Learning more about problems associated with alcohol use, such as wet brain syndrome is important to properly understand what issues and treatment options are available to those who are dealing with substance abuse issues.
Before we take a look at the many treatment options and modalities that are available to help people, let’s first understand what wet brain syndrome is, how it occurs, and the treatment options for this syndrome.
What We Know About Wet Brain Syndrome
Wet brain syndrome, also referred to as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a brain disorder that occurs due to vitamin B1 deficiency.
This happens all too often among people who have an alcohol problem as alcohol use disorder is something that causes a lack of vitamin B1.
This problem occurs when two different conditions, Wernicke encephalopathy and Korsakoff syndrome, happen concurrently. Both of these problems are due to brain damage that is caused by a lack of vitamin B1.
Wernicke Encephalopathy
Wernicke Encephalopathy is a neurological condition that can be a life-threatening illness that affects the central nervous system. It is a degenerative brain disorder that can result from alcohol abuse, dietary deficiencies, prolonged vomiting, eating disorders, and more. Symptoms for this problem include mental confusion, vision problems, coma, hypothermia, low blood pressure, and more.
Korsakoff Syndrome
Unfortunately for those who deal with Wernicke Encephalopathy, Korsakoff Syndrome is one residual effect of this problem. The problem is characterized by global amnesia and cognitive and behavioral dysfunction. Other symptoms include loss of memory, hallucinations, and more.
Treatment Options for Wet Brain Syndrome
The goal of treatment for wet brain syndrome is to work to control symptoms and prevent the disorder from getting worse. Moreover, monitoring and care may be needed if a person is in a coma, lethargic, or unconscious. For treatment, patients are normally given an injection of vitamin B which is supposed to improve symptoms of confusion or delirium, difficulties with vision and eye movement, and lack of muscle coordination. Vitamin B1 will not help improve the loss of memory and cognitive losses that are associated with Korsakoff Syndrome.
One of the best ways that you can improve your situation, or avoid it entirely is to stop alcohol use.
How To Stop Drinking
If you or a loved one has a problem with alcohol use and may even have an alcohol use disorder, there are a number of strategies and things that you can implement in your life to work and change your ability to no longer be dependent or rely upon alcohol.
Keeping Track
One simple way that you can realize just how much your drinking is affecting you and how much you are drinking is to just keep track of how much you are drinking. It is easy to keep a small card in your wallet and write down how much you are drinking and how often. Moreover, keeping a check mark on a calendar or writing them down in your phone can help you realize just how much you are drinking. Keeping track of these will help you slow down when you need to.
Setting Goals
After tracking how much you have been drinking, you should then move on to decide how many days a week that you want to drink and how much you will drink on those days. It is also important that you take some days off completely and don’t drink on those days. When you set these goals, it may be best to verbalize them to another person or group of people. Telling people can be extremely helpful as these people may help hold you accountable to your goals and, in some cases, these people may even join your in your journey toward less drinking or sobriety.
Avoid Triggers
It is important that you are able to identify the things that trigger you or your loved one to use alcohol. Once these triggers are identified, you may have to cut certain events, people, and situations out of your life in order to make your physical health and sobriety a bigger priority.
Say “No”
It is important to understand that you can say “no.” Oftentimes, you or your loved one will be offered alcohol at certain events or have access to it. Whether it is the holiday season, a sporting event, a birthday party, or something else, there are a number of ways in which people can overcome the substance abuse problems that they may be dealing with.
If the problem is serious enough, it is important that you seek out professional help. Alcoholism, and substance abuse in general, is a serious and debilitating disease and needs to be treated as such, in a professional manner with educated and licensed practitioners.
Alcohol Rehab In Indiana
If you are searching for help for an alcohol problem, there are a number of national and local resources that can help you or your loved one with whatever substance abuse problem that you are suffering from.
Alcohol rehab can offer your loved one a number of services to help overcome substance abuse and learn the tools that are conducive with long-term sobriety. During alcohol rehab, one of the most common services offered is medically assisted detoxification.
Detox will generally last between 3 to 7 days and allow the patient to overcome withdrawal symptoms that can be dangerous and even life-threatening. Withdrawal symptoms associated with a number of dangerous problems and issues such as anxiety, depression, irritability, rapid heart rate, tremors, fever, seizures, and more.
Along with medical detox, there are many different treatment modalities that are available to help patients who are suffering from addiction problems. For instance, behavioral psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is available in many treatment facilities to help patients learn more about substance abuse and better understand how these problems can affect someone.
One of the most common forms of behavioral therapy that are used in treatment programs is cognitive behavioral therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is used in many treatment centers and rehabs to help patients better identify the triggers that may influence or cause them to use. From there, clinicians will work to help change the way that patients think about these triggers and even make efforts to leave them in the past.
There are a number of other features of rehab for alcohol.
Next Steps
If you or your loved one is looking into alcohol rehab, there are many local options in place to help those who are dealing with substance abuse problems. Landmark Recovery, is one treatment facility and alcohol rehab in Indiana that has medical professionals and evidence-based treatment in place to help those who are dealing with addiction. If you would like to learn more about Landmark’s individualized care programs, please visit our website and reach out to our admissions team today for a free consultation.
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