Memory loss, cognitive impairment after years of drinking
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Join Date: Jan 2009
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Memory loss, cognitive impairment after years of drinking
I am wondering who knows about this and what your experiences are, in addition to what you might have read.
I've been drinking for 35 years (with the exception of a couple of years). I used to be a lot smarter. I think I've read that short term memory comes back after one stops drinking, but what of long term memory? Is it just gone in a blur due to years of drinking?
I have an MBA and sat down to read some MBA books this a.m. I don't remember how to do math, accounting, finance stuff, statistics, etc. This distresses me greatly and makes me wonder what on earth kind of job I can look forward to. My brain might be gone.
Anyway, I've read it takes one or two years for the brain to heal, but when I've read this I have assumed this meant for neurotransmitters to balance out. Now I wonder if long term memory and ability to think and retain information comes back? Anyone know? At any rate, I am very interested in your personal experiences in this area. Thanks.
I've been drinking for 35 years (with the exception of a couple of years). I used to be a lot smarter. I think I've read that short term memory comes back after one stops drinking, but what of long term memory? Is it just gone in a blur due to years of drinking?
I have an MBA and sat down to read some MBA books this a.m. I don't remember how to do math, accounting, finance stuff, statistics, etc. This distresses me greatly and makes me wonder what on earth kind of job I can look forward to. My brain might be gone.
Anyway, I've read it takes one or two years for the brain to heal, but when I've read this I have assumed this meant for neurotransmitters to balance out. Now I wonder if long term memory and ability to think and retain information comes back? Anyone know? At any rate, I am very interested in your personal experiences in this area. Thanks.
Last edited by Katie09; 06-14-2009 at 11:11 AM. Reason: change wording
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: KC MO
Posts: 980
Hello Katie
Yea drinking takes it's toll, but let's face it. Youve been drinking 35 years, so it's probably been 30 years since your MBA. Father time takes his toll also.
I used to get excellent grades in spelling, but with my job, I don't have to spell. In the last 10 years with the internet I had to learn to spell all over. I don't blame this on my drinking, I just forgot it. Just something to think about.
Fred
PS I drank for over 30 years before sobering up.
Yea drinking takes it's toll, but let's face it. Youve been drinking 35 years, so it's probably been 30 years since your MBA. Father time takes his toll also.
I used to get excellent grades in spelling, but with my job, I don't have to spell. In the last 10 years with the internet I had to learn to spell all over. I don't blame this on my drinking, I just forgot it. Just something to think about.
Fred
PS I drank for over 30 years before sobering up.
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 7
Hello Katie...
I've had my share of memory problems over the past few years... I drank since I was 18. I can't remember certain events, things that have happened. I find myself thinking a lot where my mind has gone. I can remember the bad things that have happened, but not really much of the good. I used to have trouble going to school because I would get so irritated in class. I didn't care anymore. Somehow I find myself going now and enjoying it. For whatever it's worth. A degree!
I've had my share of memory problems over the past few years... I drank since I was 18. I can't remember certain events, things that have happened. I find myself thinking a lot where my mind has gone. I can remember the bad things that have happened, but not really much of the good. I used to have trouble going to school because I would get so irritated in class. I didn't care anymore. Somehow I find myself going now and enjoying it. For whatever it's worth. A degree!
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,141
Originally Posted by Nevertheless 
Hello Katie
Yea drinking takes it's toll, but let's face it. Youve been drinking 35 years, so it's probably been 30 years since your MBA. Father time takes his toll also.
I used to get excellent grades in spelling, but with my job, I don't have to spell. In the last 10 years with the internet I had to learn to spell all over. I don't blame this on my drinking, I just forgot it. Just something to think about.
Fred
PS I drank for over 30 years before sobering up.
Yea drinking takes it's toll, but let's face it. Youve been drinking 35 years, so it's probably been 30 years since your MBA. Father time takes his toll also.
I used to get excellent grades in spelling, but with my job, I don't have to spell. In the last 10 years with the internet I had to learn to spell all over. I don't blame this on my drinking, I just forgot it. Just something to think about.
Fred
PS I drank for over 30 years before sobering up.
I've found that my spelling (or I'll type hear for here when it's here) has gotten weird. But yeah, age is advancing
But really, what is the alternative?
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,141
Originally Posted by pasithee
Hello Katie...
