Wet brain, known medically as Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome is a brain disorder caused by an acute or chronic deficiency of Thiamine (vitamin B1). Though this condition can be found among those suffering from malnutrition, it is more commonly found among long-term heavy drinkers, hence the name “wet brain”.
How Chronic Alcohol Abuse Leads to Wet Brain
To understand wet brain syndrome, you need to understand the role thiamine plays in the body. This essential vitamin is required for nearly all normal body functions. Every cell in the body requires thiamine to convert food into energy, including in the nerves, heart, and brain.
It also assists the body to break down carbohydrates and process fats and proteins. Since the body can’t produce thiamine, you have to get it from your diet. It’s abundant in most foods including eggs, chicken, beef, leafy greens, and whole grains and healthy adults taking a balanced diet are unlikely to experience a thiamine deficiency.
However, chronic alcohol consumption can cause a vitamin B1 deficiency for several reasons. For one thing, chronic heavy drinkers aren’t known to take a balanced diet and instead drink their calories, easily leading to a deficiency.
Additionally, long-term heavy alcohol consumption can decrease the amount of thiamine absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract. This happens as heavy drinking causes inflammation or makes it difficult for the body to absorb thiamine and effectively use it in the cells.
A thiamine deficiency means that the brain doesn’t process glucose, denying it the energy it needs to function. Over time, this leads to the serious neurological symptoms that are characteristic of wet brain syndrome.
Wernicke-Korsakoff comprises two conditions:
Wernicke’s encephalopathy
This is a severe and temporary condition characterized by confusion, vision changes e.g. double vision, loss of muscular coordination (ataxia), and abnormal eye movements.
Korsakoff’s psychosis
This is a persistent chronic condition that follows Wernicke’s encephalopathy and is characterized by the inability to form new memories, severe memory loss, and auditory and visual hallucinations.
The good news is that wet brain is a treatable condition and the symptoms can be reversed if caught early enough. The rate of recovery from Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome depends on how early the individual starts treatment, the severity of the symptoms as well as the treatment received.
If left untreated, the confusion, impaired memory, and muscle coordination can become permanent and the condition can lead to a coma and eventually, death.
Treatment for Alcohol Addiction
The best way to prevent wet brain or reverse the symptoms is to seek alcohol addiction treatment early enough. At the Robert Alexander Recovery Center in Kentucky, we provide a range of addiction treatment programs aimed at helping those struggling with alcoholism.
This includes our medical detox program, the intensive outpatient program, and the outpatient program. We also offer family therapy to help families affected by alcohol addiction to rebuild their relationships.
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Contact us today and let us help you break free from addiction.