What Is Alcoholic Neuropathy?

Everyone knows the most common dangers of drinking alcohol excessively. Drinking negatively affects every aspect of life. It can hurt your most important relationships. It can destroy your career. If you are caught drinking and driving or appearing in public while intoxicated, it can even have legal consequences.

The most noticeable consequences, however, are often the physical ones. Those whose alcohol consumption is beyond the recommended level can have serious physical side effects. One of the most serious physical side effects when people drink alcohol to excess is not well known — it is called alcoholic neuropathy, and it can destroy your loved one’s quality of life.

If you have a loved one who is an alcoholic or appears to have developed a dependence on alcohol, learning about alcoholic neuropathy is key to helping them overcome this potentially devastating condition.

You may be wondering:

What are the symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy?

How is alcoholic neuropathy diagnosed?

How fast does alcoholic neuropathy progress?

Is alcoholic neuropathy reversible?

What can I do to help my loved one with alcoholic neuropathy?

Read on for the answers to these questions and more.

What Is Alcoholic Neuropathy

Neuropathy is the umbrella term for any disease of the nervous system. Alcoholic neuropathy is a disease of the nervous system caused by excessive consumption of alcohol.

Alcohol has a toxic effect on nerve tissue, and it can permanently damage peripheral nerves. These are the nerves that control different key functions of the body, such as urination, walking, speech and arm movement. Neuropathy is generally brought on by damage to the axon — or fiber — of this nerve.

The majority of the damage alcoholic neuropathy wreaks is linked to alcohol’s impact on the nervous system. However, a small amount can also be tied to nutritional deficiencies that are often a direct result of alcoholism.

For example, if your loved one drinks too much, he or she may not be getting the right amount of thiamine, niacin or folate in the diet. Not only can alcohol interfere with absorption of these nutrients, those who are dependent on alcohol may also fail to eat a well-balanced diet — whether it’s because they are too intoxicated, too apathetic to eat or lack an appetite.

Properly diagnosing and treating alcoholic neuropathy requires honesty about the amount of alcohol one consumes. Doctors can mistakenly diagnose a patient with nutritional neuropathy rather than alcoholic neuropathy if they do not realize the person has an alcohol problem.

Symptoms of Alcoholic Neuropathy

There are a large number of alcoholic neuropathy symptoms, which can also make diagnosis difficult. It is possible someone suffering from alcoholic neuropathy will demonstrate only a few of these symptoms, leading doctors to suspect other illnesses.

The most common symptom is a strange sensation in the limbs. People with alcoholic neuropathy will often say they feel as if their arms and legs are tingling or burning. This is because alcoholic neuropathy interferes with the peripheral nerves sending signals to the body, the brain and the spinal cord. They begin to misfire, leading to the burning and tingling feelings.