EventHorizons

Hi!

While there are so many irritating and frustrating issues when quitting drinking, to me this has to be one of the most perplexing. I get the cravings, I get the depression, etc, but why the French does my computing skills seem to go in the hopper for so long too? Wasn't alcohol supposed to be holding my reasoning skills back?

So I get having the brain fog for a couple of days or maybe even weeks... but I seems like it just goes on and on. I don't (reasonably) miss alcohol at all. Perhaps a smidgen romantically, but this was necessary.

Having said that, with some confidence I could guarantee that with about 2-3 drinks my mind would be sharp as a tack. My self control would begin to plummet, my rational decision making would plummet, my bad uninhibited behaviors would quickly return, but I could find every word in my head, most stored memories, names, dates, and places.

For the life of me, I can't understand this. If our brain is genuinely deficient in something, it wouldn't magically become sufficient from the alcohol. So does something not get made in withdrawal, that gets re-released when drinking. Are there neurotransmitters that get released along with the endorphins and serotonin and whatever else. I'm not a biochemist or neurologist so I have no idea what these are, but it seems to me alcohol either is a key that unlocks something (after it destroyed the old lock mechanism) or maybe it destroyed the level detector or something.

Anyway, I'm with the OP and many others, in terms of frustration with this aspect.

Stupid alcohol...

EH

freshstart57

I know that B vitamins are often recommended for the newly sober. I also am told that we are deficient in vitamin D unless we spend a good portion of our day outside, especially during the winter months. D regulates so many things, it's most important. Zinc may also be insufficient. I prefer to get my vitamins and minerals from food, they taste a lot better that way.

As for fats, I like to get them from a variety of sources, including animal, vegetable (avocado and olive) and nuts too.

As for cognitive exercises, they may be useful, but I don't do any. I do like to pursue a wide variety of interests that require and develop ability and mastery.

Please consult a professional, medical or dietary, before undertaking any supplement program.

Just stick to rule 1, and you will work the rest out I am sure in your own time. All will be well.

wolvesfan

From my recent hospital detox I learned potassium levels are very important. Make sure your levels are in order. Mine were very low. It took almost two full days of supplements to correct mine. My mind leading up this was mush and was having trouble typing.

Apart from that I got the usual B-1 complex and folic acid supplements to take home as well.

ThomPom

Good morning from Berlin,

I just think, that this part of recovery is cruicial for a ater sober functional life for a lot of us, and if only to fulfill our jobs. Of course, at the very beginning of sobriety everyone is likely to focus on not falling back, but in the long run you do not want to miss out on cognitive recovery. Especially in period after your first detox, our body (brains) rebuild.

So, how do you establish a good routine? But there only some information available in user groups and forums, but if you google it, for instance, you find studies that claim, that alcohol depletes DHA levels in brains of alcoholics. Of course its not about DHA, its about best nutritional support, training and life style. I am just plain surprised, that since there are so many recorering alcoholic treatment organizations, institutions, programs, but there is so little proven and solid information on this part.

Thomas

Fluffer

Hi Thomas,

I agree that there is not much available science in this area, so in my opinion it is best to stick to the basics - no alcohol, good nutrition, exercise and mental exertion. I like to listen to foreign language podcasts, and also I read and write difficult technical texts. There are many people with theories about what supplements are best, but most are not scientifically proven and are trying to sell you something.

Dee74

Honestly the best thing for me was time...I saw improvement by 3 months, then 6, then a year...but it took me about 5 years to really feel I was back to where I used to be cognitively speaking..

(That's not meant to scare anyone. I had a difficult and complicated last home detox....but that's my truth. I consider it a great example of how powerful addiction, and then recovery, can be )

D

LastDrinks

I 100% hear you on this EH and have been wondering the same thing.

I think that Alcohol being a depressant lowers our brainwave frequency. If like me you are often anxious, stressed, thinking a lot, can't switch off, having a few drinks will take you from a high beta level down to lower beta/alpha brainwave levels which are more conducive to focused concentrative thought.

