brain confusion lingering after alcohol consumption

[youngguy800]

hey i'm a 21 year old white male. I am no alcoholic but have been the occasional binge drinker for awhile. Occasional being 3-4 times a month... The first time i got drunk I was around 14. I started "partying" on the weekends by the time I was 16/17 and slowed down by the time I hit college. Ive probably blacked out like 10 times in my life.. Despite the "play hard" lifestyle I also work pretty hard and have maintained a great GPA in a hard major etc etc... anyways, on weekend nights when I go to the bars with friends and drink moderately to heavy (nothing insane) I cannot recover my thoughts to study/ function for the life of me, even if i was not even intoxicated.. I've been "hungover" but this confusion/ brain dead feelings lasting a couple days/ weeks after (depending on the duration and intensity) has gotten scary. I drink plenty of water, eat healthy, exercise, vitamins etc etc... Obviously I drink much less and consider myself prudent compared to my male and female collegiate counterparts. I guess my concern is if there is some kinda accumulated brain damage I should be aware of? or if my anxiety medication Celexa may have something to do with this?? I have even gotten an MRI that my neurologist said "looked good on paper". Guess im hoping its not too late to start considering the long term consequences may have on my studies. If i can go about a month or two without drinking more than a glass of wine on a Friday night then I start to feel normalcy again... besides the obvious don't drink.. any comments?

thanks.

[ibizan]

Its NEVER too late for anyone to get help!I only mentioned my education for I'd used it a lot in the past to rationalize why I didn't have a problem!It was only when I got into recovery that the REAL education of life........BEGAN!

[ibizan]

The only thing i can add after the BRILLIANT advice my brother:)Rpoohbear gave u is that i obtained a bachelors AND a masters degree while active in my addiction rationalizing ALL the things i hadn't done YET......or wasn't that bad....and they eventually happened.Alcoholism is an EOE of all of us...irregardless of age,race, color and socioeconomic class.Be vigilant against it!

[Durroz]

So sad I couldn’t comment 7 years ago. If you brag about your masters then use use caps instead of real punctuation and also do not know that irregadless isn’t a word...RANDOM CAP WORD. As a very high functioning nearly 40 year old alcoholic and professional do not minimialize youth and college drinking (says the nearly 40 years old still looking this stuff up who started at 12). I know it’s where my problem starts and have been battlingg ever since. I would like to think that I have been doing it successfully, but if I got help earlier (ive never had help) who knows where I would be. I was an athlehte, MVP 4 letter, a 4.0 student who held a steady job through high school to fund trips to Europe for soccer. Yet, 20 years later it’s nearly constantly on my my mind.  Get help early and be as open and honest with those that you love as you can.

[rpooo]

It's good to hear how well you have your life on track with your school but be more cautious with your alcohol. It sounds like you have worked very hard to get where you want to be but don't think for a minute alcohol cant get to you too. It has gotten to a lot of people who have worked harder and done better.

You say you are not an alcoholic but you first got drunk when you were 14? Blacked out 10 times by the age of 21. Your posting with concerns in an alcoholism forum. You should be aware that anxiety is a common side effect brought on by alcoholism but may also be hereditary. Alcohol is a depressant. Celexa is normal prescribed to treat depression. Please continue to use caution.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001041/

Citalopram (Celexa) is used to treat depression. Citalopram is in a class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). It is thought to work by increasing the amount of serotonin, a natural substance in the brain that helps maintain mental balance.

Other uses for this medicine

Citalopram is also sometimes used to treat eating disorders, alcoholism, panic disorder (condition that causes sudden attacks of extreme fear with no apparent cause), premenstrual dysphoric disorder (a group of physical and emotional symptoms that occur before the menstrual period each month), and social phobia (excessive anxiety about interacting with others). Talk to your doctor about the possible risks of using this medication for your condition.

Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of the following symptoms, or those listed in the IMPORTANT WARNING section, call your doctor immediately or get emergency medical treatment:

chest pain
shortness of breath
dizziness
fainting
fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat
hallucinating (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist)
fever, excessive sweating
confusion
coma (loss of consciousness)
loss of coordination
stiff or twitching muscles
hives or blisters
rash
itching
difficulty breathing or swallowing
swelling of the face, throat, tongue, lips, eyes, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs
hoarseness
unusual bleeding or bruising
headache
unsteadiness
problems with thinking, concentration, or memory
seizures

Citalopram may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.

I strongly recommend talking to your doctor about how your feeling, perhaps your dosage needs adjusted or should be discontinued. DO NOT discontinue this drug without consulting your doctor. I hope this helps you out. Take care!

Randy