Wheelsup

So, I've been trying to learn about some of the terms, in particular 'wet brain' and 'dry drunk.'

I can Google the fancy definition of these terms just fine ... but am more interested in hearing from those with 'real-life' experience on what these terms meant in how it played out in your life?

Thanks.

AnvilheadII

wet brain is a term for the condition of a brain of a very advanced alcoholic. also known as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. the term also gets used more colloquially. there is no cure. some of the symptoms include extreme forgetfulness, confusion, unsteady gait.

i'm not sure anyone knows where "dry" drunk came from, but i think it is a twist on the above. what it means is that altho the person is NOT drinking, they are acting as if they are in their poor outlook, self centeredness, anger, denial, impulsivity. this is usually associated with the term "white knuckling" it as the only change the person seems to have made is to take the glass out of their hand. they refuse to address anything else. many then return to drinking as they didn't see the big miraculous CHANGE.

biminiblue

Wet brain is more a medical term and I feel like dry drunk is a pejorative, it smacks of name-calling to me. I don't use the term "dry drunk."

Bernadette

Yeah dry drunk to me has always meant an alcoholic who is not drinking but absolutely not recovered. The cool thing (one of the MANY cool things) about recovery is that it is so obvious, so recognizable, so real! And I'm talking about us codies too! When we are truly working a program of recovery and changing our old modes of thinking, believing, behaving, and controlling, it is really obvious to ourselves and anyone who "knew us when....."
Peace, B.

Mango blast

Dry drunk. ^^^^

Bernadette described it very well.

Wet Brain is much different.

"An ultimate and tragic consequence of years of alcoholic drinking, wet brain (Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome) occurs from a thiamine deficiency due to malnutrition. In early stages, the syndrome can be partially reversed through treatment with large doses of thiamine; in late stage cases, there is no effective treatment (read more about how daily thiamine may help heavy drinkers prevent wet brain.)

Alcoholics become deficient in thiamine (vitamin b-1) through poor eating habits (liquid meals), damaged gastro intestinal systems that do not absorb nutrients well, and through liver damage (leading to a reduction in thiamine processing). Thiamine is an essential nutrient for glucose conversion in the brain, and over time, a thiamine deficiency leads to significant brain cell death and serious structural damage in certain areas of the brain. Areas of the brain most affected include the brain stem, the cerebral cortex and the pons.

Symptoms of Wet Brain

Ataxia, an irregular gait – wide stance and short step
Confusion, which often manifests as apathy to external surroundings and low voluntary verbal participation
Confabulation – telling of events that did not happen, and believing them to be true
Dementia
Hallucination – visual, aural or tactile
Loss of control over eye movements

Treatment for Wet Brain

Patients suffering early stages of wet brain may respond well to large doses of intravenous thiamine, and may see a substantial symptoms improvement. Late stage patients will not benefit from any known treatment."

Mango blast

Real life experiences...

I used to not be able to differentiate "dry drunk" from someone working recovery. This kept me caught up in the chaos.

I used to greatly fear things progressing to wet brain, until I sought my own recovery from this Family Disease of Alcoholism. I had done everything I could and was often more mentally ill than the alcoholic.

In my recovery I'm much more concerned about what I CAN control... my life. In that, when I need to step up in new ways, I'm able to. Sometimes that means call professionals for help. Often it means to walk away.

Both of those things have been much HEALTHIER for myself. And in that, my relationship to my main qualifier has improved. I always "thought" I knew what he needed. Turns out I didn't.

NYCDoglvr

I'll describe dry drunk from my own perspective. With 26 years of recovery I generally go to three meetings per week which keeps me calm and focused. But sometimes I skip meetings and a subtle change happens. If I haven't been to a meeting in two weeks or so I get cranky, I isolate and my thinking turns progressively negative and self-centered. I call it "the voices...",

Most of the time this is a pejorative term used for alcoholics who don't drink but have no program. I don't use it for other people, only myself.