Comments on: Abstinence reduces alcohol damage to brain & nervous system

By: Nicky Dee

Nicky Dee — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:25:30 +0000

Hi, I went into AA over 20 years ago and stopped drinking. I felt very fragile mentally and emotionally and hoped I could keep quiet and listen, and hopefully I would get better. I remember being told to take extra sugar in case I was craving sugar as oppossed to alcohol and this could be a triggar! I do remember being advised about b vitamins but considering they cost money I didn’t have, and a trip to the chemist they came after all the cakes and sugar etc. It is now thought that I was vitamin b1 (thiamine) deficient and poring glucose onto a thiamine deficient brain causes nerons to die which is wernicke’s encephalopathy. If not treated adequately this will result in wenicke-korsakoff syndrome (wet brain) and the residule brain damage which is korsakoff syndrome. I’ve shuffled around AA for all these years and frequently visited doctors who have all known about my alcoholism, yet it’s taken all this time to get a scan and it was me know investigated it and I had to see 5 GP’s before I got a referral. I actually feel considering 99% of cases result from alcoholism this ridicules AA! Never did I see one piece of literature about it and all I was told was that I wasn’t ‘working the programe properly’. And as for the medical profession!!! Well, I guess it is generally considered money can be spent on better causes. Bonnie, my symptoms are the same as your daughter’s although I’m better these days, and there is hope – what I gather I’ve rehabilitated myself better than the NHS could!!! Take a look at wernicke-korsakoff syndrome on facebook. And for anybody who feels they’re not getting better in sobriety investigate wernicke-korsakoff and insist on a scan if you think it sounds like you. Most people who develop this are men in their 40s or 50s who are malnourished, homeless and drink around the clock – I was mid 20′s, I worked and I looked healthy! I can happen to anybody…

By: hayley

hayley — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 19:15:14 +0000

im not a heavy drinker what soever but everytime i have my first sip of alcohol both my arms go completely numb for about 20 minutes, should i be worried? i drink about 5 times a month and have never been a heavy drinker. any help would be very much appreciated! thanks

By: Denise

Denise — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 08:06:38 +0000

Hi Carol, You sound exactly like me! I also have MS! or so I was told so in 08. I quit drinking but the pins and needles in my hands and feet drive me crazy! I also have “BAD PAIN” and I also have intense “HEAT INTOLERANCE” Do you have any other symptoms ?

Thanks,
Denise

By: Brett

Brett — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 23:29:58 +0000

One more thing….I’ve had severe pain in both of my “big toes.” That is gout, caused by heavy consumption of alcohol.

By: Brett

Brett — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 23:28:49 +0000

Hi Everyone —
I have been alcoholic since I was 19 years old…I am now 43. Been to 6 rehabs, and still struggling.
I’ve also had the stinging/burning sensations in my feet. I’ve also, which worries me most, had a problem with the steadiness of my hands. My handwriting has completely gone to hell. The more I try to concentrate on writing legibly, the worse it is. I was told 5 years ago, that my drinking had caused permanent (neurological) damage. Don’t know if I believe that because after my 3rd rehab I was sober nearly 3 years and I was fine (since been to 3 more). I think the problem is that, as we age, there are other factors, and it is difficult to discern which came first (chicken or egg).
Either way, to date…I am drinking 2 or three times (in excess) per week. The reason is that I do not want to develop a “physical addiction” which I’ve had before. I’ve been surprised that I am still showing signs of neurological problems….with regard to the unsteady hands, etc.
I hope this helps someone. Feel free to email if you want.
Thanx,
Brett Breckenridge.

By: Samantha Adams

Samantha Adams — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 23:16:54 +0000

Am now in my third year with this disability, starting in both feet pulsating pins and needles but have had all bloods tested and do not have any vitamin deficiency. Also have no numbness. Sensation radiated up both legs and now into vagina aand groin. My GP cannot tell me whether it will spread further which worries me, now been sober for 4 years.

By: michael

michael — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 07:52:01 +0000

hi Mark Mils
Its great you are making the effort to help others.
I have a curly one for you. My sister is in a home and is there because of damage to her central nervous system being compromised through alcohol abuse. Two doctors at the emergency department have confirmed the fact. What i don’t understand is that she can’t walk without losing the control of her limbs, she seems to shake and be unable to control what her limbs are doing and is now fully dependent of a wheelchair. She is at St John of God formerly called Madison which are brilliant at looking after her. She has pills for depression and has been off alcohol for approximately 4 months. when she was on alcohol she had spasums and falls over, ending up in hospital when she was in an apartment.
i will try to help my sister by getting professionals involved through Madison
The question i want to ask you is if my sister has damaged her central nervous through alcohol abuse will it not be logical that she may regain her ability to walk and use her hands to paint again?
what do you think mark?

By: saif

saif — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 11:35:56 +0000

i have a vibration in my head and i have neuropothy, but the vibration was never diagnosed they said its sever anxiety which i dont believe i believe its form alcohol, ive been sober for about 5 months now what can i do to get rid of it . it makes me so sleepy i need to focus . my doc told me i dont need an mri, what should i do what is this vibration “????? and why ar my hand and feet always cold ??????

By: Deseree Blake

Deseree Blake — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 22:41:36 +0000

Food for thought……. slow suicide or – I thought I was delivered from the perils of alcohol, sitting here with tingling feet wondering again where it all went wrong…..again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Had a tuff time from the above message 2009 and back to square one – wondering what life is all about, if not numbing your pain with alcohol then what???????

By: Voden

Voden — Sat, 15 May 2010 05:32:30 +0000

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.