Alcoholic Dementia
What Is Alcoholic Dementia?
Alcoholic dementia refers to the mental and often physical condition of a person who has suffered long term alcoholism. As if the disease of alcoholism weren’t hard enough to deal with, the vitamin deficiencies and effects of alcohol on the brain cells finally catch up to the patient, causing a confusing and detrimental breakdown in his ability to reason, remember, and converse. Oddly, the victim of alcoholic dementia can often still concentrate on rather challenging tasks, and even excel at mind rendering games such as chess. The reasons for this are unknown, though research and preventative measures are in the works even as we speak.
Alcoholic dementia may show itself in a few different ways, the first of which would be confusion. Please note that these dementia effects are present both during alcohol use and during times of sobriety. A victim may recall in great deal an event which happened ten or twenty years ago, but seems unable to account for the goings on over the immediate past in minutes, hours, or even years. Names and their relation to him may also throw him for a loop as he struggles to remember how he even got to where he is. To see these behaviors in a sober person can be quite frightening, so be sure to record each incident in detail for a chance at better diagnosis.
There are also personality changes which will attack the alcoholic dementia sufferer, and he or she may be completely unaware, though at the opposite end of the spectrum being complete alert to his issues but helpless to stop them. Temper spikes are quite common, and those dealing with this condition may also suffer mild to severe paranoia, falling away from trust and into blame and frustration. He may be irritable and insensitive, unable to control the way that he treats others or the reasons behind his nervous anger. Alcoholic dementia can also steal the victim’s motivation, causing the moods and physical activity to spike in temper and then lull to a disconcerting level of complacency.
Problem solving skills are also affected immensely, as alcoholic dementia steals ones ability to complete the simplest of tasks, even things that they have known how to do for years. Details easily escape, so confusion and failure become more and more commonplace where once failure would not have been acceptable. Much like those who suffer more severe cases of dementia, questions may be repeated over again, sometimes like a broken record and in monotone. He may have trouble finding words, and the flow of his conversation is broken and wandering. It is not uncommon for him to become disoriented, and self ignorance begins to take over. Some alcoholic dementia sufferers become hoarders and habitual collectors of things.