A reader left a question on the article “Can you become Allergic to Alcohol?” Her question was
What is alcoholic neuropathy? Have heard the term and interested in understanding.
She went on to add the comment,
It is just amazing when you read the comments from other people, and it is like they are just describing the events of your own life.
Alcoholic Neuropathy: Symptoms
Excessive drinking, usually over years, can lead to nerve damage. The first sign of nerve damage may be in numbness or tingling in the hands, legs and feet. Ulcers or sores may develop on the legs and feet. There may be pain or burning sensations in the feet, or cramps in the calf muscles. The leg muscles may waste, leading to leg weakness and frail ankles. Alcoholic neuropathy often shows up first as clumsiness and uncoordinated movement.
Furthermore, there may be confusion, memory loss, speech slurring or incoherence, even when sober.
Nerve damage can be anywhere in the body. It may lead to incontinence or male impotence. In some cases, there is damage to the autonomic nervous system, which, among other things, affects heart rate and breathing.
If he or she is a heavy drinker, it is irrelevant whether he is a functioning alcoholic or a skid-row alcoholic. Symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy in a heavy drinker are also signs and symptoms of advanced alcoholism.
Caution
Diabetic neuropathy has some of the same symptoms as alcoholic neuropathy. Furthermore, alcoholics have an increased risk of diabetes. Only your medical doctor has the knowledge and skills to make the differential diagnosis and make a referral to a specialist for a neurological exam. Your doctor may detect signs of neuropathy, which the patient cannot.
Alcoholic Neuropathy: Treatment
Abstaining from alcohol and eating a balanced diet may alleviate some of the symptoms, if the damage is not too extensive. There are prescription meds that can further reduce neuropathic pain.
One can only hope that most alcohol abusers will recognize they have a problem and deal with it long before it reaches the stage of alcoholic neuropathy.
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Article by
maintains an active practice on
Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. He focuses on healthy relationships and life after addictions. He is the author of Living with a Functioning Alcoholic — A Woman's Survival Guide.
www.NeillNeill.com
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Dr Neill,
I am an addiction therapist and work with older adults. Seeing cases of peripheral neuropathy is quite common. Many times they will enter confined to a wheelchair or using a walker upon arrival. Within the time frame of a 4-6 weeks in an inpatient alcoholic treatment center, and proper care it is not uncommon to see people leave under their own power with a little pep in their step. This, in fact is the case more often than not.
Bill Urell
MA CAAP-II
Thanks Dr. Neill, this site is great. Things are so crazy when you live with a drinker that you are never really sure if what you are seeing is real. Living with a drinker effects us as we see diffferent signs and wonder is that the alcohol or something else. We are in denial as well not wanting to see the signs. Thankyou for answering my question.
Alcoholism is the new death wish…..thats all I have to say. We need to offer a hand to those in need of help. Help by helping others, not by ignoring the pain… http://www.recoveryconnection.org/?utm_source=alcoholism&utm_medium=pv&utm_campaign=home
Thanks, Todd.
And thank you for being there with the Recovery Connection. We are both in the business of lending a helping hand.
The hardest part for me is watching marriages and families deteriorate because of substance abuse, along with the ongoing denial there is a problem.
Just before Christmas, I lost a daughter (liver failure), who never acknowledged she had a drinking problem.
Keep up the good work.
Neill
Hi Dr. Neill…
Thank you for this article. I realize now that what I am seeing is the effects of a long history of alcohol abuse.
Funny thing is I never thought my husband was "really" an alcoholic as he functions quite well at work. Everyone loves him, he’s the best guy. No one sees what I do. My husband is a plumber/beer drinker (pretty much comes with the territory they say), for the past 30 years. In the last few years he has had a hip replacement, his feet and ankles are shot, and probably every other joint is in pain. He also suffers from gout largely due to his drinking beer. He seems to be missing or absent much of the time, and his breathing scares me at night.
I am trying to get him in for a physical as it has come to the point, I don’t think he’ll be around in the next 5 years….and he’s only 55.
This is an excellent article, and I am going to show it to him…maybe this will finally sink in. I can only hope!!
I finally had the Ah-Ha moment. Still kind of in shock. So thankful for this website as I have so many questions. I know my husband’s body is starting to shut down. Loss of control over bladder and bowels and no sex life. We are both only 42 years old. He just recently wrecked our vehicle after a night of binging with his so called friends. He was so bad he couldn’t remember leaving for work the same morning as his wreck. I took one look at our vehicle and realized that that is what has happened to me too. It is nice to have hope as I am now taking my life back. I am worthy of happiness and restful sleep. I am letting go and letting God.
I too am taking back my life, but my husband is trying every trick in the book to make me fall back into our old routine. I have moved upstairs and am putting the house on the market next week, taking the kids and moving away. I feel sorry for him and we had a great physical relationship and could have still had those moments physically, but I keep SAYING NO. I moved upstairs away as I said I would never let him bully me again, and he hasn’t. But I know if I gave myself to him again he would feel that he had me back. It is so hard.
