Heavy drinking may impair balance-study

Liquor affects the cerebellum, which coordinates the fine muscle movements involved in maintaining balance.

A recent study found that drinkers who have called it quits on alcohol can still face serious balance issues in later life.

Dr. Kevin P. Hill, psychiatrist-in-charge at the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass. stated, "A lot of people don't think about addictions as chronic medical illnesses, but they are in every way.

"Just as a person with diabetes might ultimately develop loss of sensation and feeling in extremities, people with alcohol addiction might permanently lose balance and coordination."

A 3 part test
The focus of the study was to assess the short-term and long-term impact of abstinence on gait and standing balance.

For the purpose of the study, the researchers enrolled 200 volunteers. They were split into three groups. The first comprised 70 alcoholics who had abstained from alcohol for atleast six to 15 weeks.

The second included 82 heavy drinkers who had been sober for an average of about seven years while the third was the control group of 52 non-alcoholics.

Each participant underwent a three part test. They were first screened for recent drug and alcohol use.

Following that clearance, the subjects were then asked to perform balance tests including standing heel-to-toe with their arms folded across the chest for 60 seconds, standing on one leg, or walking along a straight line.

The balance tests were then repeated for all with their eyes closed.

Findings of the study
The researchers found participants belonging to the first group, classified as recent quitters fared the worst in the balance co-ordination tests.

Though abstinence had resulted in some improvements, the study found alcoholism still caused gait and balance problems in the long run.

With eyes closed, the performance of diagnosed alcoholics who had been sober for several years was worse than their non-drinking counterparts.

Co-author of the study, Stan Smith, a neurobehavioral scientist at Neurobehavioral Research Inc in Honolulu, Hawaii explained, "Visual feedback makes balance easier by providing visual reference points for motor adjustment.

"Yet even with extended abstinence, structures important for balance – like the cerebellum – may not fully recover, so impaired performance on the more difficult balance measures persists."

The study is published in `Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research`.