Our conscious mind can also only handle maximum 5-6 thoughts at one time before it gets confused and implodes, so I believe drinking helps minimise multiple thoughts allowing a more effective conduit between the subconscious/creative/memory-storing side of our brain to the conscious part responsible for our awareness and actions etc. hence why after a few drinks some of us find it easier to recall, retain and communicate.

But the problem is that the more we drink the more the conscious mind switches off and after enough we hit that autopilot zone where we don't know what we are consciously doing, and eventually blackout at that critical point.

Pathlesssodden

Great question, thanks. 6 months in, I am finding cognitive ability improving especially in areas like music, logic, wordplay - this can create a feeling almost of rebirth at times.

The flip side is the removal of the 'not giving a monkeys/bravado' which comes with alcohol means I'm painfully aware of slip ups and need to spend a lot of time 'letting stuff go'

ThomPom

We surely all agree on not expecting a fancy magic pill to help us, but as freshstart57 and fluffer said: Stick to the basics; In doubt, see you doctor. As pathlessodden an others said, it took him earliest 3month too see any improvement, to recover it may take year(s). How to speed up this one?

I’ve read some stuff and like to pick up your thoughts, putting it into a protocol, that I (again I, yours may be very different) will engage in:

1) Nutritional support. I will eat a high quality, well balanced diet with no hard calories restriction to nourish ma body and brain. It will contain two daily shakes of fresh fruit and a small portion of a good protein powder supplement. Cut down on sugars.

2) Supplements / Brain fats. With the shakes, two times daily: Fish Oil, Lecithin, Vitamin B 50 Complex, 3 Grams of Glutamin (you might want to google Roger J. Williams, Ph.D., alcohol recovery)

3) To train my focus and brain waves. 1 to 2 times daily meditation as a simple relaxation response as describes by Herbert Benson. I added this after reading LastDrinks post, which makes sense.

4) Activating your body. As often as possible (4 x a week) running for about 30 Minutes just to activate bodily functions. I will also do some balance board sessions a week to improve coordination

5) 3,5 Ltrs (about 1 Gallon) of Water a day


6) Training memory. Keeping a daily journal about what I did this day (basically a calender), written in the evening or next morning. This is not about dealing with emotions, just to improve my memory on my own doing. Then every morning, I will try to remember (in detail) what I did these last days (and then, if needed, look it up). I picked this tool up anywhere on the net (I cant remember where, hmmm) and found it interesting enough to give it a try.

Besides I engage my brain at my daily business and will try to add some “awareness” to that.


Please feel free to add thoughts or comments or experience or even your protocol. I think this might help a lot of us at our daily lifes.

Thomas

EventHorizons

Wow lastdrinks, talk about hitting the nail squarely on the head. This is very much what it's like for me. There are so many trains of thought going through my head at once it feels like grand central station there. And if I try to focus on one, the noise of the other trains begins to drown it out. Alcohol does so many crapping things, but for the first couple I could stop and focus on one train.

I think that the noisy train schedule was what allowed me to he a fairly creative person, and the alcohol allowed me to slow that schedule and catch one of those trains. Unfortunately, I'd drink until all the trains stopped, and I just stopped. I think it's why so many artists have substance abuse problems.

Anyway, I'll have to learn new ways. Right now all the trains are ignoring the station's speed limits, crashing into one another, or I'm missing the important ones, and possibly imagining tiny passenger trains to be great churning locomotives, when really they are pretty inconsequential.

Hopefully, with time it will settle back down.

Thanks for the post lastdrinks!

EH

LastDrinks

No worries EH trust me I know exactly how you feel.

I find binaural beat or isochronic music is helpful at the moment. There are heaps of free sessions on YouTube - maybe search for 'Studying' or ''Learning' binaural beats and find one that works best for you to listen to while you are awake and need to focus, and search for 'Delta' or 'Sleep' binaural beats when you need to sleep.

