Posted by Larry Hoover on March 25, 2005, at 10:35:02
In reply to Alcohol and its dangers, posted by AMD on March 24, 2005, at 13:07:19
> Folks,
>
> Is there any reliable literature out there on the effects of short- and long-term alcohol consumption on cognition. Will a week's worth of drinking cause damage, or does it take years and years of heavy drinking? What is the etiology of the damage? The alcohol itself, vitamin deficiency, something else? Finally, is this damage reversible, and is there a quantitative way to measure it?Acute vs. chronic.
I lived for years with alcohol as a daily part of my life. I averaged (close to) 12 beers a day on days I went to work. 24 on days I was home. I went without sleep at the end of long workdays, to get my quota of beer before I went to bed.
I am now sober nearly eight years. I had a brief relapse, trying to deal with side effects of SSRI medication (insomnia), or I'd be sober about 15 years. 12 steps saved my posterior.
Chronic excessive alcohol consumption places extraordinay nutrient stress on the body, but it is also associated with poor diet. This leads to malnutrition, particularly in terms of zinc, and thiamine. This may lead to enchephalopathies like Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.
Acute alcohol intoxication is very disturbing to the brain. There is evidence that every known neurotransmitter is affected by alcohol. It disturbs each and every one that we know of.
Individual differences, and also experience with drinking itself, lead to differences in post-intoxication effects. It's important to recognize the "individual differences" bit. What does alcohol do to YOU?
> I ask because I seem to have a horrible response to alcohol these days -- it zaps my memory and brings me down for a couple weeks into a cloudy, unorganized, unmotivated funk. And I think -- is this the alcohol, or is it a side-effect of the alcohol's interaction with my psychopharmacological medication? I have had, maybe, 24 nights out drinking in the past two years.
And other substances. Alcohol is a potent disinhibitor. It may provide a fertile ground for a cascade of behaviours which might otherwise not have been initiated.
> I guess I just want to see if my having a casual drink or two (or three) now and then if I'm committing intellectual suicide. Are truly successful, smart people all non-drinkers?Individual differences. Think individual differences.
> Any medicines to offset any possible damage?
>
> Thanks,
>
> amdVitamins. Nutrition.
I got started in my search for nutritional/supplemental interventions due to my interest in the adverse effects of chronic alcohol consumption. Dark clouds have silver linings.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:474989
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050322/msgs/475371.html