What Are the Long-Term Effects of Alcohol on the Brain?

Drinking heavily for years or decades causes undeniable consequences to our physical and mental health. While it’s widely understood at this point that heavy alcohol consumption can lead to serious liver damage and greatly increase the risk of developing certain cancers, it might not be as known that there are also long-term effects of alcohol on the brain. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol can interfere with how the brain communicates, looks, and works — and that can cause a whole host of real-world problems, such as struggles with memory, speech, judgment, and balance. Let’s explore how the brain is affected by alcohol and how professional treatment from a top alcohol rehab center like WhiteSands Treatment can help you or a loved one avoid or recover from the effects of alcohol on the brain.

Can Alcohol Do Permanent Damage to the Brain?

While drug-related brain damage may be reversible to some extent, there are instances when the damage from alcohol simply can’t be undone. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says adolescent brains are especially vulnerable to the effects of alcohol, which is why they’re more likely to suffer from changes in brain development that can change the brain’s structure and function. Even adults can suffer permanent damage from drinking, such as in cases of alcohol overdose or poisoning when there is too much alcohol in the bloodstream and the basic life-support functions of the brain start to shut down. If someone suffers an alcohol overdose, they can end up with permanent brain damage or die.

Even without an overdose, people who drink heavily for long periods of time and end up addicted to alcohol will suffer from changes to brain function that relate to how they think, feel, and behave. Research shows that some of these brain changes can be improved or even reversed when someone quits drinking, but it’s not clear the extent of such improvements that are possible, and the results will vary from person to person.

Another example of permanent brain damage comes in the form of exposure to alcohol while in the womb. Alcohol-related neurodevelopment disorders happen when the fetus is exposed to alcohol before birth, and the consequences can be devastating as they suffer from changes to cognitive impairment, neurological issues, behavioral issues, and much more.

Does Alcohol Cause Inflammation in the Brain?

One of the many effects of alcohol on the brain is similar to its impact on our bodies overall — inflammation. While it’s long been known that brain inflammation can occur from drinking, the exact cause of this problem and how other bodily systems exacerbate it is a relatively new discovery. For example, a 2010 article in the World Journal of Gastroenterology said the key cause of this inflammation isn’t just about the brain — it actually begins in the stomach. According to the article, the liver helps us manage and prevent the negative effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) formed from the gut microbiome by detoxifying LPS and balancing our system. The central nervous system also plays a role in this process. However, heavy drinking for long periods impairs how our stomachs and livers function as well as the way our different organs and systems interact — and that’s what ultimately causes inflammation and organ damage to the entire body, including the brain.

 

What Brain Disease Is Caused by Alcohol?

Now that you better understand how alcohol affects our bodies, let’s continue exploring the long-term effects of alcohol on the brain — specifically, the main brain diseases that are caused by this substance. The English charity Dementia UK says alcohol-related brain damage happens because of various reasons, including a deficiency of vitamin B1 or thiamine, as well as damage to blood vessels and nerve cells. 

There are three main kinds of alcohol-related brain damage:

• Wernicke’s Encephalopathy: This condition, which can happen suddenly, is marked by problems with movement and balance, including a loss of coordination, disorientation, abnormal eye movements, and confusion.
• Korsakoff’s Syndrome: This tends to happen more gradually, with symptoms like problems with attention and concentration, memory gaps filled in with false information, and struggles with learning new things.
• Alcoholic Dementia: Like other forms of dementia, this can cause personality changes, reduced control of impulses and emotions, difficulty planning or making decisions, and struggles with properly assessing risk.

While Wernicke’s and Korsakoff’s can happen independently, people often have both simultaneously. In that case, it’s known as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.

Can Alcohol Cause Neurological Problems?

There’s no doubt that alcohol can cause neurological problems, including alcohol-related brain damage, as listed above. However, there are also clear mental and emotional side effects of alcohol, such as brain chemical changes that can lead to depression or anxiety or make people who have those mental health conditions more likely to abuse alcohol.

According to Healthline, there are several possible neurological conditions or impacts that can be caused by alcohol beyond drunkenness, including memory loss or blackouts, seizures, headaches, and problems with coordination. This is in addition to other problems like personality changes, difficulty learning new things, and neuropathy (nerve tissue damage).

Avoid the Long-Term Effects of Alcohol on the Brain with Help from WhiteSands

While there are examples of people’s bodies recovering at least partially after long periods of heavy drinking, there are, unfortunately, long-term effects of alcohol on the brain that can be permanent — and that’s why it’s so important to get help as soon as possible if you or a loved one is struggling with addiction. At WhiteSands Treatment’s network of alcohol rehab facilities in Florida, our team of experts can provide medical detox to safely and more comfortably get through alcohol withdrawal, as well as the comprehensive inpatient or outpatient addiction treatment program you need to address the mental and emotional aspects of alcoholism. Take the first step toward the better future that you deserve by calling us at 877-855-3470 today.

External Sources

• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism — Alcohol and the Brain: An Overview
• National Library of Medicine — Alcohol, Inflammation, and Gut-Liver-Brain Interactions in Tissue Damage and Disease Development
• Dementia UK — Alcohol-Related Brain Damage
• Healthline — Alcohol-Related Neurologic Disease

If you or a loved one needs help with abuse and/or treatment, please call the WhiteSands Treatment at (877) 855-3470. Our addiction specialists can assess your recovery needs and help you get the addiction treatment that provides the best chance for your long-term recovery.