What Is Wet Brain?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWho Gets Wet Brain?CharacteristicsRisk FactorsStagesIdentifying Wet BrainCausesTreatmentCoping

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Who Gets Wet Brain?

Characteristics

Risk Factors

Stages

Identifying Wet Brain

Causes

Treatment

Coping

Close

WKS can be divided into two stages or conditions: Wernicke’sencephalopathyand Korsakoff’s psychosis. Wet brain is most commonly seen in people withalcohol use disorder. In fact, the term ‘wet brain’ was developed in direct reference to the condition’s link withalcohol dependence and misuse.

At a GlanceChronic alcohol misuse can have many serious health consequences, including what is commonly known as “wet brain.” When you drink excessively, it affects your body’s ability to absorb nutrients. This can lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, including a severe thiamine deficiency. Your body needs thiamine for your brain and metabolism to function properly. If a person develops wet brain, they may experience problems with memory, coordination, and heart rate, among others. When severe, it can also be fatal. If you are struggling with a drinking problem, talk to your doctor about treatment options that can help you achieve sobriety.

At a Glance

Chronic alcohol misuse can have many serious health consequences, including what is commonly known as “wet brain.” When you drink excessively, it affects your body’s ability to absorb nutrients. This can lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, including a severe thiamine deficiency. Your body needs thiamine for your brain and metabolism to function properly. If a person develops wet brain, they may experience problems with memory, coordination, and heart rate, among others. When severe, it can also be fatal. If you are struggling with a drinking problem, talk to your doctor about treatment options that can help you achieve sobriety.

While anyone can develop the disorder, people who consume alcohol are more likely to develop the condition.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 80% of people with alcohol use disorder have a thiamine deficiency.

While wet brain is most commonly associated with alcohol use disorder, it can also be the result of eating disorders, malnutrition, and gastrointestinal disorders that affect thiamine absorption.

Research shows that wet brain is more likely to develop in men than women. This is because men are more likely to be diagnosed with alcohol use disorder, the leading cause of wet brain.With the proper treatment and management, it’s possible to reverse the damage the condition has caused to your brain.

Characteristics of Wet Brain

Wet brain causes varying symptoms depending on the stage of your condition. A persistent sign is confusion, which often makes it difficult for people with the disorder to realize that something is wrong with them.

Many signs of wet brain are similar toalcohol intoxication, which makes it essential to look out for signs of the condition when a person is sober. Common symptoms include:

When left untreated, wet brain will develop into Korsakoff’s psychosis which is the fatal stage of the condition. Symptoms of this stage include:

If you or someone you love is exhibiting any of the above symptoms, it’s vital to immediately contact emergency health services or your healthcare provider.

End-Stage Alcoholism: Signs, Symptoms, Management

Factors That Increase the Risk for Wet Brain

While alcohol use disorder is the leading cause of wet brain, other factors that prevent your body from getting sufficient thiamine can also trigger the disorder. Such factors include:

Alcohol’s Effect on Nutrition

Stages of Wet Brain

Wet brain occurs in two stages: Wernicke’s encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s psychosis.

Wernicke’s Encephalopathy

The first stage of wet brain is typically severe but temporary. Wernicke’s encephalopathy devolves into Korsakoff’s psychosis when wet brain goes undiagnosed and untreated. At this stage, a person with this condition might find it difficult to walk or become confused when engaging in daily activities such as getting dressed.

Around 80 to 90% of people with alcohol use disorder who have Wernicke’s encephalopathy develop Korsakoff’s psychosis.

Wernicke’s encephalopathy has three main features: confusion, vision changes, and difficulty with muscular coordination. However, a person doesn’t have to exhibit all three for a diagnosis to be made.

Korsakoff’s Psychosis

Korsakoff’s psychosis occurs after Wernicke’s encephalopathy. It’s persistent, chronic, and typically irreversible. Symptoms of this stage of wet brain include impaired memory and learning abilities.

