Readers reply: if you are an alcoholic and you get amnesia, would you remain an alcoholic?

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

If you are an alcoholic or addict of some kind and you get amnesia, would you remain an alcoholic? Jane Ricard, Autun

Send new questions to nq@theguardian.com.

Readers reply

Yes. The levels of alcohol dependency you have built up would mean that you would suffer withdrawal and craving for alcohol consumption. You would feel an impulse to consume alcohol, despite not knowledge of your backstory relating to alcohol consumption. Perhaps, rehab and recovery would be easier for an amnesiac as, once the intense craving and cold turkey was overcome, the reason, trauma suffered and knowledge of habitual drinking patterns could be more easily dissociated from in the mind of the amnesiac. wenders14

You had better hope your medics know you’re an alcoholic, or spot any early symptoms. Delirium tremens can be fatal, and a real possibility for anyone who stops drinking suddenly. The central nervous system won’t care that you don’t fancy a drink suddenly. Cold turkey is not a good idea for alcoholics. mylf01

My mum was addicted to smoking for 30 years when she had a stroke and was in a coma for a week. Thankfully she came to and rehabilitated over the following months and years, but interestingly one thing that went away was a craving for nicotine. She says she remembers smoking, but that longing was no longer there and she has never smoked since. Perhaps it was the period unconscious that broke the connection, or the brain injury itself – but it was a curious effect of what happened to her. Bobbipyn

This is a question often posed about stammering. Would you forget you stammered? There’s probably a genetic aspect (research seems to imply), but would be interesting to know. Especially since I’ve stammered for well over 60 years. philipl

Yes, the addiction remains. I’m a neuropsychiatrist and we see a lot of alcoholic patients with brain injuries and memory problems. Memory is very complicated and made up of lots of parts. “Amnesia” normally refers to episodic memory (what you’ve just done for example). The memory of what alcohol is and how it affects you is still there, even if you cannot remember how you were injured, safe in your semantic memory. Also it is very unusual to forget your life story (autobiographical memory) so the knowledge you are an alcoholic tends to be retained. Even if it is not consciously recalled, any environmental cues such as a bottle of whisky soon prompt you to drink again. Although not 100% consistent, the same applies to all addictions including overeating and smoking. JanetElwes

I’m an alcoholic and found this question quite ironic, as blackouts are part of the charm of excessive drinking. I self-medicate in order to forget, simple. If I had amnesia? I think the traumas that led to this would still reside in my subconscious. I may be baffled by the physical withdrawal at first; “why am I shaking/sweating/anxious?” but a quick Google would give me a definitive answer and the solution. Not_Always_A_Moron

“Addiction” produces psychological dependency and physical dependency. A drug-dependant person experiencing amnesia may have no memory of the ritual substance use or repetitive means of administering the drug (alcohol too is a drug), but the body, excruciatingly withdrawing, would symptomatically “remember” that it was being deprived of something physiologically vital to its existence. So, the drug-dependant amnesiac, by not being able to remember the means by which to ameliorate the agonising withdrawal, would experience extreme physical discomfort and allied psychological distress, until such time as the body has detoxified. iainhamilton

As a social worker, I once worked with a woman who developed Korsakoff’s syndrome, as a result of chronic alcoholism, was hospitalised, and lost the previous 10 years of her memory. This covered the time she developed dependence on alcohol, and when ready for discharge, she had forgotten she had been an alcoholic. TheMaskedAMHP

I cannot see that memory loss would change an individual’s propensity to relapse. However, if an alcoholic doesn’t remember having a drink problem then presumably at the onset of memory loss, he or she will soon enough have a drink and find out if they have a problem. Personally I’m glad that I can remember being alcohol dependent. I can remember how bad I felt physically, the harm I caused to close family and at least some of the stupid things that I said and did. Remembering addiction and its recurrence but most of all remembering what I learned in recovering ensures, I hope for ever, that I pass the pub by unvisited and supermarket shelf undisturbed. WalterBMorgan

OK, so you would still have a physical addiction, but would you immediately recognise the antidote for your withdrawal? Sure, in a western country where alcohol is readily available you’d soon work it out. But imagine if you landed in a strict Muslim country by an unlikely twist of fate. Would you then figure out that you were an alcoholic? nigelscamelcoat

Amnesia is probably similar in some ways to hypnosis. I believe that hypnotherapy has some success in curing smoking addiction, but in general not so much with alcohol. JohnWig

People with ARBD (alcohol-related brain damage) often have significant amnesia including autobiographical (life story) and short-term memory impairment. They often still have a compulsion to drink and indeed might not remember that drinking has been a problem for them. Muttonina

