my uncle who has been drinking since his dad i guess passed away and even before then he drank (Beer) his liver is failing and he knows it but he stopped drinking for like a week then he started again but now i noticed that her has these blackouts that happen randomly he is 43 years old and he has enhailers for breathing he also faces the fact that he produces too much iron i just want to focus on if these could be seizures because he can be talking to you at one point and then if you ask him a question he sometimes forgets he is even asked that question he has been a plumber for a long time i dont know if any of the stuff he works with may have caused too much stress on the brain or something, my twin brother who is 18 suffers from the same thing i just worrie about my brother and my uncle i need help please!
Hi Kylepesce, Alcoholic blackouts typically mean episodes where the person has amnesia ie. he can not remember an episode. Apparently your uncle is showing those signs. This usually occurs in a period of intoxication (excessive drinking leading to abnormality) rather than withdrawal syndrom (abnormalities occuring when drinking stopped abruptly after the body is dependent on it) Also, yes an alcohol dependent can have seizures both in intoxication as well as in withdrawal. Also, if he is producing more Iron, that physical cause can also lead to seizures. There are many other reasons, physically, why an alochol dependant person can have seizures like vitamin deficiency, low blood sugar etc. Also, loss of short term memory could be an indicator of impending dementia (memory loss) called alcohol dementia....again there are many reasons why the memory, of a person dependent on alcohol, is not right. Also, there is no use stopping drinking just like that, having been dependant on it for so long.....it has to be done either slowly with gradual reduction in dose of alcohol or with cover of many medication if stopped sudenly. It can sometimes be fatal if stopped suddently without support of medication LET ME END BY SAYING...IT IS HIGH TIME YOUR UNCLE GOT PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT OF EITHER ADDICTION PSYCHIATRIST OR DURG&ALCOHOL TEAM IN YOUR LOCAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. I would think your twin brother might be having other causes if he has the same symptoms unless, at 18 years of age, he is allready as dependant on alcohol as your uncle. Please contact your nearest psychiatrist/ alcohol/addictions team for help. Good Luck to all of you