The Effects of Alcohol on the Nervous System

More than two drinks per day causes toxicity to most organs, including the central nervous system, according to “Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine.” Some people who drink alcohol may experience stimulation initially. However, with continued drinking, alcohol depresses the central nervous system. Alcohol lowers inhibitions and affects thoughts, emotions and judgment.

Mental Status

Excessive alcohol consumption causes disordered thinking, dementia and short-term memory loss. According to “Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine,” approximately 35 percent of drinkers may have a blackout, or temporarily forget what occurred while drinking. Alcoholics can experience memory impairment for months after a binge.

Peripheral Neuropathy

According to “Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine,” 5 to 15 percent of alcoholics experience peripheral neuropathy most pronounced in the hands and feet. Manifestations include numbness, tingling and a cold sensation in the limbs.

Gait

According to “Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine,” approximately 1 percent of alcoholics develop degeneration of the back part of the brain, or cerebellum, which produces a slow, halting, irregular, wide-based gait.

Encephalopathy

According to “Davidson’s Principles and Practice of Medicine,” alcohol can cause Wernicke’s encephalopathy due to thiamine deficiency. This condition has the following cardinal features involving the eyes: paralysis of eye muscles; impairment of the pupillary reflexes, or involuntary blinking of an eye after touching the cornea; and nystagmus, or involuntary oscillations of one or both eyes. It also includes disorientaion, delusions and abnormal behavior called Korsakoff’s psychosis.

Increased Size of Brain Ventricles

According to “Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine,” alcoholism can produce changes in the brain seen on imaging studies such as computerized axial tomography, or CAT, scans. These changes, seen in more than half of alcoholics, include increase in the size of the brain ventricles, of which there are four that communicate with the spinal cord and that are filled with cerebrospinal fluid and sulci, or narrow fissures. These changes are often reversible after one year of abstinence from alcohol.
Your approach to quitting alcohol is not going to be exactly the same as the next person. However, there are many things you can do to find yourself on the right path to a better life in the near future. Once you are alcohol free you can really begin to enjoy your life!