Abstinence reduces alcohol damage to brain & nervous system
Because alcohol is highly neurotoxic, as we’ve said before, it leads to damage of the brain and nervous system. Over time it can cause cognitive deficits, or loss of mental abilities in areas such as memory, concentration, motor control and ability to learn.
However, there is some hope now that those precious brain-cells are not lost for ever. Researchers at Stanford University have found that after at least six months of sobriety, the brain damage caused by alcohol’s toxicity does in fact repair itself.
They concluded that the mental abilities of their study group of long-term alcoholics, who had all been sober for between six months and thirteen years, were now the same as their control group who had not been alcoholics. The only capability that had not been recovered was spatial awareness.
Surely this is information to further motivate anyone who’s alcohol consumption is out of control – if you keep drinking, you’ll gradually lose all your faculties. If you stop, you’ll be dazzling friends with your razor-sharp wit just like you used to, right?
what about a loss of feeling in your hand (left) pins and needles, is this alcohol related?
yes, google cubital tunnel syndrome
I AM AN ALCOHOLIC LADY WITH A HISTORY OF HEAVY DRINKING 2000 – 2005. I JUST SAW ANOTHER WEBSITE WHICH SAYS NERVOUS SYSTEM DAMAGE CAN CURE ITSELF – I SINCERELY HOPE SO! I AM NOW ABSTINENT 4 YEARS, AND HAVE LIKE YOU PINS AND NEEDLES IN MY HAND, LEGS AND FEET, WHICH IS WORSENING AND AM TOLD IT IS ALCOHOL RELATED. IT ONLY STARTED A FEW MONTHS AFTER I HAD STRESS WITH MY DAUGHTER’S DEATH AND DRANK SOME WINE. IT IS GETTING WORSE AS TIME GOES ON. TWILL NEVER DRINK AGAIN BECAUSE IT KILLS. E-MAIL BACK PLEASE DOUG.
The pins and needles might be Peripheral Neuropathy, which could be reversible if the nerves are not too damaged. Talk to your doctor. Taking high strength Vitamin B complex supplements might help….it worked for me.
i think alcohol is a good drink to enjoy every now and again but i did never realise the effects untill today thank you, you great great people xXx
Interesting article! Overdose of B vitamins can be serious, high doses of vitamin B6 can cause neuropathy as well.
I was extremely unhappy and started drinking….soon one glass is not enough….then its one bottle that does not do the job…
5 years down the line I stopped and started taking vitamins.
Within 3 weeks I looked and felt so much better that I will never go on that journey of slow suicide….
BELIEVE ME ITS NOT THE WINE YOU ENJOY ITS THE FEELING THAT IT GIVE YOU. BUT THAT IS ONLY FALSE SECURITY. GO TO THE AA IF YOU CANNOT COPE THEY ARE WONDERFUL AND LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO BE ARTIFICIALLY HAPPY BY TAKING A MIND CHANGING SUBSTANCE.
I am trying to give up drinking and I think this time I will succeed as I have tingling in my hands and feet, also a burning sensation in my feet which sounds like the nerve damage you have been talking about.
I have MS which always confuses things, but not, I think, this time.
I don’t want to go to my doctor as this will probably mean my family getting involved, and I don’t need that!
Would taking B vitamins help me repair any damage, I have only noticed these problems for about six months?
Please reply.
High dose B vitamins would definitely help repair the nerve damage, but its by no means guaranteed. B6 particularly, but be careful with the dose, as too much can lead to unpleasant flushing type reactions – do some more research though, as I’m not an expert in nutrition.
please help me!!! my precious daughter has lost cognitive abilities due to alcohol. they say she will never regain her short term memory and will have to be in a home forever. is there any treatment or any hope? i don’t think i can stand this pain!
Bonnie-
Is she in a conventional long term care home now? Unless it is a specialized facility the answer is se probably won’t get much real help
Seek out an altenative clinic that greatly emphasizes eating good food as well as providing specialized vitamins, amino acids, minerals, and other chemicals known to rebuild the brain and body. No one can get better without getting their chemical house in order!
Try this facility:
http://www.innerbalancehealthcenter.com/
There are others like in the world; heck, innerbalance would probably have some advice on that. I think they also do some short term residential work.
I have experienced all of the symptoms everyone is talking about. I have been a very heavy drinker for many years. It took me a few rehabs to finally get on track and I can’t say enough about AA…i was against it for awhile but IT DOES WORK! The pins and needles will slowly subside. I especially had them in my feet and it was so painful when simply taking a shower and the water was hitting my feet. I have been sober almost a year now and the pins and needles are completely gone. However, I do still have numbness and twitching on occasion throughout my body, especially in my left hand (as someone else had mentioned.) I am still learning that it is a very slow process in recovery…physically and mentally. I highly recommend taking a vitamin B complex daily along with extra B-1 (thiamin) , B-12, and Folic Acid. This will speed up your physical recovery. I also recommend taking Milk Thistle to clean out and lower your liver enzymes if you are a heavy alcoholic. You will be amazed how effective it is if you get blood work done. Lastly, I take CoQ-10 enzyme which helps your heart and circulation (as well as the nervous system) which will help with numbness. Most importantly….exercise!!! Wake up your body again!!…unless you are in very early recovery, then take it easy at first. You don’t want to overdo it and cause more damage. Ahhh, also drink lots of cranberry pomegranate….this will clean out your kidneys as well as pancreas and liver….hope this helps!
I have been a heavy drinker all my adult life, recently beer and up to 3 bottles of red a night. I started suffering visual problems in my right eye, not blurred or distaughted just a hevy tired feeling with a strange feeling of losing spacial awareness. I also have the pins and needles and the occasional shooting pain in the arches of my feet. I have had a comprehensive eye test and there are no sight probs. Do these symptoms sound familier to anyone?
Interestingly, I began losing vision in my right eye from drinking also. Western Medicine doesn’t make any connections but in Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) the organs are considered to be connected to the senses, so that symptoms affecting the senses may indicate damage to the related organs ie. the eyes connect to the liver, the ears to the kidneys, nose and sinuses to the lungs etc. It makes sense from this model that visual impairment could indicate liver problems since the liver is most affected by excess alcohol consumption. TCM takes it a step further and connects certain emotions to the organs also, so that anger affects the liver, stress and anxiety the kidneys and sadness the lungs. Again, the common passive-aggression of heavy drinkers supports this perspective. To summarize, anything that you do to help cleanse and support the liver should help with the eyes. Of course this whole field is quite complex and someone trained in TCM would be in a better position to evaluate the situation, but it’s food for thought.