alcohol and psychosis

[chuck_norris]

Hi,

Just a quick question regarding the ability of plain old alcohol to precipitate psychosis. I would not consider myself an alcoholic, and probably drink to the point of getting drunk once/twice a week, and don't drink during the week. I've never had any problems from it apart from the usual; blackouts, hangovers etc. However recently, I've noticed a strange phenomenon after particularly long binges. Over the past few weeks I've twice engaged in day-long drinking sessions (at social events), probably consuming 30+ drinks over the course of the day (10am ---> 2am). At around 2am, on both occassions I've experienced what I could only describe as a psychotic reaction, complete with paranoia and strong delusions that people are watching me in the corner of my vision. I've seen them referred to as "shadow-people" on this thread, but only as a result of stimulant binges. This is obviously concerning, and I'm essentially wondering if anyone can point me in the direction of some more information, as my searches haven't yielded anything. No argument that I was consuming irresponsibly large quantities of alcohol, but I've done the same in the past without this effect, and I was under the impression that GABAergics do not have a reputation for this kind of reaction, with the exception of withdrawal.

 

[TheAzo]

I'm hardly surprised that things started getting weird after being drunk for 16 hours straight. Dehydration (alcohol tends to dehydrate you, because it's both a diuretic and requires water to metabolize) could have played a part too. I think the simple solution is to avoid drinking like that in the future.

 

[Charleston_Car]

I dunno, man. Were you trying to go to sleep at the time? Like, what I mean is, sometimes when I get home really late you know been up all day working at school and go to get drunk as fuck then come home and try to sleep, like, I'm so drunk I can't even see straight and if you're drinkin as much as you say you are then you know how i feel right so what I'm tryin to get across here is sometimes I'll like start dreaming but not notice that I'm dreaming cause i'm mindfucked from the booze and i think i'm fucking hallucinating and i'll see faces in the walls and weird shit on my hands, and maybe you're just getting the same thing, you know? it could be anything really i mean it could just be your brain's way of saying "now wait a fucking second you need to slow down there tiger", alcohol's a drug just like any other drug even though we don't think of it like that usually but the truth is that like any other (fun) drugs if you abuse it your head'll abuse you back, just don't drink or at least not to that extent and get good sleep and you'll probably be fine, man.

 

[Surgeon General]

Yes, alcohol withdrawal can lead to hallucinations, which usually manifest and take hold before the individual has a seizure. Alcohol affects GABA, which you know of course. Someone experiencing alcohol withdrawals has too little GABA in their brain from downregulation--GABA being the important neurotransmitter that depresses the entire CNS--which results in uncontrolled and non-selective neuron firing, which is an alcohol withdrawal.

To answer your question, the hallucinations you described could possibly be aggravated by things like dehydration and exhaustion, however I am confident to say that they are a direct result of your withdrawals. Remember, there are two distinct phases of withdrawal from alcohol. There are the immediate withdrawals that set in while you are drinking that require you to drink more and more every 10-30 minutes, because the psychoactive effects in someone physically dependent on alcohol begin to fade very quickly. Then there are the typical withdrawals that begin to peak 24 hours after the start of the drinking episode that last from 2-5 days, sometimes longer depending factors like how long the person has been experiencing withdrawals, whether or not they have been getting drunk WHILE withdrawing (worst idea), and the number of withdrawals the individual has experienced in their lifetime.

to make things clear, your body is physically dependent on alcohol, and what you are experiencing is most definitely withdrawals. the best advice I can give you is to go to a good detox that will wane you off the alcohol using benzodiazepines. these things never subside; they will never go away. the withdrawals are here for the rest of your life. I myself have stopped for nearly a year, but when I drank again even in moderate dosage they came back with a vengeance. they only answer to to stop drinking. but remember, just simply quitting in that state of severe withdrawal can be fatal. be careful.

hope this was helpful.

 

[/navarone/]

I think saying fatal is a bit exagerrated, unless of course you are referring to getting physically harmed during a seizure which can happend after a long time heavy drinking habbit due to both GABA and NMDA downregulation, NMDA especially has a wider range of effects on other receptors than GABA and I guess that is why alcohol withdrawal is tougher than benzodiazepine withdrawal, I've experienced both to a very high degree and alcohol was definetly the worse considering also the hepatic and general health impairment after intoxication. The long time 'dependence' as described by Surgeon General is mostly psychological than neurological though it's still an unbelievabely strong impulse which requires a lot of self control because in the end the incoscious part of our brain is like a baby craving for candy.
Sure alcohol does cause neurological damage and in long time drinkers the damage can be permanent, thats why I advice you to quickly solve this problem before you drink yourself retarded, get some pharmacological and psychological therapy as soon as you can (AA is not the most recommended).
My mother has been an alcoholic since before I was born and she ended up in the hospital countless times, with some professional help she was able to take long brakes up to 3 years of sobriety where she turned in a completely new and wonderfull person but she still has some deep mood and anxiety disorder which make her so weak and vulnerable to alcohol that even the smallest glass of beer causes her to completely lose control due to the immediate cravings.
You gotta take your decision and follow it with all the determination you can grasp out of your mind if you want to get back being a responsible drinker.

Wish you all the luck....Cheers...*hic*

BTW is my country(Italy) the only place crazy enough to prescribes vials of GHB to treat alcoholism?

 

[-25]

I have on many occasions in my past abused alcohol to this point and way past this point. I have experienced hallucinations both from withdrawls and being awake for long periods of time consuming large amounts of alcohol. The brain/mind can truly do anything when one binges on anything. Sleep deprivation/lack of good sleep can lead to hallucinations by itself, as can low blood sugar/malnutrition. Once one gets past a certain point in a drinking binge, shit gets weird fast.

 

[ColtDan]

when i was younger i used drink like a nutter, indulge in heavy weekend binges, ending up paralytic hardly able to walk, talk, etc. was a right mess. passing out all over the place then often waking up still drunk then remaining drunk through the day feeling like shit... then drinking again, passing out, waking up still drunk. it took a toll in the end. suffered from mild alcohol w/d quite a few times, anxious, disconnected, feeling weird, hallucinations of curtains rippling as if wind was blowing through a window behind them even if the window was shut, sweating. difficulty sleeping. no shakes though. mind would feel fuzzy for a few days, couldnt think with clear mental clarity

 

[negrogesic]

I am confident to say that they are a direct result of your withdrawals. .

to make things clear, your body is physically dependent on alcohol, and what you are experiencing is most definitely withdrawals.

the best advice I can give you is to go to a good detox that will wane you off the alcohol using benzodiazepines.

these things never subside; they will never go away. the withdrawals are here for the rest of your life.

Quoted above me are a number of broad assumptions stated with such surety as to convey a matter of fact (if not by the authoritative font alone!). These assumptions are, while seemingly well-intended, speculative and of questionable merit.....

Of these; the notion that said features of psychosis/delusion (as reported) can be directly ascribed to ethanol-withdrawal.....

As the Italian mentioned in a few posts above me, ethanol is not purely GABAergic in action. Bizarre or atypical reactions are not uncommon in even the heaviest drinkers (including accounts consistent with dissociative anesthetics psychotomimesis, etc). Also, as mentioned, your 'binge' pattern of drinking can easily result in disorienting states of sleep/nutrient-deprivation.

As to these states of psychosis; are they accompanied with any other symptoms that might be described as 'physical' (muscle spasms, cramps, etc)? How long has this cycle gone on (binge drinking)? Out of pure curiosity what is the particularly beverage of choice (ie, the '30+' drinks)?