I've had my share of memory problems over the past few years... I drank since I was 18. I can't remember certain events, things that have happened. I find myself thinking a lot where my mind has gone. I can remember the bad things that have happened, but not really much of the good. I used to have trouble going to school because I would get so irritated in class. I didn't care anymore. Somehow I find myself going now and enjoying it. For whatever it's worth. A degree!
I've had my share of memory problems over the past few years... I drank since I was 18. I can't remember certain events, things that have happened. I find myself thinking a lot where my mind has gone. I can remember the bad things that have happened, but not really much of the good. I used to have trouble going to school because I would get so irritated in class. I didn't care anymore. Somehow I find myself going now and enjoying it. For whatever it's worth. A degree!
Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: uk
Posts: 2,548
Ive posted before on this subject.
And i suffer with it greatly.......to be honest i cant say for definite that the cause was the booze.
although it wouldn't surprise me.....short term my memory is as useful as a chocolate t-pot.
At work i take a pad and pencil everywhere.......things like numbers or small bits of info just fall out my ears......
i try to keep my mind active and use a brain trainer with Nintendo ds....which is suppose to improve my memory........helps me to sleep more like.
years of chronic alcoholism........im lucky really.......i have very little wrong with me.....and even if i did i wouldn't remember it tomorrow....lol...lol
see your doc if it concerns you alot.........i know it can be frustrating....
god be with you.
And i suffer with it greatly.......to be honest i cant say for definite that the cause was the booze.
although it wouldn't surprise me.....short term my memory is as useful as a chocolate t-pot.
At work i take a pad and pencil everywhere.......things like numbers or small bits of info just fall out my ears......
i try to keep my mind active and use a brain trainer with Nintendo ds....which is suppose to improve my memory........helps me to sleep more like.
years of chronic alcoholism........im lucky really.......i have very little wrong with me.....and even if i did i wouldn't remember it tomorrow....lol...lol
see your doc if it concerns you alot.........i know it can be frustrating....
god be with you.
Forward we go...side by side-Rest In Peace
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Serene In Dixie
Posts: 36,740
Hmmm...
Please see if anyone finds this interesting
Alcohol and Brain
I was also a long time drinker. I consider the last
5 years, I drank alcoholically. I finally quit at 52.
Here I am....this year I will be 74.
I cann absolutely tell you that all my peers I've
met at the local Senior Citizens Center have
memory loss. None belong to my AA group either.
If they were ever drinkers...they don't say so.
I also live in Senior Housing ...the 6 neighbors I
know tell me thay were not drinkers. They too
have memory gaps of different sorts.
For me...it's proper names. I used to say
"What's your name again honey" ?
to a guy I brought home after a night of drinking.
Now I say it to the postal clerk.....
In my experience....growing old is the culprit.
I have noticed that skills I no long use.need
have slipped away. I think that is
to make space for new adventures...
I have learned many new things in sobriety
with no problems. And some were complicated.
Now....who was the actress who won the Oscar
for the movie about something... with Bob whatshisname?
Please see if anyone finds this interesting
Alcohol and Brain
I was also a long time drinker. I consider the last
5 years, I drank alcoholically. I finally quit at 52.
Here I am....this year I will be 74.
I cann absolutely tell you that all my peers I've
met at the local Senior Citizens Center have
memory loss. None belong to my AA group either.
If they were ever drinkers...they don't say so.
I also live in Senior Housing ...the 6 neighbors I
know tell me thay were not drinkers. They too
have memory gaps of different sorts.
For me...it's proper names. I used to say
"What's your name again honey" ?
to a guy I brought home after a night of drinking.
Now I say it to the postal clerk.....
In my experience....growing old is the culprit.
I have noticed that skills I no long use.need
have slipped away. I think that is
to make space for new adventures...
I have learned many new things in sobriety
with no problems. And some were complicated.
Now....who was the actress who won the Oscar
for the movie about something... with Bob whatshisname?
where the light is
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 2,763
Wow! Another introverted "alcoholic" with an MBA!
I was a binge/blackout drinker for about 25 years. I think the human body/brain is incredibly resilient - it repairs itself. The stuff I have done to my body and yet I am reasonably healthy & sane.
Here is a link to an article (been posted on SR before) that states:
How We Get Addicted - TIME
As far as retaining what I learned in my MBA, I can't even remember many of the courses let alone what they were about! It really is "use it or lose it". I do some strategic/financial planning in my line of work so those skills are still sharp. The rest? Forget it. I'm sure it would all come back with some "refresher" courses.
