Could weekend binges have caused brain damage?
Devoted and Done
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 18
Could weekend binges have caused brain damage?
I'm 19 and I've been binge drinking fairly consistently for about two years, with one large 6 month sobriety gap in there somewhere. Not always blacking out, but getting damn well close to it if not. Probably blacked out somewhere around 20 to 30 times. I've noticed in the last 6 months or so that everything has gotten a little more foggy. I'm less present and not able to focus like I used to. I read slower, forget stuff constantly and have a harder time thinking creatively. My social skills have taken a bit of a dive as I am not as quick on my feet and have a bit harder time thinking of things to say. I used to be a pretty funny person but it seems as if I've just lost the ability to think of funny things to say. It really ****** sucks. I have been thinking that alcohol is causing this but could that much brain damage already occurred with only weekend drinking? Even if I am binge drinking? Can anybody attest to something like this happening to them, or offer me some insight?
Thanks guys
Thanks guys
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,442
It's possible - but like I think I said on another thread of yours - this fogginess is very common for most of us, especially if we've been abusing ourselves a lot and particularly once we quit.
I wasn't a binger by the end, but I was pretty much foggy the last few years I was drinking...and that didn't let up until a couple of months after I quit.
By all means see your Dr if you're concerned though, B33
D
I wasn't a binger by the end, but I was pretty much foggy the last few years I was drinking...and that didn't let up until a couple of months after I quit.
By all means see your Dr if you're concerned though, B33
D
Laozi Old Man
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Detroit, MI
Posts: 6,665
Technically a single drinking session can cause some sort of alcohol poisoning. However, chances are you simply have a foggy brain as a result of your drinking. I found the foggy brain syndrome typically lasted a few weeks after the drinking stopped.
When was the last time you went 30 days or more with zero alcohol/drugs? If you haven't gotten that far, brain damage is not the issue (Yet). Consult a doctor if you are really worried about it.
When was the last time you went 30 days or more with zero alcohol/drugs? If you haven't gotten that far, brain damage is not the issue (Yet). Consult a doctor if you are really worried about it.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 507
Brain damage is definitely possible, especially with binging to the point of blackout so often. Liver damage is also possible. But, like others said, it's probably the lingering effects of the alcohol itself. Binging to the point of blackout or almost blackout takes a huge toll on your body, including your brain. I wouldn't be surprised if it took all week to feel "recovered". Repeated over and over, your body and brain don't have a chance to feel normal.
I agree with Boleo. Give it a rest for 30 days. See how you feel. No more fuzzy brain? Funny again? You'll have your answer. But go see your doctor if you're really concerned. BE HONEST about your drinking if you do. It won't help at all if you pretend alcohol could not possibly be the problem.
Finally, please really take a look at your drinking pattern. Blacking out 20-30 times at the age of 19 is pretty dramatic. Not only is it dangerous from a personal safety standpoint (you'll find some pretty scary posts here with others experiences), any further progression and you'll find yourself in the emergency room or worse.
Good luck! Keep us posted!
I agree with Boleo. Give it a rest for 30 days. See how you feel. No more fuzzy brain? Funny again? You'll have your answer. But go see your doctor if you're really concerned. BE HONEST about your drinking if you do. It won't help at all if you pretend alcohol could not possibly be the problem.
Finally, please really take a look at your drinking pattern. Blacking out 20-30 times at the age of 19 is pretty dramatic. Not only is it dangerous from a personal safety standpoint (you'll find some pretty scary posts here with others experiences), any further progression and you'll find yourself in the emergency room or worse.
Good luck! Keep us posted!
Forward we go...side by side-Rest In Peace
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Serene In Dixie
Posts: 36,740
When I quit drinking....the blackouts stopped immediately..
The rest took about 2 months of AA recovery to get sorted out.
There is nothing I can think of that is enhanced by alcohol.
Welcome..
The rest took about 2 months of AA recovery to get sorted out.
There is nothing I can think of that is enhanced by alcohol.
Welcome..
1000 Post Club
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Midwest USA
Posts: 2,284
Yes it is possible. I believe that when we blackout from drinking we are doing serious damage to our brains. I have over 1year of sobriety minus a day and still "in a fog". But I also abused alcohol in household type items & a Dr. thinks this contributed to my fogginess.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 507
Originally Posted by justhadenough 
I've just started a new job and my brain isn't working anywhere near the level it used to, I don't know if it is damage,or as others have said,fogginess in early sobriety. It's very worrying
Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 5
Getting drunk is brain damage. 
As for permanent brain damage, well, the answer is probably no.
Right, that said... Alcohol does kill brain cells but they grow back; in the meantime however, you can expect to feel a little, uh, dumb.
Oh, and let us not forget that Alcohol depletes vitamins (especially those critical to brain and nerve functions), lowers Testosterone (which shouldn't be a huge deal at your age.) and is a diuretic.
Constantly depriving one's brain of critical nutrients and especially water is not going to end with positive results.
P.S - The damage is only temporary for a period of time, once you pass a certain line of cell damage the results are permanent.
As for permanent brain damage, well, the answer is probably no.
Right, that said... Alcohol does kill brain cells but they grow back; in the meantime however, you can expect to feel a little, uh, dumb.