People with Korsakoff’s psychosis have increased difficulty with coordination and movement. They will also exhibit symptoms of retrograde amnesia and find it challenging to learn and process new information.

Not everyone with Wernicke’s encephalopathy will also develop Korsakoff’s psychosis; it typically develops due to misdiagnosis and inadequate treatment of the former condition.

The condition is also referred to asalcoholic dementiabecause of its ability to cause severe memory loss and induce hallucinations and behavioral changes, which are allhallmarks of dementia. People with Korsakoff’s psychosis experience memory loss and have difficulty forming new memories. You might find that they can narrate an ordeal to you in detail an hour after it happens but cannot remember it a few days later.

A proper diagnosis of wet brain can’t be made for a person with alcohol use disorder until they are in recovery. This is because many symptoms of wet brain are similar towithdrawal symptoms from alcohol. Early diagnosis of wet brain is essential for effective treatment of the condition.

Your doctor will order tests to check your thiamine levels when attempting to diagnose wet brain. They might also check for signs of alcohol use disorder which is the leading cause of wet brain. A brain MRI to show if there has been any damage to tissues in your brain might be recommended.

What Causes Wet Brain?

Chronic alcohol users often have inflamed digestive tracts, making it difficult for the body to absorb the thiamine it needs from the foods they consume.

Alcohol misuse also makes it hard for the body to convert and use the thiamine that it does absorb.

Treatment for Wet Brain

There is currently no cure for wet brain. Early diagnosis and treatment can reverse some of the symptoms of Wernicke’s encephalopathy, which is the first stage of the condition.

The first course of action? Administering high doses of thiamine. Because the brain is severely deficient in this vitamin, it is essential to begin restoring thiamine levels.

However, this is most effective in the early stages of the condition, where thiamine can still help to improve brain function.

Coping With Wet Brain

Wet brain is a severe disorder that needs early diagnosis and adequate treatment. If you are lucky to have gotten an early diagnosis, the damage done to your brain is still reversible. In addition to your treatment plan, the following management techniques can help you make a full recovery.

Abstinence From Alcohol

Maintain a Balanced Diet

Eat Foods Rich in Thiamine

It’s essential to continue eating foods that are rich in thiamine even after you discontinue thiamine supplements. Foods like oranges, milk, spinach, pork, and soybeans are all rich in thiamine.

If you or a loved one are struggling with substance use or addiction, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you or a loved one are struggling with substance use or addiction, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

What Helps With Alcohol Withdrawal?

10 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.Alcohol Alert.National Institute on Drug Abuse.Sex and gender differences in substance use.National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.National Library of Medicine.Wernicke-korsakoff syndrome.Isenberg-Grzeda E, Alici Y, Hatzoglou V, Nelson C, Breitbart W.Nonalcoholic thiamine-related encephalopathy (Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome) among inpatients with cancer: A series of 18 cases.Psychosomatics. 2016;57(1):71-81. doi:10.1016/j.psym.2015.10.001Oudman E, Wijnia JW, Severs D, et al.Wernicke’s encephalopathy in acute and chronic kidney disease: A systematic review.J Ren Nutr. 2024;34(2):105-114. doi:10.1053/j.jrn.2023.10.003National Organization for Rare Disorders.Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.Habas E, Farfar K, Errayes N, Rayani A, Elzouki AN.Wernicke encephalopathy: An updated narrative review.Saudi J Med Med Sci. 2023;11(3):193-200. doi:10.4103/sjmms.sjmms_416_22National Library of Medicine.Thiamin.Praharaj SK, Munoli RN, Shenoy S, Udupa ST, Thomas LS.High-dose thiamine strategy in Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome and related thiamine deficiency conditions associated with alcohol use disorder.Indian J Psychiatry. 2021;63(2):121-126. doi:10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_440_20