Another thing to consider. While I was an active alcoholic and also when I was in early sobriety, my mind was like a hornet's nest - obsessive thinking, fear, guilt, anxiety. There was no room for anything else! Work a strong recovery program, be patient, and you will find that your mind becomes much more peaceful & positive.
I was a binge/blackout drinker for about 25 years. I think the human body/brain is incredibly resilient - it repairs itself. The stuff I have done to my body and yet I am reasonably healthy & sane.
Here is a link to an article (been posted on SR before) that states:
After the subjects had been abstinent a year, Volkow rescanned their brains and found that they had begun to return to their predrug state.
As far as retaining what I learned in my MBA, I can't even remember many of the courses let alone what they were about! It really is "use it or lose it". I do some strategic/financial planning in my line of work so those skills are still sharp. The rest? Forget it. I'm sure it would all come back with some "refresher" courses.
Another thing to consider. While I was an active alcoholic and also when I was in early sobriety, my mind was like a hornet's nest - obsessive thinking, fear, guilt, anxiety. There was no room for anything else! Work a strong recovery program, be patient, and you will find that your mind becomes much more peaceful & positive.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: uk
Posts: 2,548
Originally Posted by gravity
Wow! Another introverted "alcoholic" with an MBA!
I was a binge/blackout drinker for about 25 years. I think the human body/brain is incredibly resilient - it repairs itself. The stuff I have done to my body and yet I am reasonably healthy & sane.
Here is a link to an article (been posted on SR before) that states:
How We Get Addicted - TIME
As far as retaining what I learned in my MBA, I can't even remember many of the courses let alone what they were about! It really is "use it or lose it". I do some strategic/financial planning in my line of work so those skills are still sharp. The rest? Forget it. I'm sure it would all come back with some "refresher" courses.
Another thing to consider. While I was an active alcoholic and also when I was in early sobriety, my mind was like a hornet's nest - obsessive thinking, fear, guilt, anxiety. There was no room for anything else! Work a strong recovery program, be patient, and you will find that your mind becomes much more peaceful & positive.
I was a binge/blackout drinker for about 25 years. I think the human body/brain is incredibly resilient - it repairs itself. The stuff I have done to my body and yet I am reasonably healthy & sane.
Here is a link to an article (been posted on SR before) that states:
How We Get Addicted - TIME
As far as retaining what I learned in my MBA, I can't even remember many of the courses let alone what they were about! It really is "use it or lose it". I do some strategic/financial planning in my line of work so those skills are still sharp. The rest? Forget it. I'm sure it would all come back with some "refresher" courses.
Another thing to consider. While I was an active alcoholic and also when I was in early sobriety, my mind was like a hornet's nest - obsessive thinking, fear, guilt, anxiety. There was no room for anything else! Work a strong recovery program, be patient, and you will find that your mind becomes much more peaceful & positive.
great so now ive got nothing to blame......i really am a old man.
next your gonna try and tell me that the grey bits in my stubble has got nothing to do with drinking.......come on..
ive also managed to "forget" the year i was born......must be the booze.
lol...lol...lol.........................trucker
Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 27
You are spot on, it really hammers your brain. As for "recovery", I personally think there's a bit of a "gray" excuse the pun area there. Everyone experiences some degree of age-related decline & atrophy + alcohol's contribution. I agree with useitorloseit, but think the most significant factor is that alcohol becomes such a central part of the existence that other things fade in importance.
Good news is what you forgot, should be much easier to learn the second time! (Speaking from experience)......
Good news is what you forgot, should be much easier to learn the second time! (Speaking from experience)......
same planet...different world
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Butte, America
Posts: 10,946
Katie -
I've seen a loss of capacity, especially if I get stressed or flustered.
I was the PAWS posterchild here on SR when I first got sober.
IT's going to be three years for me this august
and some of the ability has returned.
I'm talking short term memory.
Long term wasn't so bad.
Every time I move
it takes me a MONTH to learn my new phone number....
by that time -
I'm about tomove again...
I don't have any kind of job potential that
they're gonna call me in the middle of the night
to talk down the Space Shuttle
or rush to the hospital to perform
emergency brain surgery
or anything...
it does get annoying, but mostly when I'm still in that
stressed or out of balanced place.
I've seen a loss of capacity, especially if I get stressed or flustered.
I was the PAWS posterchild here on SR when I first got sober.
IT's going to be three years for me this august
and some of the ability has returned.
I'm talking short term memory.
