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Alcoholism Affects Mental Health

memory
by jef safi

Is it that alcoholism affects mental health or mental health creates alcoholism or both? It is both possibly but I don't think that you have to have mental health issues to be an alcoholic but sometimes alcoholics do have mental health problems.

One thing that is pretty well scientifically proven is that consistent heavy drinking affects health generally and also mental health. And at the moment I have real concerns for Jane because she seems to be suffering from memory loss and more...

I won't and can't go into detail obviously but it seems that alcoholics binge on and on without seeing health problems for years. OK, their lives are messed up but health can seem, sometimes, to remain intact until one day after it has crept up on them, ill health suddenly becomes apparent. And it is a bit of a shock. I have always thought that ethanol alcohol gradually breaks down the body. Think of George Best the footballer. At the end his body simply gave up.

The signs of memory loss, I think, can be slurred speech or not being able to find the word, even a well used and simple word. Our dictionary of words (in our heads) are part of our memory. If memory fails the power to recall words fails too and the person struggles to find the word, appearing stupid.

Alcoholism damages memory and when the damage is significant the person has signs of what seems like a mild stroke. That is my theory and it didn't come out of a text book so please don't quote it as gospel truth!

Alcoholism affects mental health over time and one day that fact is recognised and it is shocking. Today I am feeling down. I wonder if it is the feeling of doom hanging over the home with Jane's health? Maybe I have this all wrong. Maybe she is just drunk and fooling me again and again? I don't think so though. But I am feeling down. It all seems a bit hopeless tonight. Just found this video after I wrote this. So it is rare...OK.

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Comments

  1. The Recovering Banker25 June 2009 at 16:09

    Alcoholism is itself a major mental health problem. I view it as a localized form of insanity- removing the alcohol should remove the problem. Of course there may be other mental health issues, but in my (amateur) view they would be difficult to identify and treat whilst the alcoholism is still raging.

    Memory loss is a separate issue. Certainly my memory was bad when I was drunk. It can also be bad when I am tired. Note when I was drinking, I was often tired, often only getting 3 hrs sleep a night.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Michael Broad LLB, ARPS25 June 2009 at 22:39

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. andie53129 June 2009 at 13:32

    Have you ever read any of Doug Thorburn's books? You might get some deeper insights.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous29 June 2009 at 15:08

    Thanks Andie, I'll have a look.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous5 July 2010 at 20:13

    I am going to be blunt and you will probably not like this, but I feel you might as well give Jane a gun and bullets. It would be a much quicker death. You're providing a means for her to continue drinking, and enabling her. Thus I feel you are hastening her death. An alcoholic will only stop drinking when the consequences of drinking are worse than the consequences of NOT drinking.

    I think that saying you're staying with Jane because a) you can't be alone and b) you can't find anyone else are actually incredibly selfish reasons to stay and continue to enable her.

    ReplyDelete

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I'd like to hear the experiences of both alcoholics and the victims of alcoholics, please.

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