Living with or caring for someone experiencing alcohol-related brain damage can be challenging. Professional caregivers, therapists, and community support services can provide resources to manage daily tasks, maintain a structured routine, and improve quality can alcoholism cause dementia of life. Family and friends may also benefit from counseling or support groups to cope with the emotional toll of a loved one’s condition. Diagnosing alcohol-related “dementia” typically involves a comprehensive assessment. A healthcare provider will review the person’s medical history, alcohol use history, and current symptoms.
Behavioral Therapies
- Some studies have suggested that low to moderate alcohol use might actually reduce dementia risk, while others indicate there are no health benefits to drinking alcohol.
- Such damage can start a series of changes that will allow proteins that cause dementia to assemble near the damaged area of the brain.
- If left untreated, this can progress to Korsakoff’s syndrome, a severe form of alcohol-related dementia.
- However, a 2017 study found that even moderate amounts of alcohol consumption over many years lead to shrinkage of an area of the brain involved in the formation of new memory (the hippocampus).
The sooner you treat alcohol-related dementia, the better your chances of recovery. ARD is a type of cognitive impairment that occurs as a result of heavy alcohol consumption over a long period. But these effects can be slowed — and sometimes reversed — if you stop drinking. Talk to your loved ones, your provider, a support group or a mental health professional. They’ll all help you feel safe, seen and heard while you get used to any changes in your brain and body. You may also have a higher risk of traumatic brain injuries if you have alcohol-related dementia.
- A diagnosis of ARBD in hospital is most likely to be made by a liaison psychiatrist.
- Ideally, a person with ARBD needs specialist care and rehabilitation.
- Medical treatment may help prevent the condition from getting worse.
- However, it’s not really a type of dementia because, more of a brain injury.
- It’s important to know alcohol abuse can cause brain damage leading to dementia.
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In comparison, a person with ARBD can get better what is Oxford House if they are supported to stop drinking. It is caused by a person regularly drinking heavily for several years. In our research, we observed a higher representation of individuals with late-onset alcoholism in the group with dementia, particularly frontotemporal dementia. Some patients presented with alcoholism as the first symptom, preceding other cognitive or behavioral changes.
Greater Boston Outpatient Rehab Center
You may also choose https://ecosoberhouse.com/ to share your diagnosis with supportive family and friends—you don’t have to navigate your condition alone. The age of onset of alcohol-related dementia varies, but it’s often seen in middle-aged adults around 40 to 50 years old. However, it can occur earlier or later depending on the amount of alcohol a person consumes.
