Posted by Ilene on November 11, 2003, at 18:11:04
In reply to Binge drinking: brain damage?, posted by Adam Donahue on November 10, 2003, at 18:22:38
> I'm currently on 40 mg Celexa, for three years (which has worked wonders), and have recently been diagnosed with bipolar, which may be contributing to my 'need' to go drink, even though when it happens I inevitably drink to excess.
>
> Aside from the obvious alcohol problem -- which I'm just now realizing is a problem and trying to get under control -- I am worried about having permanently damaged my brain from these binge drinking episodes. Is there any literature on whether this type of behavior causes long-lasting, permanent damage. I mean, Friday I felt great -- drank too much, and now I'm paranoid again. Is is possible to go from one extreme to another over one bout of binge drinking, or is this numbness simply the depression again? If I were never to drink again (a tough but necessary goal), will I be a become a vegetable from any damage already done? Can you tell I'm freaking out from this!?
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> ... curious about the long-term effects of what I might have done, and if any of it is reversible.
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> Adam
Yes. Alcohol can cause brain damage, but your symptoms may be from untreated bipolar disorder (which can also alter brain anatomy). Substance abuse and mood disorders go hand in hand.I don't know how long it takes to kill enough brain cells to affect you, but it's probably quite a bit over many years. You are obviously not a vegetable. The fact that you are worrying about it, instead of heading to the liquor store, means that there's a brain left to worry with.
Your brain can heal itself, but the damage can appear to be worse at first:
"Cognitive impairment is usually most severe during the first weeks of abstinence, perhaps making it difficult for some alcoholics to benefit from educational and skill-development sessions, which are important components of many treatment programs (22,23). For example, one study found that alcoholics tested soon after entering treatment were unable to recall treatment-related information presented in a film they had just been shown (4). As time goes by and cognitive function improves, however, patients may make better use of information presented to them in individual and group therapy, educational programs, and 12-step programs."
From "Alcoholism" on About.com
http://alcoholism.about.com/library/blnaa53.htmThere's evidence anti-oxidants can reverse damage caused by alcohol, also.
I feel brain-damaged even though I hardly drink. I don't know if it's from life-long depression or 15 years of psychotropic drugs.
I suspect that alchohol is a very "dirty" AD for many people (not me). It makes you feel better, so you drink more, but then you get a rebound effect that was worse than the initial depression, because it's depleted whatever neurotransmitter(s) were already in short supply. Or something like that.
Ilene
poster:Ilene
thread:278333
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031111/msgs/278717.html