Long term wasn't so bad.
Every time I move
it takes me a MONTH to learn my new phone number....
by that time -
I'm about tomove again...
I don't have any kind of job potential that
they're gonna call me in the middle of the night
to talk down the Space Shuttle
or rush to the hospital to perform
emergency brain surgery
or anything...
it does get annoying, but mostly when I'm still in that
stressed or out of balanced place.
mergirl
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Paradise
Posts: 4,161
Originally Posted by CarolD
Hmmm...
For me...it's proper names. I used to say
"What's your name again honey" ?
to a guy I brought home after a night of drinking.
Now I say it to the postal clerk.....
For me...it's proper names. I used to say
"What's your name again honey" ?
to a guy I brought home after a night of drinking.
Now I say it to the postal clerk.....
Originally Posted by CarolD
In my experience....growing old is the culprit.
I have noticed that skills I no long use.need
have slipped away. I think that is
to make space for new adventures...
I have learned many new things in sobriety
with no problems. And some were complicated.
I have noticed that skills I no long use.need
have slipped away. I think that is
to make space for new adventures...
I have learned many new things in sobriety
with no problems. And some were complicated.
I call it "brain dumping" I figure I only have so many memory cells alive after so many years of drug and alcohol abuse, so I have to dump old stuff to make room for the new.
:ghug2
Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 59
I have a bad memory!!! I feel like I don't have any visual memory or atleast it isn't very good. I just can't always picture in my brain things that I feel I should be able to. So, if I misplace something, I have to phyiscally look for it! Plus there is alot of life that I dont remember....but I wasn't always on this planet so I guess how I could I remember it. Alot I don't want to remember....
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,141
Originally Posted by Phaleron
My memory is coming back after 7 months of sobriety. I could feel it slipping away while I drank. I was a heavy drinker for 12 years.
On thinking twice, with regards to choice, yes I do. I can give in and die an alcoholic death.
You would LOVE my therapist. We had a one on one for 2 hours and 45 minutes tonight - all to myself. He has an M.A. in religious studies, so much of our conversation is around Eastern philosophy. I still have to process it. Suffice to say...suspend judgment and all options are on the table. No, he is not in favor of black and white thinking. Once he is done with his clinical supervision, this guy is going to be the BEST therapist ever. I really like him.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,064
I am in my 40's and I can't remember anything that I don't use daily. I don't think it's addiction either. My addiction only lasted 5 years. I think it's age. I think we are bombed with so much information in this "digital" age that we dump what we don't need. I also have a ms degree and I was worried it was related to pill taking.
I don't really think it is. I think in my case having an alzheimer parent and my propensity for drinking diet cokes out of aluminum is as much a reason as anything.
I have started doing crosswords and things to keep me sharp.
Hang in there Katie. I don't want to think we are all pickled yet. Most of it is age.
I don't really think it is. I think in my case having an alzheimer parent and my propensity for drinking diet cokes out of aluminum is as much a reason as anything.
I have started doing crosswords and things to keep me sharp.
Hang in there Katie. I don't want to think we are all pickled yet. Most of it is age.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,141
Originally Posted by meditation
I am in my 40's and I can't remember anything that I don't use daily. I don't think it's addiction either. My addiction only lasted 5 years. I think it's age. I think we are bombed with so much information in this "digital" age that we dump what we don't need. I also have a ms degree and I was worried it was related to pill taking.
I don't really think it is. I think in my case having an alzheimer parent and my propensity for drinking diet cokes out of aluminum is as much a reason as anything.
I have started doing crosswords and things to keep me sharp.
Hang in there Katie. I don't want to think we are all pickled yet. Most of it is age.
I don't really think it is. I think in my case having an alzheimer parent and my propensity for drinking diet cokes out of aluminum is as much a reason as anything.
I have started doing crosswords and things to keep me sharp.
Hang in there Katie. I don't want to think we are all pickled yet. Most of it is age.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Dallas, Tx
Posts: 2,405
I drank heavily for about 30 years and I always said I drank to forget things that had gone on in my childhood, funny thing though I never could forget what I wanted to forget but I forgot everything else. I have no memory of my life up to my 30s other than a few fragments and the bad stuff that happened throughout my childhood. I went to college in the 70s I have a piece of paper to proove it, but other than 1 memory of a government course I don't remember a thing. In the nearly 2 years that I've been sober a lot of my memory of the 80s and 90s has come back and my short term memory has improved drastically.
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