What Is Alcoholic Neuritis?

Maybe you know someone who's always enjoyed their whiskey a little too much. Now they’re dealing with frustrating symptoms like throbbing pain and numbness in their hands.

Over the years too much drinking can make the simplest tasks too hard to do. This can be a sign of nerve damage, or neuropathy. 

While nerve damage has several causes, like diabetes, excessive long-term drinking is a significant one: alcoholic neuropathy. 

Understanding what alcoholic neuropathy is, its signs, and how it's addressed is crucial for those affected and their loved ones.

Understanding Peripheral Nerves and Alcohol's Impact

Learning about alcoholic neuropathy begins with understanding your peripheral nervous system. It’s a network of nerves that branches from your brain and spinal cord, reaching every part of your body.

The peripheral nerves act like messengers inside your body that carry signals throughout it. This is how you’re able to feel sensations like touch, pain, and temperature.

They also allow you to control your muscle movements and regulate automatic bodily functions such as digestion, heart rate, and blood pressure.

When someone suffers from chronic alcohol abuse, the excessive consumption disrupts the peripheral nerves and their signals to the body.

Over time, the toxic effects begin to bring on the symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy. Research shows that up to 66% of people with alcoholic chronic disorder suffer from this condition. 

Recognizing how alcohol impacts these vital communication lines helps you understand the physical challenges those with alcoholic neuropathy face. 

You’ll begin to understand why protecting these essential nerve pathways is so critical for overall health and well-being.

What Causes Alcoholic Neuropathy?

There are two main reasons why alcoholic neuropathy develops. One of these is through excessive alcohol exposure to the body’s nervous system over time.

The main component in alcoholic beverages is ethanol. Once this substance breaks down within the liver, it becomes acetaldehyde. 

Over time, it becomes harmful to the nerve cells and their protective layer, known as the myelin sheath. The toxicity of acetaldehyde disrupts the nerves’ ability to function correctly and transmit signals throughout the body.

The second cause of alcoholic neuropathy comes from nutritional deficiencies. Excessive drinking often leads to poor dietary choices. 

This interferes with the body's ability to absorb, store, and utilize essential vitamins, particularly the B vitamins. Thiamine (B1), B6, B12, and folate are vital for nerve health and function.

One study done on males with lifelong alcohol abuse showed improvement in nerve health after receiving Benfotiamine treatment.

Providing vitamin B nutrients allowed them to reverse some of the damage from chronic alcohol use and help nerves repair themselves.

While alcoholic neuropathy stems from alcohol's direct toxicity and nutrient deficiencies, boosting B vitamins can help reverse some of the disease's effects

Our Benfotiamine Multi-B supplement is specifically designed for those suffering from neuropathy. Explore here how it can boost your B vitamins and support your health goals.

Recognizing the Signs of Alcoholic Neuropathy

The onset of alcoholic neuropathy usually starts silently, and often people who suffer from the condition don’t notice it until it’s too late.

Since peripheral nerves control sensation and involuntary movements, the symptoms can vary. The early symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy usually include the following:

• Pins and needles sensations, especially in the hands and feet

• Constant burning or throbbing pain

• Loss of sensation to pain, temperature, and vibrations

Motor symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy begin once the condition progresses, and these include:

• Muscle weakness

• Muscle cramps and spasms

• Foot drop or being unable to lift your feet properly

• Being unable to stay balanced when moving, leading to frequent falls

After a while, the autonomic nervous system begins to become affected. This leads to digestive issues, urinary problems, blood pressure changes, and irregular sweating.

Diagnosing and Treating Alcoholic Neuropathy

When diagnosing alcoholic neuropathy, a healthcare provider will begin by asking detailed questions about your alcohol consumption patterns.

Next, they will conduct a physical and neurological examination to assess your reflexes, muscle strength, sensation, and coordination.

Blood tests will check for nutritional deficiencies, such as B vitamins like thiamine. To test nerve function, the healthcare provider will perform electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies (NCS).

This will allow them to test the speed of the nerve signal transmission to learn the extent of the nerve damage caused by alcohol consumption.

If they diagnose a person with alcoholic neuropathy, the healthcare provider will then start effective treatment to address the condition.

First, they will work with the patient on alcohol cessation to prevent any more damage. Besides abstinence, they will work on improving nerve health and function by:

• Providing nutrient support, especially B vitamins

• Providing medication to help ease the discomfort of alcoholic neuropathy symptoms

• Including physical therapy to improve muscle strength

Depending on the progression of the condition, they may also provide orthotic devices to help manage foot drop and improve stability.

Receive Consistent Support for Your Nerve Health

The first powerful step toward recovery from alcoholic neuropathy is understanding it. While alcohol consumption is widely accepted, it still does damage to the body. 

This is especially true for how it causes a lack of nutrients essential for your nervous system. To ensure your body consistently receives the vital B vitamins it needs for nerve repair and overall well-being, sign up for auto-shipping on Benfotiamine supplement. 

Consistent nutrient intake is key to sustained improvement! This way you can ensure an uninterrupted supply that makes it easier to maintain your health regimen.