Average Age Alcoholic Neuropathy Symptoms Begin

How many years of heavy drinking does it typically take before the first symptoms of alcoholic neuropathy appear? Are older people more likely to suffer from it than young adults? And what age groups are most at risk?

How much alcohol abuse is needed to cause alcoholic neuropathy?

The process by which alcoholism damages nerves is a slow one, occurring over a long period of time. It typically takes at least five, but usually ten years of heavy alcohol abuse to get to the point where the first symptoms of neuropathy will be felt. Binge drinking for a few weeks or even months is not nearly enough to cause alcoholic neuropathy.  So if you have not been an alcoholic for nearly a decade, then the symptoms you are feeling are most likely not caused by alcoholic neuropathy.

The first sign of alcoholic neuropathy is usually an intense, prickly, tingly, and numb feeling in the feet or toes that occurs suddenly, seemingly overnight. Less often it affects the hands first, as was my case. Usually, but not always, the pain is felt symmetrically in both hands and feet. Sometimes it will only be felt on one side but usually spreads to the opposite side quickly.

If the afflicted does not stop drinking and seek treatment, the neuropathy will progress further up the arms and legs. It will also damage the autonomic nervous system, affecting muscle strength and motor movement. The reproductive system can also be impacted, causing erectile dysfunction and loss of sensation in the penis.

So, at what age is a person most likely to get alcoholic polyneuropathy?

There are cases of people as early as their early 20s developing alcoholic neuropathy. If a person becomes an alcoholic at say, 14 years old, then it would be expected that first symptoms would develop around that time.

But the average age for alcoholic neuropathy to develop is older than that. In my case, I was 43 years old and had been a heavy drinker for over 20 years. Everybody’s situation is different and only a physician can tell you for sure if you truly have alcoholic neuropathy.

Nerve damage caused by alcoholism is cumulative over a lifetime. So, generally, the chances of developing alcoholic neuropathy increase as one ages. But it can strike at any age, so don’t dismiss your symptoms if you are a young adult. We can say that symptoms of neuropathy will start to appear, on average, after a decade of chronic alcoholism.

How common is alcoholic neuropathy among alcoholics?

It is estimated that 75% to 80% of long-term alcoholics (a decade or more) will suffer from neuropathy. Very few alcoholics are spared. But never give up hope– the debilitating symptoms need not be permanent. If you quit drinking, take vitamins, and eat a clean diet, you can reverse your symptoms in as little as a few weeks or months. I did it. And so did many others. Our stories are in the comments section on the page at that link.

Why does it take so long for alcoholism to cause any symptoms of neuropathy?

To date, it is not totally understood how alcoholism damages nerves. But it is believed there are two actions at play. First, when alcohol is processed by the body, ethanol is oxidized to acetaldehyde, which can reach toxic levels in the nerve cells of alcoholics. Acetaldehyde is a neurotoxin that slowly damages the myelin sheath that covers nerve axons. Over many years, damaged nerves lose their ability to transmit electrical signals effectively. This is neuropathy.

Secondly, alcoholics tend to be chronically malnourished. Specifically, vitamin B1 (thiamine) and vitamin B12, both of which are critical to nerve function, flush from the body when alcohol is processed. Long-term, low levels of the B vitamins are known to cause neuropathy. If you are trying to recover from alcoholic polyneuropathy, you should take daily B vitamin supplements. An even more effective option is to get vitamin B injections.

Photo credit: John Keogh, (CC BY-NC 2.0)