiction into a purposeful life of confidence, self-respect and happiness. We want to give recovering addicts the tools to sober house return to the outside world completely substance-free and successful. Alcohol abuse has also been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, a severe and irreversible form of dementia.
- For people who drink daily and heavily, there isn’t always a safe or moderate amount of alcohol consumed.
- When normal nerve activity slows down, short-term memory loss can occur.
- An inability to remember the entire event is common when a person drinks 5 or more drinks in a single sitting (“binge”).
- Short-term and long-term memory loss are potential side effects of heavy alcohol use.
Alcohol can in fact lead to memory loss, over both the short-term and the long-term. Those who are concerned about their own or a loved one’s alcohol use may wonder if alcohol can lead to memory loss. Please also list any non-financial associations or interests (personal, professional, political, institutional, religious or other) that a reasonable reader would want to know about in relation to the submitted work. This pertains to all the authors of the piece, their spouses or partners. Take the first step toward addiction treatment by contacting us today. Chronic misuse of alcohol stops the brain and the body from absorbing this much-needed vitamin.
1. Short-term memory impairment
It can range from mild to moderate, and alcohol use in the long-term is related to reduced brain size. Permanent memory loss is more likely to happen if you drink heavily over a long period of time. Heavy drinkers are at risk for developing dementia, which is a condition that leads to a permanent decline in cognitive function.
And if a person has an underlying mental health disorder, like depression or bipolar disorder, alcohol can exacerbate symptoms and increase mood swings. Struggling with the effects of alcohol on your memory can be difficult. Maybe you have an older family member struggling with alcoholism and memory loss but need help talking to them. Individuals that identify with any of the following should know they may be struggling with the short-term effects of alcohol and memory loss.
Long-Term Effects of Alcohol
Alcohol not only interferes with memory loss, but also affects the physical makeup of the brain. The white and grey matter in the brain are linked to behavioral and cognitive functions. However, heavy alcohol misuse destroys white and grey matter leading to permanent memory loss. This is caused by long term abuse of alcohol and memory loss is a symptom. Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome’s main symptoms are difficulty or inability to process new information or form new memories, as well as difficulty recalling old memories.
Not only does alcohol disrupt our memory storage, but it also affects brain matter. A person’s cognitive and behavioral functions are linked by the white and grey matter within our brains. An area of your brain called the hippocampus plays a crucial role in your ability to form memories. Excessive drinking temporarily interferes with this area’s basic function. Alcohol also lowers inhibitions and clouds judgment, which could lead a person to engage in risky behaviors like having unprotected sex or driving a car while drunk.
Results
However, consuming large quantities of alcohol will destroy brain cells at a rapid pace. The increased rate of decay will result in quicker symptoms of memory loss and dementia and will affect a person’s overall cognitive functions. Whether or not a person engages in drinking should be a decision they make on their own, or with the help of a doctor or mental health professional. For many people without a history of dependence or addiction, Pagano said, drinking at low or moderate levels—no more than seven drinks a week for women, and no more than 14 a week for men—can be a healthy part of life. According to a 2021 study in Scientific Reports, heavy drinking could lead to loss of brain volume. The researchers found that people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) had less brain matter than people without AUD.
What are the 10 warning signs of dementia?
- Sign 1: Memory loss that affects day-to-day abilities.
- Sign 2: Difficulty performing familiar tasks.
- Sign 3: Problems with language.
- Sign 4: Disorientation to time and place.
- Sign 5: Impaired judgment.
- Sign 6: Problems with abstract thinking.
- Sign 7: Misplacing things.
The period where people have an inability to form new memories due to alcohol is called an alcohol-induced blackout. These blackouts represent a temporary memory loss, which may be partial or complete. A partial blackout is more common, and people are able to remember some information about the blackout period when reminded. A complete blackout, however, involves an inability to remember any information about events during the blackout. Still, several studies link heavy alcohol use to learning and memory problems. It’s unclear whether blacking out causes serious long-term damage, but heavy alcohol use and risky behaviors while blacked out can have serious long-term health effects.
Binge drinking also affects the cerebellum (which helps regulate balance) and the cerebral cortex (which is responsible for taking in and processing new information). When these regions of the brain are slowed down, a person might feel dizzy and stagger when walking, have blurred or double vision, and have difficulty paying attention to things going on around them. “Your sensory uptake has been dulled, so you’re not going to be taking in new information as well,” said Pagano. “For starters, alcohol slows down the neurotransmitter GABA, and that’s what drives the sluggish movement, slurred speech, and slower reaction time in someone who’s intoxicated,” said Pagano. At the same time, Pagano added, alcohol speeds up a neurotransmitter called glutamate, which is responsible for regulating dopamine in the brain’s reward center. “That’s why you might get that warm, fuzzy feeling when you’re drinking.”
Korsakoff syndrome is a chronic memory disorder caused by severe deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B-1). Korsakoff syndrome is most commonly caused by alcohol misuse, but certain other conditions also can cause the syndrome. And, just as alcohol tends not to impair recall of memories
established before alcohol exposure, alcohol does not disrupt the expression
of LTP established before alcohol exposure. If you or a loved one frequently engage in binge drinking or have an addiction to alcohol, talk to your healthcare provider or call the SAMHSA National Helpline. You can avoid short-term memory loss by removing alcohol from the equation.
Because so many factors – including age, sex, biology, and genetics – play a role in recovery, it’s challenging to precisely say how long or if someone will recover. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines two types of blackouts that occur as a result of alcohol. Other National Institutes of Health reports have shown that abstaining from alcohol over several months to a year may allow structural brain changes to partially correct.