Peripheral Nerve Disorders – Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse

Also called: Alcohol dependence

For most adults, moderate alcohol use is probably not harmful. However, about 18 million adult Americans have an alcohol use disorder (AUD). This means that their drinking causes distress and harm. It includes alcoholism and alcohol abuse.

Alcoholism, or alcohol dependence, is a disease that causes

• Craving – a strong need to drink
• Loss of control – not being able to stop drinking once you’ve started
• Physical dependence – withdrawal symptoms
• Tolerance – the need to drink more alcohol to feel the same effect

With alcohol abuse, you are not physically dependent, but you still have a serious problem. The drinking may cause problems at home, work, or school. It may cause you to put yourself in dangerous situations, or lead to legal or social problems.

Another common problem is binge drinking. It is drinking about five or more drinks in two hours for men. For women, it is about four or more drinks in two hours.

Too much alcohol is dangerous. Heavy drinking can increase the risk of certain cancers. It can cause damage to the liver, brain, and other organs. Drinking during pregnancy can harm your baby. Alcohol also increases the risk of death from car crashes, injuries, homicide, and suicide.

You may have an AUD if you can answer yes to two or more of these questions:

In the past year, have you

• Ended up drinking more or for a longer time than you had planned to?
• Wanted to cut down or stop drinking, or tried to, but couldn’t?
• Spent a lot of your time drinking, or recovering from drinking?
• Felt a strong need to drink?
• Found that drinking – or being sick from drinking – often interfered with your family life, job, or school?
• Kept drinking even though it was causing trouble with your family or friends?
• Given up or cut back on activities that you enjoyed just so you could drink?
• Gotten into dangerous situations while drinking or after drinking? Some examples are driving drunk and having unsafe sex.
• Kept drinking even though it was making you feel depressed or anxious? Or when it was adding to another health problem?
• Had to drink more and more to feel the effects of the alcohol?
• Had withdrawal symptoms when the alcohol was wearing off? They include trouble sleeping, shakiness, irritability, anxiety, depression, restlessness, nausea, and sweating. In severe cases, you could have a fever, seizures, or hallucinations.

If you have any of these symptoms, your drinking may already be a cause for concern. The more symptoms you have, the more serious the problem is. If you think you might have an AUD, see your health care provider for an evaluation. Your provider can help make a treatment plan, prescribe medicines, and if needed, give you treatment referrals.

NIH: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

• Alcohol use disorder (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Alcohol withdrawal (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Alcoholic ketoacidosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Alcoholic liver disease (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Alcoholic neuropathy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Deciding to quit drinking alcohol (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Health risks of alcohol use (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Helping a loved one with a drinking problem (Medical Encyclopedia)
• When you are drinking too much – tips for cutting back (Medical Encyclopedia)

Also called: Neuritis, Peripheral neuritis, Peripheral neuropathy

Your peripheral nerves are the ones outside your brain and spinal cord. Like static on a telephone line, peripheral nerve disorders distort or interrupt the messages between the brain and the rest of the body.

There are more than 100 kinds of peripheral nerve disorders. They can affect one nerve or many nerves. Some are the result of other diseases, like diabetic nerve problems. Others, like Guillain-Barre syndrome, happen after a virus infection. Still others are from nerve compression, like carpal tunnel syndrome or thoracic outlet syndrome. In some cases, like complex regional pain syndrome and brachial plexus injuries, the problem begins after an injury. Some people are born with peripheral nerve disorders.

Symptoms often start gradually, and then get worse. They include

• Numbness
• Pain
• Burning or tingling
• Muscle weakness
• Sensitivity to touch

Treatment aims to treat any underlying problem, reduce pain and control symptoms.

NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

• Axillary nerve dysfunction (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Chronic inflammatory polyneuropathy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Common peroneal nerve dysfunction (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Distal median nerve dysfunction (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Femoral nerve dysfunction (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Glossopharyngeal neuralgia (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Metabolic neuropathies (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Mononeuritis multiplex (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Neuralgia (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Neuropathy secondary to drugs (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Peripheral neuropathy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Radial nerve dysfunction (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Sensorimotor polyneuropathy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Tibial nerve dysfunction (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Ulnar nerve dysfunction (Medical Encyclopedia)