Alcoholic dementia is a major neurocognitive disorder that can result from excessive drinking over many years. Though it may not be as well-known as other cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, alcoholic dementia is actually the third most common cause of cognitive degeneration among the elderly.
Symptoms of alcoholic dementia include:
- Short-term memory loss or difficulty remembering things that happened in the immediate past
- Getting lost
- Communication difficulties like rambling or repetitive speaking or inability to follow a conversation
- Noticeable changes in personality
- Inability to recognize people or identify familiar faces
Because many of these symptoms are also common to Korsakoff’s Syndrome, Wernicke’s Syndrome, and Alzheimer’s disease, alcoholic dementia can be difficult to properly diagnose.
Alcoholic dementia is caused by the damage to nerve cells in the brain that can result from excessive alcohol consumption in a short time period. Alcohol addiction is characterized by a tolerance to the substance and people addicted to alcohol are more likely to increase their alcohol consumption as a result of this tolerance, putting them at a higher risk of suffering from alcoholic dementia. If you are worried about your drinking or the drinking of a loved one, you should seek the counsel of a certified addiction specialist right away.
At the Asana Recovery Center, we offer a supervised detoxification and residential treatment program in a supportive, relaxing, and inspiring environment. Call us at (949) 438-4504 to learn more about our motivational facilities and find out whether our comprehensive drug and alcohol addiction treatment program may be the right fit for you.
