Memory Problems Associated With Alcohol Abuse

Alcohol abuse takes a serious toll on the brain, affecting memory, recall and learning functions over the course of alcoholism. In fact, alcohol abuse can lead to a host of problems with memory and cognition—including long-term memory loss, lowered ability to form new memories, and a compromised ability to store new information for later retrieval.

Memory Problems Associated With Alcohol Abuse

Here are just a few of the memory problems that can develop when alcohol abuse continues over time.

Inability to Form New Memories
One of the most concerning effects of alcohol abuse on the brain is the inability to form new memories. As the brain’s hippocampus—the region responsible for memory establishment—becomes affected by alcohol, long-term memory formation becomes compromised.

Short-Term Memory Recall
Short-term memory also becomes affected negatively by alcohol abuse. Experiences and factual knowledge are generally formed in the short-term memory, before they are processed and stored in long-term memory for later use. When alcohol abuse becomes chronic, many recent occurrences become difficult to remember and may never process correctly into enduring memories.

Alcoholic Blackouts
Alcoholic blackouts occur when an individual is so incredibly intoxicated with alcohol that they experience complete “holes” in their memories. In blackouts, though the individual is usually conscious, they have no recollection of where they were or what they were doing—sometimes “losing” hours or entire evenings.

Increased Forgetfulness
Studies have shown that when short-term memory becomes affected, simple tasks become more difficult to achieve. The occasional “spaced out” moments that many of us experience when we’re exhausted or distracted occur at a much higher rate in those who are alcohol dependent.

Alcohol Dementia
When alcohol abuse turns into alcoholism, memory problems can worsen to serious degrees in the form of alcohol dementia. Alcohol dementia, also known as Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, onsets when alcohol compromises basic nutrition and damages brain cells. Eventually, Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome can erode the abilities to find words to communicate, or recognize the people or places they used to know well.