From Science Daily on 05/20/14:
Three brain attentional networks -- alerting, orienting, and executive control -- have been studied among alcohol-dependent (AD) individuals. Results indicate that AD individuals have particularly pronounced deficits in executive control. These deficits were strongly correlated with duration of AD habits, number of previous detoxification treatments, and mean alcohol consumption prior to detoxification.
Editor's note:
Back in the old days when I was beginning my career in the mental health field in the late 60s and 70s, we used to call this lack of executive functioning in chronic alcoholics "squash rot" meaning that the brain functioning of people suffering from chronic alcoholism was impaired. They made poor judgements. They couldn't plan, organize, and execute a daily routine of activities, etc. Some times this condition is called a "dry drunk" because even though the person is abstinent from alcohol their functioning is still similar to when they were drunk. In this study, the focus on lack of executive functioning is conceptualized as a factor leading to relapse and a factor in avoiding future drinking situations. While this is true, I think this lack or deterioration of executive functioning has far greater impacts in that the person has a much more difficult time just engaging in the normal tasks of daily life.
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