We also provide a dual diagnosis program that can help our clients to deal with addiction and the effects of behavioral or mental health disorders. When a person drinks alcohol excessively, every day over a long period of time, their body chemistry changes in order to cope with and process the alcohol. For example, cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver can result from the body’s inability to process large amounts of toxins from alcohol over time. Treatment with intravenous injections of vitamin B-1 is usually given after diagnosing wet brain.
The Link Between Alcohol Abuse and The Wernicke Korsakoff (wet Brain)
For women, heavy alcohol use is considered drinking more than three drinks in one day or more than seven drinks in a week. It is important to remember that treatment for wet brain is not a one-size-fits-all. A person with wet brain syndrome often experiences memory loss and may become forgetful or seem confused and disoriented. Even if a person is diagnosed with wet brain, it may still be very difficult for them to abstain from consuming alcohol. This is especially true if the person is addicted to alcohol or physically dependent on it, which can be difficult for friends and family members to accept.
Do All Alcoholics Develop Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome?
- Wet brain is believed to occur in about 1 to 2 percent of the general population in the United States.
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- Multi-tasking is really just divided attention and constantly switching back and forth puts a rather large strain on the brain.
- Wet brain syndrome is a form of dementia that primarily affects chronic, long-term alcoholics at the end stages of their disease.
- The truth is two people can have similar drinking patterns and one will develop Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome and the other won’t.
- Brain fog, also called mental fog, can happen after an illness, as a side effect of a medication (like chemotherapy) or as a symptom of an underlying condition.
- It is, however, more likely to occur with long-term alcoholics who’ve failed to get treatment for their addiction.
Wernicke’s encephalopathy is the initial stage and is defined by the development of neurological symptoms due to the brain suffering from lesions formed from a lack of adequate thiamine (vitamin B1). Thiamine is essential for brain function, and its deficiency can lead to a range of issues. Mostly, these neurological symptoms are related to memory problems, confusion, and loss of muscle coordination.
Is your brain feeling fried?
If you are exhausted and mushy-brained, it is a clear sign you are doing too much. Outsource, delegate, ask for help and carefully consider whether you have the capacity to take on that next thing. Work out what is manageable and make sure joy, rest and relaxation are non-negotiables, rather than being rudely shoved to the bottom of your to-do list. If this all seems extremely scary, it may also be time to stop measuring your self-worth by your level of productivity. We have biological limits and there comes a point mush brain meaning where working longer hours, sleeping less and squeezing in more simply doesn’t work.
When most people think about drinking-related problems, they picture car accidents, fights, and run-ins with the police. But problem drinking can also lead to a range of severe and sometimes irreversible health problems. The more someone drinks and the longer someone drinks without quitting, then the higher their risks of developing cancer, liver damage, sexual dysfunction, and nutritional deficits. Cirrhosis, pancreatitis, and cardiovascular disease are some of the more common damaging effects of chronic alcohol abuse, but wet brain is also one of the lesser-known effects of alcohol addiction.
- Because the two syndromes often occur together, the above symptoms can overlap and do not necessarily occur on a specific timeline.
- Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WKS), sometimes called wet brain, is a brain disorder caused by a severe lack of vitamin B1 (thiamine).
- While the most prevalent cause of Wet brain may be constant alcohol abuse, anorexia, and many other dysfunctions that drain thiamine may also be the reason for its development.
- As the condition progresses, however, the inflammation leads to permanent damage.
- A person with wet brain syndrome often experiences memory loss and may become forgetful or seem confused and disoriented.
- The long-term effects of this disease can range from difficulty with personal interactions and injuries caused by loss of coordination to coma or even death.
Describing How Brain Fog Feels
According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a person with wet brain is at risk of eventually developing a Korsakoff syndrome. Your body can’t produce thiamine on its own—it has to be ingested through your diet. This is typically a non-issue for most healthy adults (think whole grains, asparagus, kale, pork, beef, chicken, eggs and potatoes). Those who struggle with alcohol use disorder, though, are at risk of thiamine deficiency. Instead of eating a balanced diet, many alcoholics drink their calories, depriving drug addiction their bodies of essential vitamins. In other cases, an alcohol-induced inflammation of the stomach lining reduces the body’s ability to absorb vitamins.
The symptoms of wet brain vary based on whether it is in the early, reversible stage or in the later, permanent stage. Alcohol-related dementia is diagnosed when alcohol abuse is most likely to be the cause of the symptoms of dementia a person is experiencing. If you have a loved one who may have wet brain, it is important to consult with a healthcare provider or a specialist such as a psychiatrist, addiction psychiatrist, or neurologist. Additionally, excessive alcohol use can cause mental health problems and affect a person’s everyday life, responsibilities, and relationships.