Alcohol Brain Fog: How to Heal Your Brain

The human body cannot function properly if the brain is impaired or damaged because of substance use disorders. Addiction biology has studied the effects of alcohol and drug abuse on the human body, including the brain reward system. Through magnetic resonance imaging or MRI, experts have seen how substance use disorders shrink the brain and cause addictive behaviors and mental health problems. After an alcohol-induced stroke, it can take your brain several years to fully recover.

This is due to dead neurons that alcohol kills in the process of methanol poisoning. Alcohol also steals your sleep by triggering snoring, disrupting REM sleep patterns, or keeping you from falling into a sound slumber. Brain fog in addiction recovery can be frustrating to overcome, especially when you’re attempting to focus on proper coping skills and therapy. Much of the lost functionality in the brain returns relatively quickly. Coordination, balance, and fine motor skills improve as brain volume recovers. Higher thought functions like focus and concentration take longer to improve since they are controlled by brain areas that recover volume more slowly.

Simplifing your life by eliminating alcohol

This is all very normal, but the fluctuations in your thought process are a sure sign that you are getting better. Alcohol also lowers inhibitions and clouds judgment, which could lead a person to engage in risky behaviors like having unprotected sex or driving a car while drunk. And if a person has an underlying mental health disorder, like depression or bipolar disorder, alcohol can exacerbate symptoms and increase mood swings. Alcohol is a popular substance, especially in polydrug use such as cocaine and benzodiazepines. Alcohol dependence can begin with binge or heavy drinking patterns. If left untreated, alcohol dependence can transition into an alcohol use disorder.

A person’s natural chemical balance may be disturbed by alcohol use, which causes them to experience trouble sleeping and restlessness when they stop drinking. This can also result in headaches, nausea, and vomiting when they try to sleep. Of course, brain shrinkage is only one of the consequences of alcohol misuse, and substance use disorders can alter the neurotransmitters’ alcohol brain fog functions in the brain. While you’ll be back to your sharp self shortly, taking these steps to alleviate brain fog can reduce your symptoms and help you get back up to speed. Here’s what you need to know about how to reduce brain fog symptoms. Brain fog isn’t a medical condition but rather a term used to identify an entire set of symptoms that affect your ability to think.

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Most people who have dealt with alcohol addiction have some idea of what brain fog feels like because it is very similar to how you might feel after a round of heavy drinking. Even a mild binge can lead to hangovers that create foggy thinking. During brain fog, you may experience any or all of the following symptoms. Many patients find that they’re feeling considerably better, with sharper mental responses, after completing medically assisted detox. This level of addiction care addresses physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms, including brain fog. Mood disorders like anxiety and depression are the most common alcohol-related mental issues.

Be patient with yourself, and don’t do anything too complicated while you try to get back your brain chemistry to normal. Following a list of tips isn’t easy, especially if you try to do them all at once. Our brains don’t do well at multitasking, that’s why choosing one very tiny goal at a time offers you the best chance of success. It has to be practical, manageable, and as easy as you can make it. On top of its essential role as a chemical in the brain, dopamine also acts as a hormone.

Quitting Alcohol Can Help the Brain Recover and Promote New Cell Growth in the Brain Region

Into Action Recovery Centers takes pride in providing a high level of treatment and a holistic approach to recovery for those who suffer from addiction. Our comfortable facility is designed with the client’s https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/dealing-with-peer-pressure/ needs foremost in mind. Our staff includes master’s level counselors, licensed chemical dependency counselors, 24-hour nursing professionals, a staff psychiatrist, a staff chef, and direct care personnel.

• If left untreated, alcohol dependence can transition into an alcohol use disorder.
• Getting enough sleep, drinking plenty of water, and remaining nourished may also help reduce the risk of brain fog.
• “They become much more likely to seek alcohol and to rely on it to cope with negative feelings,” said Ray.
• Acute withdrawal occurs in the first hours and days after you stop drinking, whereas PAWS can last for weeks or even months.
• As the alcohol is metabolized and nutritional states are restored, alcohol brain fog can clear with time.

Another way that alcohol can affect the brain is by reducing its size. Our brains naturally shrink as we age, but heavy drinking and binge drinking can exacerbate those effects. Drinking heavily can also impair your cognition by affecting your diet and vitamin absorption.

Symptoms Associated With Alcohol-Related Brain Fog:

At Monument, you can connect with a therapist specialized in helping people cut back on drinking, such as myself. There are two types of alcohol withdrawal, acute withdrawal and post-acute withdrawal, also known as ‘PAWS’. Acute withdrawal occurs in the first hours and days after you stop drinking, whereas PAWS can last for weeks or even months. If you’re struggling with alcohol addiction, it’s important to consider starting an addiction treatment or healthy withdrawal program.