Delizadee

Just trying to get a broad sense of what others have experienced throughout their recoveries in terms of regaining memory and other normal brain functions. Do you find a steady increase in memory returning, still missing some memories, does your memory span go up and down as you hit different 'milestones' or 'phases' of recovery?

I started to feel normal awhile ago in terms of my head, short term memory is definitely a lot better than what it was while I was drinking.
I seem to be losing moments and big chunks of past memories. Memories I had no trouble recalling previously.
I find myself losing track of days now too just like when I was drinking. Forgetting simple words, having to concentrate more to remember things and put things together in my head.

Anyone else experience odd memory stuff?
I am going to talk to my doctor about it. Whenever I remember to make the appointment.

greens

Hey there delizadee,

I can relate to having memory issues- talking to a doctor sounds like a great idea. It's weird because like you said alot of memories came back when I got sober yet at the same time I can't remember certain things- it's random. I do work with a team of drs and psychiatrists and it helps. Sometimes I wonder how much of it is normal and how much is problematic. My friend and I joke that we always thought our memories would get better when we got sober but Instead it feels like it's getting worse. I'm only in my 20's so it does worry me sometimes.

Dee74

I've lost a lot of long term memory. Medium and short term memory are still pretty good tho.
Every year it seems to get a little better, IMO.

(should probably also add I had some mini strokes in my journey which I think had their own impact )

D

SweatyHands

At the point that I went in for detox in May '12, I had pretty severe long-term memory loss. I definitely had some symptoms of wet brain. After about six months of sobriety and nutritional therapy, I discovered that the memories were there, I just lost the pathways that connected them. When someone or something would jar my memory, big chunks would come rushing back to me. I started having long term and short term memory loss during my last go-round with the potato squeezin's, but fortunately, it seems to be improving day by day. I have heard from two doctors that some of it is caused by a build up of toxic byproducts of your body breaking down alcohol. Once your body starts flushing them out, and the sooner the better, memory function starts improving.

SoberinSyracuse

I agree that you should check with your doctor, 'cuz lots of things can cause memory loss and those odd little moments where a word escapes you. Menopause, for instance, can do that.

Science seems pretty settled on the fact that brain function improves after discontinuing use of alcohol. I've heard different things about how long it takes.

The IV amino acid treatment I had promised to g-g-greatly speed the process and as far as I can tell, it worked as advertised. I went in with my thoughts a little disjointed, was completely clearheaded within a few days, and by the end of the 10-day treatment, had the brain processing power I recall from my youth.

This lends credence to what Dee and SweatyHands are saying -- it gets better! It can get better naturally, and it can also be sped along.

Delizadee

For the most part, I really didn't think much about it until the past day or two. I know I was deadly afraid of wet brain the past few times I detoxed myself, but then the recovery process took over my mind, and things seemed to even out somewhat and it fell away in my mind.
I have on many occasions mixed booze with medication and that's an auto-erase for me right there. I started off my son's first year of life on strong anti-depressants, and got off them by drinking. I have no recollection of his first year of life- other than his birth- not even the sober months when I was on meds.
You'd think I woulda known better.
Anyhow, I was just thinking of all the silly little things I hadn't noticed before and guess it's something to bring up with the team.
I am afraid they're going to look in my head and see a big gaping hole where my brain ought to be.
I've also been consistently forgetting to take my vitamin pills..... hmmmmm. lol

I try not to be fatalistic, but my family gene pool is swimming with mental heath issues. You'd think that would have been enough motivation to get and stay healthy sooner. Hmmmm.

*avoiding dr. google like the plague*

*adding quitting smoking to my to do list*

SoberinSyracuse

For sure bring it up with the team! With lifespans increasing, people are getting very interested in optimizing and maintaining their brain function. Ever hear of "Lumosity?" Folks are going nuts over it.

See your doc to rule out anything medical, any "problems" so to speak. Then, with his/her knowledge, talk with a functional medicine practitioner or at least get a consult in a vitamin/supplement store. You don't need to be "sick" in order to want to be "healthier."

Now that you're sober, and you're even quitting smoking, you're gonna be around a looooooong time so you'll want to be sharp as a tack!

venuscat

My family gene pool is a disaster Delizadee. Really.
So many serious hereditary illnesses, one of which is Alzheimer's.

But on the other side of my family was my auntie, who believed that you could fight the signs of aging and continued to improve her memory right through her 80s. She used to sit on her exercise bike in the mornings and spell all sorts of complicated words backwards. (Anaesthesiologist was her favourite).

I myself have an incredible memory, which doesn't seem to have been damaged by my drinking. A miracle, for sure. Now, I choose not to worry about all of the things that could go wrong as I age, because every day I am looking after myself now. That may sound simplistic, but I worried myself for so long while I was drinking.

Andante

Things are overall much better for me at 3 years in, but the progress has been anything but linear or consistent. I still have various memory and cognition issues. Still a lot of trouble with integrating intellect and emotion and expressing it verbally. This, incidentally, is why a lot of my posts here may come off as cold or thoughtless even though I take great pains and an inordinate amount of time to compose them.

I have come to recognize that at least some of my memory issues are perceptual. It's not that my memory is that bad -- it's that I expect too much of it. Trying to figure out whether a particular memory lapse is a cause for genuine concern and an ominous sign of developing dementia, or just a random glitch in a brain that's as healthy as I can expect it to be given what I put it through, is a frequent struggle.

My experience with seeing a doctor was disillusioning -- as long as I was able to remember who was President of the U.S. and able to spell "CAT" backwards, I was good to go as far as they were concerned. My own standards are a little higher.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

Soberwolf

I can be forgetful it's pretty human