These symptoms are known as neuropathy, which often happens when your nerves are damaged. Is neuropathy related to drinking alcohol?
The answer is yes. Research shows that as many as 66% of people with alcohol use disorder experience alcoholic neuropathy (more appropriately referred to as “alcohol-induced” or “alcohol-related” neuropathy). This statistic isn’t a coincidence. Alcohol interacts with your nervous system and can cause severe damage over time.
How exactly does alcohol cause neuropathy, and what can you do if it’s something you or your loved one lives with? We have a lot of experience with substance use disorders and the symptoms they cause at Clean Recovery Centers. Here’s everything you need to know about alcohol-induced neuropathy.
Causes of Alcohol-Induced Neuropathy: The Link Between Alcohol Use and Peripheral Neuropathy
Experts aren’t entirely sure how alcohol contributes to neuropathy yet, but evidence shows chronic drinking can damage peripheral nerves, which causes those unpleasant symptoms you’re probably well-familiar with.
Poor nutrition likely also contributes to alcohol-related neuropathy. Alcohol makes it harder for your body to absorb key nutrients such as vitamin B1 (also known as thiamine), folic acid, and vitamin E. These nutrients all contribute to the healthy function of your nervous system, so it makes sense that your nervous system would suffer without them. People who drink a lot of alcohol also tend to consume fewer calories, which impacts their body and nerves, too.
Long-term alcohol use can also interfere with certain chemical reactions and cause inflammation in your body. Both are associated with nerve damage, which leads to neuropathy.
Symptoms of Alcohol-Induced Neuropathy
Alcohol-induced neuropathy is a type of peripheral neuropathy. It affects your peripheral nervous system, or the nerves outside of your brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system is responsible for sending information about your environment back to your brain, helping you move, and for unconscious functions, such as regulating your blood pressure and your heart beating.
Symptoms of alcohol-induced neuropathy can vary widely, but typically impact the lower half of your body, especially your feet and legs. However, alcohol-induced neuropathy can get worse and spread to parts of your upper body, too.
These are the most common symptoms of alcohol-induced neuropathy:
- Arm and leg discomfort, including spasms, cramps, tingling, numbness, loss of balance, touch sensitivity, and difficulty lifting feet
- Urinary and bowel dysfunction, including losing control of your bladder (incontinence), constipation, diarrhea, difficulty urinating, and feeling like your bladder isn’t empty
- Other symptoms, such as sexual dysfunction, low blood pressure, fast heart rate, extreme sweating, nausea, vomiting, and lightheadedness
How Is Alcohol-Induced Neuropathy Diagnosed?
There are no blood tests or biomarkers to indicate whether someone has alcohol-related neuropathy. This means diagnosis depends primarily on a physical examination by your doctor, and your history of symptoms and alcohol use.
It can be difficult to be completely honest with a doctor about how much alcohol you drink, but it’s important if you want to find relief from alcohol-induced neuropathy. Getting an accurate diagnosis is the first step in treatment for your condition and symptoms, and to ensure your alcohol-related neuropathy doesn’t worsen. While stigma is real, and fear of judgment is understandable, health professionals are there to help you. You are more likely to regret not being honest about your alcohol use than you are to regret telling them about it.
How Do I Know if My Neuropathy Is Related to Alcohol or Another Health Condition?
Several other health conditions can cause neuropathy, too, so your doctor may perform other evaluations to rule those out. They might test for:
- Electrolyte imbalances
- Diabetes
- Vitamin deficiencies
- Liver and kidney dysfunction
- Thyroid dysfunction
- How fast your nerves transfer signals
- Digestive system dysfunction
- Heavy metals in your body
- HIV and syphilis
- Bladder dysfunction
Which tests your doctor performs will depend entirely on your descriptions of your symptoms, so make sure you’re thorough when you talk to them. It’s also important to keep in mind that you can have both alcohol-related neuropathy and another health condition that causes neuropathy. The human body is complicated, and alcohol can impact and hinder processes in every part of your body. The most telling way to determine if your neuropathy is alcohol-related is long-term, excessive alcohol use.
How Much Alcohol Does It Take to Cause Alcohol-Induced Neuropathy?
Everyone’s body is different, so there’s no real way of knowing this. What we do know is that alcohol-related neuropathy is significantly more likely in people who drink a lot of alcohol for a long time. The next question is: what qualifies as “a lot” of alcohol?
The Dietary Guide for Americans, 2020-2025, considers one or fewer alcoholic drinks a day for women, and two or fewer for men, a reasonable amount. If you or your loved one is drinking more than this regularly, or even drinking this much every single day, it’s cause for concern. People who drink more than recommended for an extensive period are at risk of alcohol-related neuropathy and many other health concerns.
If you have an alcohol use disorder, it’s definitely possible to develop alcohol-induced neuropathy. No set amount of alcohol determines whether you have an alcohol use disorder or not, either. Instead, think about these questions:
- Do you regularly drink more alcohol than you intended?
- Have you been unsuccessful in cutting down on drinking?
- Do you spend a lot of time drinking and recovering from alcohol’s effects?
- Do you regularly crave alcohol?
- Is your drinking interfering with your job or other responsibilities?
- Have you given up activities and hobbies you used to enjoy to drink?
- Are you still drinking even though you know alcohol is interfering with your health and relationships?
- Do you need to drink more alcohol than you used to for it to have the effect you want?
- Do you feel sick when you go a while without drinking? Do you feel better once you drink?
If your answer to any of these questions is “yes,” it’s worth examining your relationship with alcohol, especially if you experience neuropathy.
Can Alcohol-Related Neuropathy Be Cured? What Does Treatment Look Like?
Thankfully, in most cases, alcohol-related neuropathy can be reversed, or at the very least improved. In some serious cases, the damage is irreversible, but the first step to healing your nervous system is to stop drinking alcohol.
After that, it’s important to work with your doctor to develop a treatment plan that works for you and your symptoms. In general, treatment for alcohol-related neuropathy might include:
- Improving your diet
- Thiamine, vitamin B12, and folic acid supplements
- Medications and creams to manage pain
- Physical therapy
- Alternative therapies, like herbal remedies or acupuncture
Some people might be able to stop drinking on their own, but the majority of people with alcohol-related neuropathy also have an alcohol use disorder, which makes it significantly more difficult to stop without help. Thankfully, treatment and support for alcohol use disorder are available. You don’t have to do this alone, and healing is possible!
Finding Healing From Alcohol-Induced Neuropathy and Alcohol Use Disorder in Florida
Maybe changing your drinking habits feels so overwhelming that you’ve decided you’ll just live with your neuropathy. You might feel like you need alcohol to destress or have fun, or even just to make it through the day. The logic makes sense, but unfortunately, the more you drink, the worse alcohol-induced neuropathy gets. Chronic drinking also harms other aspects of your body and health, not to mention your relationships and your ability to actively engage in your own life.
That doesn’t have to be the case. There’s still time to turn away from alcohol, improve your health, and find the joy that comes with recovery. Take the leap and reach out for help.
Clean Recovery Centers offers treatment for substance use disorders and mental health conditions for people in the Tampa, FL area. We focus on a three-phase approach: Preparation, action, and maintenance. Our programs aren’t just about reaching the objective of “getting clean,” but building and living a life that fosters long-term recovery and healing. We offer every level of care, from our alcohol detox program to outpatient. That means no matter what part of your journey you’re in, you have a place at Clean Recovery Centers. Want to find out more? Contact us or call (888) 330-2532 today.
