The Link Between Excessive Use of Alcohol and Neuropathic Pain

Excessive alcohol use can put you at risk for several health issues, including neuropathy. If you struggle with alcohol use disorder, you may have noticed signs of nerve damage, such as nerve pain (neuropathic pain) and tingling in your hands, arms, feet, or legs.

Fortunately, alcohol-related neuropathy can be effectively treated (and even reversed) as long as you take steps to limit your alcohol intake and seek professional care. 

Our compassionate team at RapidRecovery TMS in Wilmington, North Carolina, wants you to understand the real danger that excessive alcohol use can pose to your nerve function and overall health if your habit is left unchecked. 

In this month’s blog, we discuss the impact high alcohol intake can have on your nerves and how we can help. 

What is neuropathy?

Neuropathy is a broad term used to describe various types of nerve diseases that affect nerve health. 

Your nerves are your body’s communicators, sending signals to and from your brain and the rest of your body. They’re responsible for touch and pain sensations, muscle movements, and autonomic body functions, such as digestion. 

Your central nervous system contains your brain and spinal cord, and your peripheral nervous system contains all the nerves that branch out from the central nervous system to the rest of your body. 

Whenever one or more of your nerves become compressed, irritated, or damaged, the nerve signals either become blocked or sent incorrectly, triggering symptoms such as pain, tingling, numbness, and muscle weakness in the affected area. 

How does heavy alcohol use lead to neuropathy?

Alcohol-related neuropathy develops gradually over a long period, and symptoms are typically subtle and hard to recognize as related to alcohol use. 

When related to alcohol use, neuropathy symptoms can include:

• Frequent minor injuries, such as cuts and bruises, due to decreased pain sensations
• Fine motor skills issues, such as poor balance due to reduced touch sensations
• Pain hypersensitivity, such as excruciating pain with any light touch
• Severe muscle weakness
• Impaired bladder and bowel function
• Sexual dysfunction 

There are a few ways that excessive alcohol use over a long period can lead to nerve damage and all the associated symptoms. 

When you drink large amounts of alcohol regularly, it prevents your body from absorbing important nutrients, such as magnesium, selenium, and some B vitamins, which your nerves need to function properly. 

In addition, heavy alcohol use prevents your stomach, liver, and kidneys from functioning properly, which leads to a buildup of toxins in the body that can damage your nerves. 

How our team can help

At RapidRecovery TMS, we put a heavy emphasis on customized treatment plans, ensuring that each treatment used is the right one for you. 

To address alcohol-related neuropathy, our team strives to help you work through your drinking habits and manage your neuropathic pain and other neuropathy symptoms. 

Since alcohol-related neuropathy is mainly caused by nutritional deficiencies, our team helps you change your diet, making sure that it fuels your body and includes all the necessary nutrients. We also talk through your drinking habits and help you find ways to limit your alcohol intake. 

To manage neuropathy symptoms, we offer a few different medications and physical therapy to help reduce pain and boost muscle strength. 

In addition, our team offers transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy. This innovative treatment uses an electromagnetic coil placed on your head to send out magnetic pulses. These magnetic pulses can help you manage pain and break free of alcohol consumption habits. 

To learn how we can help you manage your alcohol-related neuropathy, schedule an appointment with our team by calling our office or using our online booking feature today.