Alcohol is a hard drink that adults like to consume and get addicted to due to its euphoric effect and capabilities to make one forget sorrows. But this does not come without its side-effects. The most prominent effect is on the brain and liver. But other organs also suffer problems directly and indirectly.
Alcohol and ill-effects on brain
Alcohol intoxication has an acute negative impact on the brain. After the initial few glasses of this drink, the drinker feels high and euphoric and the person's hidden desires surface. But as the amount of intake increases, more ill effects appear. There is speech slurring, blurring of vision, incoordination of gait and movements, difficulty in walking, delay of response times, and derangement in memory. The drinker experiences blackouts and remembers nothing about the events. In acute cases, these may resolve but in case of chronic drinkers, these bad effects remain for long and in many are irreversible.
Longterm ill-effects of alcohol on brain
These longterm damage on the brain might be of mild degree such as little memory lapses or it could lead to permanent brain damage requiring custodial care. Several factors determine how much damage of brain occurs in a person. These include:
1. Amount of alcohol consumed per day
2. Duration of drinking alcohol
3. Age at which the first hard drink was taken
4. Gender, Age, family history, and genetic background of the drinker. Women are more likely to get blackouts and memory impairments with alcohol.
5. Whether the person had any exposure to alcohol before birth.
6. Presence of Other co-morbid conditions in the person.
In case of chronic drinking, the brain damage is serious and permanent. Alcohol directly affects the brain and also indirectly via nutritional deficiencies and toxins from liver and other body damage.
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| Alcohol (Source: Cone Health) |
Hepatic failure and its brain effects
Liver cells get destroyed due to the alcohol and they are reply by fibrous tissue. This is cirrhosis. Due to liver failure, toxins and ammonia accumulation occurs in blood and affect the brain. Conscious level is altered, mood, personality, and mentation is affected. Specific drugs to remove ammonia or surgeries to bypass these toxins are used as therapies. Besides, artificial liver and liver transplantation are tried.
Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
More than 80% of alcoholics experience Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. It is a severe form of brain damage that comes due to thiamine or vitamin B1 deficiency secondary to poor nutrition. This may present as Wernicke's encephalopathy in an acute form or as Korsakoff's psychosis in a chronic form. In the former case, there is mental confusion, nerve paralysis, and incoordination and in Korsakoff's psychosis, there is persistent memory and learning issues.
How to treat alcohol's brain damage
The most important thing is to stop alcohol consumption and thus avoid further damage. Thiamine in high doses helps and liver care and prevention of further damage should be aimed.
Chronic addicts need proper support so that they can return to a normal life with minimal brain affection. They should be encouraged and offered psychological and moral assistance at all hours. Hospitalization helps in acute cases.
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