Alcoholic Dementia

[silvertonne]

Has someone had experience with a family member with this?

My dm, late 50s, is an alcoholic. No idea how much she really drinks but it rules her entire life. She now has alcoholic dementia.

Just last week, I gave her a DVD of a film I thought she would like. She text me yesterday to tell me how her day was going, and she told me she watched a film, and I really should watch it because I would like it… it’s the film on the DVD I gave her …

[Gtsr443]

That's dementia I'm afraid and it only gets worse.
I'm sorry you're having to go through this. It's very very hard.

[PetulaDark]

The only solution is to stop drinking but I’m sure you know that, and the damage may be done already. I have experienced this with a friend, so I know how hard it is. I’m sorry you’re going through it.

[Highfivemum]

Wet brain syndrome. Heartbreaking to see and yes I have experience of it. All I can say is big hugs to you. Alcoholism is an awful disease and really affects everyone around them

[CindersAgain]

Hm, I have a family member who does similar but I just put it down to being drunk out of their mind. Which is horrific anyway.
I didn’t know about alcoholic Alzheimer’s I have to say.

[silvertonne]

Yes. It’s a horrible horrible disease. She’s looking quite skinny. I’ve also noticed she has random bruises and bumps where she must have fallen or knocked herself.

As you say, the way to alleviate it is to stop drinking, but there’s not a hope in hell. We’ve been through all the usual rehab, AA, counselling, detox, hospital stays etc.

[HuntingoftheSnark]

So very sorry to hear this, OP. It's absolutely hideous to experience. Not a family member but I have known people who've dropped out of AA and gone back out there. You always hope that they will have the desire to stop, but equally understand that it can only come from them and, if the desire isn't there, there's nothing much you can do. I really feel for you.

[x2boys]

@CindersAgain

Hm, I have a family member who does similar but I just put it down to being drunk out of their mind. Which is horrific anyway.
I didn’t know about alcoholic Alzheimer’s I have to say.

There are many types of dementia Alzheimer's disease is just one of them
heavy alcohol misuse can lead to, a type called wernicke-Korsakoff,syndrome
All.types of Dementia cause memory loss but there are differences in the way they can present .

[Supersimkin2]

Yes. Very close experience. It’s worse than Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia. A lot worse.

Very under diagnosed.

Stopping drinking probably won’t fix it at this stage. But it will make them live longer and prob improve a few things. Ask away, I know a fair amount.

[GettingStuffed]

TBH if she has dementia the last thing she needs is to live longer. It's a horrible disease, my lovely MiL had Alzheimer's and she would get distressed because she knew she couldn't remember. In the end she wouldn't eat and would only drink if it was put in her hand. She ended up in hospital and died from a combination of dementia and pneumonia.

You need support and Alzheimer's UK ( all dementias) have an active forum where you can get advice from people who've been there.

[Greybeardy]

Does she actually have a diagnosis of dementia? One episode of forgetting a DVD isn't enough to diagnose anything. Alcohol can affect the brain in lots of ways - Wernicke Korsakoff's may be limited/improve to some extent with vitamin replacement along with stopping drinking. Alcoholics are at quite high risk of head injuries though (particularly subdural bleeds) which may present as altered behaviour too. They also get all the same conditions that non-alcoholics get that can affect cognition... it's just that people tend to assume it's the alcohol. If this is all new for her then she needs to see an HCP in real life to consider the possible diagnoses/treatments. HTH.

[NevillesLeftNadger]

Sympathies, OP. A man I know and used to count as a friend is in the 'wet brain' stage of alcoholism. When I knew him in his 20s and early 30s he was so sharp and witty and quick-thinking. Now he's mid-50s and he's pickled his brain to the point where he's slow-witted, repetitive, dull and incapable of thinking except along the same well-worn grooves. He's got about 5 opinions left and he's just a shadow of who he used to be. It's tragic.

[PetulaDark]

@silvertonne

Yes. It’s a horrible horrible disease. She’s looking quite skinny. I’ve also noticed she has random bruises and bumps where she must have fallen or knocked herself.

As you say, the way to alleviate it is to stop drinking, but there’s not a hope in hell. We’ve been through all the usual rehab, AA, counselling, detox, hospital stays etc.

This sounds like her liver is starting to fail and her blood is not clotting properly. Liver failure also causes something called hepatic encephalopathy that has symptoms very similar to dementia. It is treatable, to an extent, but she would have to seek medical advice and stop drinking.