BrendaChenowyth

Oh yes. In the past month, I have gotten my brain back. I love it. lol

Soberpotamus

Brown noise seems to be helpful for me when reading or falling asleep.

Soberpotamus

I took B vitamins, D, and some other supplements very early on but couldn't say if they helped or not. I took them as a precaution.

Exercise absolutely helped me. Scientific evidence for it as well. Not so much for the supplements.

As Dee mentioned, time has helped more than anything. One thing I experienced the first couple of years, which was upsetting to me, was a struggle to find words. And for me, that seemed devastating. I actually would struggle in normal, everyday conversation to name common objects such as chair, broom, cup, mop, dog, cat. It bothered me so much that I'd damaged myself, truly damaged my brain. But I want to say that this has gotten way better with time. Additionally, and surprisingly, words I knew years ago (and had not used in a while) seemed to come to me from out of nowhere at the perfect moment. My vocabulary wasn't lost. It was just hidden in there, in the recesses of the brain.

So, take heart that in time things will get better. You can make sure to hydrate, sleep, exercise, and eat a balanced diet. The B vitamins seem to be a good idea, but of course, any supplement should be taken cautiously and probably with a doctor's approval.

Note: I am 3.5 years sober.

PennyLane76

Almost 60 days here. I forget words, names, am slow when reacting. I have always been a bit absent minded as far as forgetting where I left things but now it's ridiculous. I am trying to be patient as it seems a common thing and starts.to improve at about 90 days and more. That's what some stay here and I'm sticking with that.

I really would like to know the science behind this too EH. I understand increased anxiety as alcohol numbed us, same with insomnia and roller-coaster emotions. Which neurotransmitter is in play here?

Hmmmmmm

Aellyce

I experienced quick improvement in my cognition after getting sober (twice) but there can be fluctuations due to physiological factors, stress level, emotional challenges, how satisfied I am with my life, the weather and whatnot. For me the best thing to keep it up is to live a relatively balanced life in a holistic way rather than rely on singular factors. But if there are specific elements that stand out and can be addressed, it is worth a go. I find that restful sleep and a good diet is important and so is doing things I enjoy and find engaging. I also find that a certain level of diversity helps because when my life becomes too homogeneous and repetitive, I tend to become obsessive and grasp onto things too much and that interferes with my concentration. I am also anxiety-prone and that can interfere with attention, realistic view and problem solving ability so it's good to keep an eye on that.

Behappy1

Does anyone have any recommendation for binaural beats (brain therapy) apps or you tubes? I firmly believe the brain connection with alcohol.

Aellyce

I used Brain Sync in the past and like many of their tunes. I heard musicians who used binaural beats say that many those that are available on youtube etc are not as effective because they lack the resolution and richness original tunes have but not sure how valid this is.

Optimini

Thank you for this topic. I felt I really improved for a few weeks, and the last couple of weeks have been feeling very fuzzy, more difficultly typing and not as sharp. I figured it was a phase and possibly some allergies getting kicked up - but it's good to know I can look to the future for more improvements,

LastDrinks

It depends on the type. Brain sync, holosync and all those fancy ones can use binaurals, White/pink/brown noise music, sometimes subliminal messages etc so a compressed YouTube version of those may not be as good as it may cut out some of the inaudible frequencies and lower the sampling rate.

However personally I just prefer plain old binaural beats which are just 2 sine waves and maybe a bit of music thrown in for good measure which YouTube's compression has absolutely no effect on their effectiveness. Everyone is different but and it pays to try out a few type to see which works best for you.

Here is one example of a study/learning one, there are heaps for free if you search on YouTube.
https://youtu.be/oTuEvnfgQcY

I also find downtempo electronic music like early Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada soothes me and helps focus when I need to learn, as does classical music.

Mind you there have been many times in the last couple of weeks quitting where none of this has made a difference, but using them has still allowed me to output some work during the process.