Paulos

You ever think alcoholism and opiate usage can kill so many brain cells that it can bring you closer to Alzheimer's disease? I always feel like I got the mild symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, poor memory, cannot focus too well, and of course depression.

Deckard97

Dr. Drew of Celebrity Rehab did a brain scan on Dennis Rodman and said that the surface of his brain is gone and that alcohol damages all tissues. Thats a good show and Heidi Fleiss is hot.
YouTube - Dr. Drew on Ellen DeGeneres Show - January 21, 2010

canadagrrl

Gosh, I hope not. But you do bring up one of my greatest fears. My mother was a vegetable from dementia by age 68, and dead shortly after her 70th birthday. However, she was somewhere between a moderate and a non-drinker...

penny74

Destroying brain cells by substance abuse certainly won't help..
l am pretty sure of that.

Fubarcdn

This is one of my concerns also.
Both my father and grandmother were heavy drinkers and they both ended up getting Alzheimers in their 80'th year. I hope that if it is true by quitting early I can reverse the effects. I know my memory is much improved since I stopped drinking and whatever is stored in those dead brain cells I prefer not to know anyways.

yeahgr8

For me as a concern it is impossible for me to care any less about whether i will get some sort of disease in later life...for you, if you are that worried about it you should talk to your doctor:-)

least

I googled "alcoholism and alzheimers" and came up with lots of links, this is just one of them.

Researchers study alcohol's link to Alzheimer's -- Hazelden

It would appear there's no definite proof of alcohol abuse leading to alzheimer's, but overuse of alcohol can cause it's own brain damage.

smacked

Alzheimer's disease is only one type of dementia.. Alcohol Dementia is clearly related to chronic alcohol consumption with lots of the same symptoms. Yet another reason to stay sober!

From Wiki:

Alcohol dementia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Groucho

Good point. In way, this is a little like asking whether getting shot can contribute to lead poisoning.