Al-anon tells you it is a disease, and we should detach and stay and look after ourselves., Dr neill you say run, I believe it is the best decision to go in the long run, but why is it so hard. I know I am obviously co-dependent and am trying to break the cycle I dont want to be that person anymore, with him or the kids, I realise now it is about me too. When I am rejecting him now physically, how do I explain
Sharon,
Your back-and-forth feelings are a true illustration of codependency. You or anyone else in what I call the “alcoholic dance” would benefit from reading or re-reading “Addiction and Codependency Simplified,” the special report you can download when you get on my notification list.
I know, Dr neill, I have downloaded and read every bit of your stuff, as well as a big stack of books on co-dependency. I know I have it bad. It is quite strange at the moment. For years I could not remember a lot of my past, I have spent so many years in a blur, I partied when I was young big time, was very naughty chasing lots of fellas, spent my time at home enabling my dad with his drinking and listened to him and mum argue verbally. Mum switched off from all of us, I suppose to cope with dads drinking, she finally gave him the ultimatum to stop drinking or leave after we left home (my brother and I). Anyway I remember cleaning up dads vomit so mum would not be cranky and picking him up when he was drunk and fell over on the road, I loved my dad heaps. I suppose when you’re little, you think when your dad is drunk, he is just more fun. Mum never worried about having people visit the house much, I suppose she was embarrassed.
Today I was covering my al-anon book and I thought I can use this when I move up to qld. That’s where I am going when the house sells, and then all the memories of the shit in my child hood were all there, I am crying now, all the things that hurt all those years ago, are all back. And I have spent the last 14 years, picking up my husband off the road,and cleaning his vomit, and raising two kids, working full time, studying a degree, and doing everything for everyone for all of my life. I havent changed since I was a kid. Nobody looked after me back then, and I never looked after me either.
I know why I am co-dependent and the relationship with my husband has been so hard. My husband is a replica of my father and it so hard to leave. It just kills me, and I know I have to go to get better. Some days I am so strong and other days I could just curl up and cry forever. History has repeated itself, my dads parents were alcoholic, and mum’s dad as well. What a messy family! If only they all knew the problems that are passed through the generations and what a curse alcoholism is. I suppose I should be happy, maybe all the pain I have had inside is starting to come out, and that is why I have felt like nothing all these years, attaching to the wrong people, and looking after my husband for the last 14 years just like I looked after dad. Dad doesnt drink anymore. Mum said he just said that he would show her that he could stop and he did.
Co-dependency is about me and all these issue I have. Just how again do I fix me?
I have gained so much from reading this site, have realised by making positive changes in my life and having a plan to look after myself for a change is a step in the right direction to end my co-dependency. It is really hard when you need to change something that you do automatically without thinking everyday. I appreciate all the help and support you have and still are giving me.
thankyou
sharon
Hi Sharon,
You are getting it! The first part of change, if you want to change, is to become more aware, that is, become more conscious of your automatic thoughts and reactions.
Congratulations!
Neill
You are right I am getting it, I have become aware with your help. I told you that night I sat and read every message on your site till midnight here down under, and something clicked. I thought I had to then find where the steps were written like from 1 to 10 on what to do next, and then I just kept reading and remembering what I want, and what I DONT WANT, and have moved in a positive direction to look after me and stay on my path.
It is so hard. There have been a few moments as we are living in a big two storey house and he is downstairs, still drinking, goes to work, but does nothing else. I have stayed so strong this time and not given in. I am usually like a marshmallow, and always submit and fall back into my old destructive patterns and hate myself for doing it, and know that I am doing it. Rang the real estate today and the solicitor and the bank, and sold the piano, sometimes I cant believe I am doing it…….
My fellow on Facebook shared this link and I’m not dissapointed at all that I came to your blog.
looking for addiction co dependacy simplified. how can i get in touch with this book.
Kathy and all,
When you join the list for this website, you get a copy of “Addiction and Codependency Simplified.”
If you are already on the list and don’t have it, just email me an I’ll send you a copy. Use the contact page.
Hi Dr. Neil…
I finally got around to ordering Living with a Functioning Alcoholic…it’s time…no longer denying what I know to be true.
I have never received, I don’t believe, the Alcoholic-Codependency Simplified.
May I please have a copy? I don’t attend Alanon…..not working for me, as I’m still on the fence regarding the disease issue. I am more inclined
to go with the disease by choice situation. I am finding that I’m becoming
much more obsessed with my husband’s drinking than he ever has…..I count,
I mark the cans, and then I log his alcohol consumption every day in a journal…. what’s up with that anyway. It’s rediculous!! Since my last comment here, things have not changed, he only seems to be falling apart more and more. I’m completely convinced that he is showing the beginning
signs of A neropathy. It’s sad and I’m so angry at the same time. I
look forward to the website to help me on this journey. Thanks again!
Dear Sir,
I am at present treating an alcoholic patient, who has now got rid of alcoholism with help of disulfiram or whatsoever, but he has developed frank alcoholic neuritis. In addition, he has little incordination, with tremors.
I found him to be profoundly anemic, and treatment with injectable iron sorbital, and methylcobalamine has not given him much relief. Can there be any specific drug for this perticular neuropathy? He is 32 yrs male otherwise healthy.
Dear Dr. Lele,
What you are asking is a medical question. I would suggest you direct your question to medical colleagues who work with addiction recovery.