“How does alcohol affect your mental health?”
My father who is now 79 was a big drinker his entire life. He had many mood swings from it. How does alcohol affect your mental health?
2 Answers
PsychiatristPsychiatrist
Chronic alcohol abuse may cause Wernicke's encephalopathy. Mood swings, memory loss, depression are common.
Alcohol is a potent neurological toxin and can affect every part of the nervous system. The most common effect is alcoholic dementia: confusion and loss of recent memory and cognitive function. Mood swings are part of the disease of alcoholism and could well be worse as neurologic damage occurs.