10 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.Alcohol Alert.National Institute on Drug Abuse.Sex and gender differences in substance use.National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.National Library of Medicine.Wernicke-korsakoff syndrome.Isenberg-Grzeda E, Alici Y, Hatzoglou V, Nelson C, Breitbart W.Nonalcoholic thiamine-related encephalopathy (Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome) among inpatients with cancer: A series of 18 cases.Psychosomatics. 2016;57(1):71-81. doi:10.1016/j.psym.2015.10.001Oudman E, Wijnia JW, Severs D, et al.Wernicke’s encephalopathy in acute and chronic kidney disease: A systematic review.J Ren Nutr. 2024;34(2):105-114. doi:10.1053/j.jrn.2023.10.003National Organization for Rare Disorders.Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.Habas E, Farfar K, Errayes N, Rayani A, Elzouki AN.Wernicke encephalopathy: An updated narrative review.Saudi J Med Med Sci. 2023;11(3):193-200. doi:10.4103/sjmms.sjmms_416_22National Library of Medicine.Thiamin.Praharaj SK, Munoli RN, Shenoy S, Udupa ST, Thomas LS.High-dose thiamine strategy in Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome and related thiamine deficiency conditions associated with alcohol use disorder.Indian J Psychiatry. 2021;63(2):121-126. doi:10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_440_20

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.Alcohol Alert.National Institute on Drug Abuse.Sex and gender differences in substance use.National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.National Library of Medicine.Wernicke-korsakoff syndrome.Isenberg-Grzeda E, Alici Y, Hatzoglou V, Nelson C, Breitbart W.Nonalcoholic thiamine-related encephalopathy (Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome) among inpatients with cancer: A series of 18 cases.Psychosomatics. 2016;57(1):71-81. doi:10.1016/j.psym.2015.10.001Oudman E, Wijnia JW, Severs D, et al.Wernicke’s encephalopathy in acute and chronic kidney disease: A systematic review.J Ren Nutr. 2024;34(2):105-114. doi:10.1053/j.jrn.2023.10.003National Organization for Rare Disorders.Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.Habas E, Farfar K, Errayes N, Rayani A, Elzouki AN.Wernicke encephalopathy: An updated narrative review.Saudi J Med Med Sci. 2023;11(3):193-200. doi:10.4103/sjmms.sjmms_416_22National Library of Medicine.Thiamin.Praharaj SK, Munoli RN, Shenoy S, Udupa ST, Thomas LS.High-dose thiamine strategy in Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome and related thiamine deficiency conditions associated with alcohol use disorder.Indian J Psychiatry. 2021;63(2):121-126. doi:10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_440_20

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.Alcohol Alert.

National Institute on Drug Abuse.Sex and gender differences in substance use.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.

National Library of Medicine.Wernicke-korsakoff syndrome.

Isenberg-Grzeda E, Alici Y, Hatzoglou V, Nelson C, Breitbart W.Nonalcoholic thiamine-related encephalopathy (Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome) among inpatients with cancer: A series of 18 cases.Psychosomatics. 2016;57(1):71-81. doi:10.1016/j.psym.2015.10.001

Oudman E, Wijnia JW, Severs D, et al.Wernicke’s encephalopathy in acute and chronic kidney disease: A systematic review.J Ren Nutr. 2024;34(2):105-114. doi:10.1053/j.jrn.2023.10.003

National Organization for Rare Disorders.Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.

Habas E, Farfar K, Errayes N, Rayani A, Elzouki AN.Wernicke encephalopathy: An updated narrative review.Saudi J Med Med Sci. 2023;11(3):193-200. doi:10.4103/sjmms.sjmms_416_22

National Library of Medicine.Thiamin.

Praharaj SK, Munoli RN, Shenoy S, Udupa ST, Thomas LS.High-dose thiamine strategy in Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome and related thiamine deficiency conditions associated with alcohol use disorder.Indian J Psychiatry. 2021;63(2):121-126. doi:10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_440_20

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