If you have difficulty controlling your alcohol use and want help, there are many treatment options and resources to help you through your journey toward sobriety and wellness. Quitting drinking will prevent additional loss of brain function and damage. Also, improving the patient's diet can help; however, diet does not substitute for alcohol abstinence in preventing alcohol-related dementia from worsening.

Alcohol-related ‘dementia’

Available epidemiological studies are not sufficient to verify a protective effect of alcohol on dementia development. Lifestyle changes, such as eating a balanced diet and stopping the use of alcohol, generally help. However, the outlook is often guarded, and a person may never fully recover from the condition. A doctor may can alcohol cause dementia consider other causes of the symptoms if the person does not show any signs of improvement. An individual may also need assistive technology and other modifications to help them with everyday tasks. Once acute symptoms come under control, a doctor may further examine the person for signs of Korsakoff syndrome.

• Some people may find that they can drink nonalcoholic wine or beer if they crave the taste of alcohol.
• Note that alcohol-related dementia is sometimes confused with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.
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• It is not easy to help a person with alcohol addiction to stop drinking.

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Some people with advanced cases of the condition may experience hallucinations and irreversible and severe memory impairments. If a person regularly drinks too much alcohol, they also have a higher risk of repeated head injuries. While under the effects of alcohol they may fall and hit their head, or receive blows to the head in fights or as victims of violence. Drinking a large amount of alcohol in a short space of time (such as a single evening) is known as ‘binge-drinking’. It is equivalent to drinking 8 units or more for men and 6 units or more for women.

How alcohol can damage the brain

The Lancet review by Livingston et al. 1 showed that the risks of heavy drinking and AUDs for dementia have been underestimated. Replication studies from other countries would also improve the evidence base 75. 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). This heterogeneity in outcome operationalization may have contributed to the contradictory findings with respect to light to moderate drinking mentioned above. Therefore, there is also a need for the use of standardized objective measures of dementia and cognitive decline, using current consensus criteria.

Alcoholic Dementia Life Expectancy

The goal of the initial phase of treatment for alcohol-related dementia is to assist you in quitting. Physician supervision could be necessary during this several-week process. Excessive alcohol may compromise executive functions in people with dementia and can lead to memory, learning, problem-solving, and judgment problems.

When normal nerve activity slows down, short-term memory loss can occur. In our research, we observed a higher representation of individuals with late-onset alcoholism in the group with dementia, particularly frontotemporal dementia. Some patients presented with alcoholism as the first symptom, preceding other cognitive or behavioral changes. It’s more accurate to specify the type of dementia, such as dementia related to thiamine deficiency or cerebellar degeneration due to alcohol use.

• Because they can engage in conversation, a person with WKS may appear normal at first glance.
• However, Doctors use a thorough social history, the findings from the physical and neurologic exams, and the presentation of symptoms to diagnose the condition.
• ARBD is caused by a person regularly drinking or binge-drinking much more alcohol than the recommended limit.
• For those for whom it’s still appropriate to occasionally relax with a drink, a low-risk level is defined as one-half to one drink per day for women and one to one and a half drinks per day for men.

Alcohol-related dementia can impair memory, learning, judgment, and other cognitive abilities 1. Many studies support the strong link between alcohol use and Alzheimer’s disease. A person may consider joining support groups or attending counseling or therapy if alcohol use is impairing their quality of life in the short and long term. Lewy body dementia is another progressive type of dementia that causes an accumulation of proteins called Lewy bodies in various brain areas. These areas are responsible for movement, emotions, behavior, memory, and cognition. Research considers alcohol neurotoxic, meaning it damages the brain.

• A 2020 study showed that moderate alcohol intake could lower a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
• Becky Upham has been professionally involved in health and wellness for almost 20 years.
• A small number of studies seem to suggest that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol reduces dementia risk compared to not drinking at all.
• A 2013 study found that an estimated 78 percent of individuals diagnosed with AUD experience changes to the brain.

Everyday Health Special Report: Blueprint for Brain Health

A Cleveland Clinic brain specialist offers strategies to rethink how we decompress. Doctors may confirm a diagnosis of alcoholic-related dementia with a brain MRI. Nevertheless, seek a doctor’s advice on reducing your alcohol intake to prevent withdrawal symptoms. Psychosocial support from close family members and friends can also be helpful. When a person starts drinking more than around 25 units per week on a regular basis, it may start to affect their ability to think and function properly.