ALCOHOL AND MEMORY
Alcohol interferes with normal sleep patterns. Although it causes sedation, alcohol also suppresses REM sleep by as much as 20 per cent. There also appears to be a link between alcohol-induced sleepiness and memory loss. People who get drunk and then forget what happened have memory impairments similar to those suffered by people with sleeps disorders, such a daytime sleepiness( Motluk 1999).
In both cases, the person cannot recall how they got home, or what happened while at work or at the pub. It’ s the transfer of information into long term memory that seems to be disrupted. The GABA signals that induce the sleepiness can interfere with both the early and late stages of memory formation( stimulus registration and consolidation, respectively). Chemicals that mimic GABA can do this, and there are many GABA receptors in the hippocampus. Another memory disorder associated with chronic alcohol consumption is Korskoff’ s Syndrome.
TREATMENT FOR ALCOHOL DEPENDENCY
The NHS choices website www. nhs. uk have listed the below medication which can help people who have alcohol dependency to treat alcohol abuse.
Medication for alcohol dependency
A number of medications are recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence( NICE) to treat alcohol misuse. These include:
� � � � acamprosate disulfiram naltrexone nalmefene
These medications are discussed in more detail below. Acamprosate
Acamprosate( brand name Campral) is used to help prevent a relapse in people who have successfully achieved abstinence from alcohol. It ' s usually used in combination with counselling to reduce alcohol craving. Acamprosate works by affecting levels of a chemical in the brain called gamma-amino-butyric acid( GABA). GABA is thought to be partly responsible for inducing a craving for alcohol. If you ' re prescribed acamprosate, the course usually starts as soon as you begin withdrawal from alcohol and can last for up to six months.
Disulfiram
Disulfiram( brand name Antabuse) can be used if you ' re trying to achieve abstinence but are concerned you may relapse, or if you ' ve had previous relapses. Disulfiram works by deterring you from drinking by causing unpleasant physical reactions if you drink alcohol. These can include:
� � nausea chest pain