However, many individuals, both in the medical field and out of it, refer to it as Wet Brain. Another, less common used, name for this condition is alcohol dementia. In addition to this biological factor, many alcoholics have lifestyles that can contribute to thiamine deficiency, such as a poor diet lacking in essential nutrients. Not all alcoholics get dementia, however, excessive alcohol consumption can impact the brain and may put a person at a higher risk of developing dementia. Wet brain recovery for alcoholism will include counseling for reframing using thoughts and behavior patterns, teaching healthy coping skills for unwanted feelings and relapse prevention.
Understanding the Importance of Thiamine
So if you’ve ever felt muggy headed, as if you can’t concentrate of focus – perhaps you’ve been forgetful and accident-prone too – then perhaps you’ve experienced brain fog. When Wet brain symptoms are detected, prompt treatment can prevent or delay the progression of the disease. In addition, prompt treatments can also reverse the temporary brain abnormalities. Ever since then, I’ve been trying to get my brain working to the way it did before so I could start living a productive lifestyle, but I’ve been having a lot of trouble regaining my mental focus. I’ve seen some improvement after months of meditation and fixing my daily routine, but my focus is still not coming back to a degree that I want.
How Much Alcohol Causes Alcoholic Dementia?
In order to properly function, the brain needs a certain amount of the vitamin thiamine. A thiamine deficiency essentially robs the brain of energy, because without thiamine the brain cannot process glucose. However, the longer a person goes without getting help for alcohol use and continuing drinking over a long period of time, the higher the risk of severe damage may be. However, once a person is in the end stages of wet brain, or once it has developed into Korsakoff’s psychosis, the damage done to the brain is not reversible. While wet brain syndrome remains a serious condition, there’s reason for hope. With increased awareness, early intervention, and ongoing research, we’re getting better at preventing, diagnosing, and treating this challenging disorder.
What is the Life Expectancy of Someone with Wet Brain?
These conditions reflect immune dysregulation, vascular inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction—each of which impairs the brain’s ability to operate normally. Sleep disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnea, and circadian rhythm disruptions further contribute to chronic cognitive fog. These Alcoholics Anonymous conditions interrupt the restorative processes that the brain relies on to function optimally.
Primary Symptoms
- It’s essential to continue eating foods that are rich in thiamine even after you discontinue thiamine supplements.
- Sneezes, sniffles, swelling, itching…allergy symptoms can make it hard to function, which may impact your mental health.
- Sandstone Care supports teens and young adults with mental health and substance use disorders.
- Processed foods high in sugar and trans fats can cause energy crashes, making the brain feel sluggish.
- Wernicke’s encephalopathy devolves into Korsakoff’s psychosis when wet brain goes undiagnosed and untreated.
With the right support and treatment, people can achieve lasting recovery and improve their quality of life. Alcoholic dementia is a broad term that includes Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome but can also refer to other types of brain damage caused by chronic alcohol use 9. Long-term alcohol consumption can lead to significant cognitive decline, affecting memory, thinking skills, and behavior. If you are suffering from alcohol abuse, it’s important to take the necessary action in order to prevent wet brain symptoms from developing in your life.
When an alcoholic suffers an acute lack of vitamin B1 too rapidly, the onset of Wernicke encephalopathy may be severe enough to demand emergency medical attention. Although these two disorders share similarities involving memory and cognitive problems, people with early to moderate-stage Korsakoff syndrome can still socialize and perform basic daily tasks. It is possible to have a normal conversation with someone with Korsakoff syndrome, but that person will probably not remember the conversation an hour or two later. Your doctor will order tests to check your thiamine levels when attempting to diagnose wet brain. They might also check for signs of alcohol use disorder which is the leading cause of wet brain. A brain MRI to show if there has been any damage to tissues in your brain might be recommended.
- During deep sleep, the brain removes toxins, processes information, and strengthens neural connections.
- You might catch yourself reading the same sentence over and over, or walking into a room and forgetting why you’re there.
- Contact us today to learn how we can help you achieve lasting recovery from alcohol addiction.
- Sleep is fundamental for cognitive restoration and memory consolidation.
- How life with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome continues depends on how severely someone is affected by the disease and wet brain symptoms.
Forgetfulness becomes your middle name, and concentrating feels about as easy as nailing Jell-O to a tree. You might catch yourself reading the same sentence over and over, or walking into a room and forgetting why you’re there. Researchers estimate that Wernicke-Korsakof syndrome is undiagnosed in about 80 percent of patients.
Can Diabetes Kill You? What the Science Says About Late-Stage Complications and Mortality Risk
High levels of cortisol—the primary stress hormone—can impair memory, reduce focus, and shrink brain regions like the hippocampus. Chronic stress also leads to neurotransmitter imbalances and increased inflammation. If you frequently feel https://ecosoberhouse.com/ that your brain is turning to mush during stressful periods, it’s likely due to these physiological changes.
You might hear the dated term “wet what is mush brain brain” used in reference to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. However, the term “wet brain” carries and perpetuates stigma by inaccurately conveying that people willfully contract it. The truth is two people can have similar drinking patterns and one will develop Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome and the other won’t. It’s a complex condition with many factors and, like alcohol use disorder, no one chooses it.
Treatment of Wernicke’s encephalopathy begins with increased intake of thiamine. Doctors will help patients identify a more well-rounded diet of vitamin B1. As we mentioned, 80-90% of patients who do not seek treatment for these symptoms end up developing Karsakoff’s psychosis. These physical changes to the brain can impact other areas of the body as well.
Who Gets Wet Brain?
So, even if individuals eat foods that have nutrients in them, it’s possible that their bodies will have a hard time extracting those vitamins and using them correctly. Glucose, a type of sugar, also increases the likelihood of developing an alcoholic wet brain. Because alcohol is turned into glucose sugar in the body, the risk factors of developing WKS, or wet brain, are increased for long-term alcoholics.