Since I've noticed several posts lately about this I thought I'd start one of my own, since I've been down both roads. I posted a reply about my journey through these two diseases on another thread about Alzheimer's. In this other thread on "my mom has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's", I shared that the department associated with an alcoholic professor that I was involved with an intervention with, asked if the man could have Alzheimer's instead, not wanting to accept that the man was an alcoholic. It was as though somehow that was more acceptable than alcoholism. I thought that interesting. Anyway, at the time (18 years ago) I was not as familiar with the two diseases as I am now. At the time I only had my grandmother's Alzheimer's to compare it to , and quite frankly there wasn't as much known about the disease at that time. Now we know that actually there is a form of Alzheimer's that chronic alcoholics can suffer from, it's called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome or "wet brain". This occurs from a thianmine deficiency doe to malnutrition of the alcoholic. My point I guess is this: where these are two seperate definitive diseases that stand on their own, alcoholism and Alzheimer's can also be associated with each other, and one (alcoholism) can in some cases cause the other(Alzheimer's), but this is not always the case.

The other thing I've noticed being a caregiver of both diseases, is that they effect us in so much the same way... that's why the Steps and program have been so important to me on both journeys. Both diseases isolate us, both diseases seem to "scare" people not educated about the disease and they often dissassociate themselves from those of us living with the disease. I think that's why people even NOT living with Alzheimer's, but living with Alcoholism understand what those of us who are living with Alzheimer's are going through, even in some cases better than those who attend the Alzheimer's Association forum that I go to on another site. The reason for this, I believe, it we (Al-anon's) have the tools to deal with both diseases... the Steps and Traditions. We have learned how to "detach with love", "take care of ourselves first", "Live and Let Live" and take One Day at a Time. I am forever grateful for this program, and for those of you who are struggling with both diseases, I also suggest visiting the http://www.alzconnected.org/discussion.aspx?tid=2147492912 website and the message boards and chat rooms there. Cause guess what? THEY NEED OUR PROGRAM TOO, and their not even aware of it! LOL Just trying to share some experience, strength and hope.

Blessings and prayers to all of you out there fighting on the front lines of both of these diseases.

Love in recovery,

Overcome