My nanna was a very heavy smoker and drinker – to the stage of regularly forgetting things and occasional blackouts. As dementia started to “bite”, it seemed that she forgot that she loved her drinking and smoking. By the time she died, she had gone a number of years without drinking or smoking. jaden62

Not a chance from my professional experience. By the time the DTs (delirium tremens) kick in and the person is in full-on withdrawal mode from their alcoholism, the effect of amnesia will be negligible. I have never nursed any alcoholic that has not had some withdrawal symptoms unless it has been a very gradual reduction before cessation. AwakenstoEmptiness

Your body would still crave alcohol. What would be interesting would be if the question was about cocaine, which is not really a physical addiction more a mental one. ramned

I was an IV heroin addict for more than 20 years – now six years clean without the help of NA or anything similar. I was very much helped by my use of ketamine (again I have not used for six years). I would take so much ketamine that I would forget who I was, what my name was. The shock of discovering I was a drug addict, that this hovel was my home, as memory returned and I saw my situation with fresh eyes, forced me to change. I don’t know how closely ketamine dissociation resembles amnesia however. Garmadon

A friend of mine was an alcoholic for about five years with some major health problems and time spent in intensive care. Eventually his relatives were told that he would be dead by the weekend but that came and went. He started to recover but was seriously ill and placed in a nursing home for two years until deemed well enough to leave. He has been diagnosed with Korsakoff’s syndrome and a brain scan has revealed global brain loss. I would say he has the mental age of about 12 so can take care of personal things but is assisted at home by his partner. He no longer has any thoughts about alcohol. container

There are different forms of alcoholism. In general it is drinking sufficient alcohol to produce physical or social detriment, but there are some family groups who will binge drink because they lack the capacity to limit their intake. Alcoholism, as a non-metabolic drug abuse, is associated with personality disorders (PTSD from childhood trauma) and adult PTSD.

Chronic alcohol abuse causes neurological damage. If there is associated thiamine deficiency, it will cause damage to the cerebellum leading to ataxia and balance disturbance. It is partially reversible. It may be caused by giving an alcoholic glucose without covering them with a thiamine booster.

Another form is Korsakow’s psychosis, which is complete antegrade amnesia and such people do “forget” to drink alcohol. Such people become incapable of caring for themselves. They have degeneration of the mamillary bodies in the hypothalamic area of the brain.

Amnesia may be transient and global in which case the sufferer will not remember any acquired habits. Amnesia may be organic (brain injury, dementia, encephalitis etc), or psychogenic – behavioural triggered by a traumatic event – and is completely reversible. Organic amnesia is worse in the acute phase due to oedema and transient neuronal dysfunction, and even when this phase completes neuroplasticity (formation of new synapses etc) will still produce clinical improvement. David Brookman


The GuardianTramp

Related Content

Article image
If you are an alcoholic and you get amnesia, would you remain an alcoholic?
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

23, Jan, 2022 @2:01 PM

Article image
Readers reply: is ignorant bliss better than knowledgeable gloom?
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

20, Jun, 2021 @1:00 PM

Article image
Readers reply: how do you conquer your fear of missing out?
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

13, Feb, 2022 @2:00 PM

Article image
Readers reply: why do cats, dogs and other carnivores have far neater and straighter teeth than humans?
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

13, Nov, 2022 @2:00 PM

Article image
Readers reply: what would a person be like if nothing bad had ever happened to them?
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

25, Jun, 2023 @1:00 PM

Article image
Readers reply: why are human eyes different colours?
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

13, Aug, 2023 @1:00 PM

Article image
‘I am very shy. It’s amazing I became a movie star’: Leslie Caron at 90 on love, art and addiction
The legendary actor reflects on her riches-to-rags childhood, confronting depression and alcoholism – and dancing with Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire

Simon Hattenstone

21, Jun, 2021 @5:00 AM

Article image
I spent years trying to drink and eat myself numb. Then I began a year of intense transformation
Who, at my age, truly starts over? But I did. I gave up booze, took up running and found the strength and stamina to fight for a better future

Jamie Klingler

31, Dec, 2021 @7:00 AM

Article image
Readers reply: how is the wind-chill factor calculated?
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

05, Dec, 2021 @2:00 PM

Article image
‘I’m a chef and I forgot how to bake a cake’: why trauma often leads to brain fog and amnesia
Shock, stress and grief can have a devastating effect on memory – but there are ways to bring it back

Zoe Beaty

17, Jul, 2023 @10:00 AM