Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome

Alcoholics are more susceptible to developing mental illness than the rest of the population. People who abuse alcohol are also at a much higher risk of Alzheimer's disease than anyone else. A small percentage of alcoholics who arrive in an alcohol treatment center (or drug rehab) show the signs of a brain disorder known as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome used to be thought of as two seperate diseases that are now seen as two phases of the same condition. The first phase of the syndrome, Wernicke's encephalopathy, causes the alcoholic patient to be confused. Patients in this phase of the illness may struggle to walk properly and lack coordination. They are often not able to participate in an alcoholism addiction treatment program in this phase of their illness and may require a medically supervised alcohol detoxification (detox).

In the more advanced phase of the illness, Korsakoff's syndrome, the confusion lifts and the alcoholic seems to be recovering. The patient may still have some level of disorientation with respect to time and place and normally struggles with short-term memory.

During their alcoholism treatment program patients sometimes fill the gaps in their memory (to avoid embarressment and fear) with imaginary stories. This is known as confabulation and isn't usually thought of as lying. A substance abuse counselor will work with the alcoholic and unpack why he/she needs to make up the stories. It is a very scary position to be in having just gotten sober and being unable to remember things.

A large injected dose of Vitamin B1 (thiamine) can alleviate some of the symptoms of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Early treatment is thought to be associated with better outcomes - leaving the illness to progress for too long can result in permanent damage. Physicians in an alcohol rehab facility will assess the prognosis for the alcoholic and be able to assist in treating the patient.

In very rare cases the brain becomes so damaged that is no longer able to assimilate new information and the alcoholic can only remember events prior to the damage. This condition is commonly referred to as "wet brain" and is not usually reversible. In this case some alternative to alcoholism treatment might be considered as the client would struggle to benefit from being in a rehab clinic.