Oh, and let us not forget that Alcohol depletes vitamins (especially those critical to brain and nerve functions), lowers Testosterone (which shouldn't be a huge deal at your age.) and is a diuretic.
Constantly depriving one's brain of critical nutrients and especially water is not going to end with positive results.
P.S - The damage is only temporary for a period of time, once you pass a certain line of cell damage the results are permanent.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 14
That's a bit of a myth these days. They DO grow back and make new connections as well, but you have to, like, um, NOT soak the cells in poison to accomplish this.
Look up "brain cells do grow back" on google, and the 3rd link down has an article on alcohol and the brain learning to re-function. Sry, can't direct link to it since my account is too young.
Look up "brain cells do grow back" on google, and the 3rd link down has an article on alcohol and the brain learning to re-function. Sry, can't direct link to it since my account is too young.
Guest
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 13
My brother-in-law, now passed way from a self inflicted .22, may well be an example of this.
When he shot himself, the neurosurgeon explained that the bullet had, essentially, bounced around inside his skull, causing extensive brain trauma. This injury caused his brain to swell, and would have caused a more rapid death had his brain already not atrophied from decades of excessive drinking and drug abuse... or so it was explained/ hypothesized
I think about this a lot.
I used to joke that any brain damage I'd caused myself was just eliminating excess (as I used to hear that we only use about 10%), honing my brain down to a high powered nub...
I somehow don't find that funny anymore...
But I never have quit. I go about 3 days, or sometimes a week, with no cravings at all, and then I might drink half a fifth in one evening... If I'm deliberately partying, it could be more... And I won't get the craving for alcohol until the cocktail hour, or at the end of the day.
Well, there it is. I would think the neurosurgeon had no interest in lying to me...
When he shot himself, the neurosurgeon explained that the bullet had, essentially, bounced around inside his skull, causing extensive brain trauma. This injury caused his brain to swell, and would have caused a more rapid death had his brain already not atrophied from decades of excessive drinking and drug abuse... or so it was explained/ hypothesized
I think about this a lot.
I used to joke that any brain damage I'd caused myself was just eliminating excess (as I used to hear that we only use about 10%), honing my brain down to a high powered nub...
I somehow don't find that funny anymore...
But I never have quit. I go about 3 days, or sometimes a week, with no cravings at all, and then I might drink half a fifth in one evening... If I'm deliberately partying, it could be more... And I won't get the craving for alcohol until the cocktail hour, or at the end of the day.
Well, there it is. I would think the neurosurgeon had no interest in lying to me...
Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: OC, California
Posts: 2
I would say yes based on what happened to my brother, a "functional" alcoholic who drank on average a six-pack of beer a night. On weekends he would overdo it and black out a lot. His wife told me that he would not remember these black out episodes.
He did this for several years. During the past two years or so, everyone noticed problems appearing. He seemed to slow down, his judgement became poorer, and his work took much longer and was not as neat. Another thing I noticed a lot was him repeating stories to me when we spoke on the phone. Sometimes in the same conversation he'd tell me the same thing, or tell it again to me the next day. He had no idea he was doing this.
Unfortunately this happened so slowly and gradually that nobody thought to point the finger, blaming instead his hectic schedule or personal and financial stress.
Tragically, he went on one final binge for several days, crashed his car, and gave himself a traumatic brain injury. In the hospital they speculated he had "wet brain" but I told them he simply did not drink that much. I later learned that heavy beer binge drinking can lead to "potomania" which causes swelling and it's likely his brain damage was far more serious on account of the hyponatremia induced by drinking only beer for a few days.
I think the fact that the original poster seems aware of the problems is a good sign. With my brother it was like he had no idea, sort of like the way alzheimer's patients degrade but don't realize it.
Keep in mind too that "wet brain" is caused by a thiamine deficiency, so it's not the alcohol per se but the blocking of thiamine. So definitely get some B1 vitamins going.
He did this for several years. During the past two years or so, everyone noticed problems appearing. He seemed to slow down, his judgement became poorer, and his work took much longer and was not as neat. Another thing I noticed a lot was him repeating stories to me when we spoke on the phone. Sometimes in the same conversation he'd tell me the same thing, or tell it again to me the next day. He had no idea he was doing this.
Unfortunately this happened so slowly and gradually that nobody thought to point the finger, blaming instead his hectic schedule or personal and financial stress.
Tragically, he went on one final binge for several days, crashed his car, and gave himself a traumatic brain injury. In the hospital they speculated he had "wet brain" but I told them he simply did not drink that much. I later learned that heavy beer binge drinking can lead to "potomania" which causes swelling and it's likely his brain damage was far more serious on account of the hyponatremia induced by drinking only beer for a few days.
I think the fact that the original poster seems aware of the problems is a good sign. With my brother it was like he had no idea, sort of like the way alzheimer's patients degrade but don't realize it.
Keep in mind too that "wet brain" is caused by a thiamine deficiency, so it's not the alcohol per se but the blocking of thiamine. So definitely get some B1 vitamins going.
~sb
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: MD
Posts: 15,967
Neurons are brain cells, who knew? At least some of my brain seems to be remembering what I was once taught. Now I just need to do some new research before posting!
One article says that just 7 days after not drinking the brain really starts to regenerate in it's growth capacity!!
Cool to know!
One article says that just 7 days after not drinking the brain really starts to regenerate in it's growth capacity!!
Cool to know!
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