The impact of alcohol on mental capacity

The figures show that 39 per cent of people diagnosed with dementia before the age of 65 had symptoms indicating brain damage linked to alcohol. Alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) is an umbrella term covering various illnesses including Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome and alcoholic dementia.

It appears that few know of the risks of ARBD and that alcoholism can lead to an illness that manifests in a much younger age group – often when the person is in their 40s or 50s. Some of the symptoms are attributed to inebriation and may not be recognised as the onset of a loss of mental capacity.