Alcohol use causes thiamine deficiency in two major ways. One way this occurs is through a lack of nutrition from an inadequate diet. Many ...Alcoholusedamagesthebodyandmindinmanycomplexways,includingthedepletionofvitalvitaminsandminerals. Thelifestyleofheavydrinkerscancontributetonutrientdeficiency,ascanthedecreasedfunctionoforgansandbodilysystemsthatmustworkefficientlytomaintainhealth. Thiamine,alsoknownasVitaminB1,hasvariouscriticalfunctionsthroughoutthebodyincludingtheprocessingofproteins,fats,andcarbohydratestobeusedasenergybytheheartandbrain. Alcoholusecausesthiaminedeficiencyinafewdifferentways,andifallowedtobecomesevere,itcanleadtoapotentiallylife-threateningconditioncalledberiberi.Understandingthewaysinwhichalcoholusecandepletethiaminelevelsandleadtothisconditionmayhelpthosesufferingfromalcoholaddictionandthoseinrecoverytorecognizethesymptomsinthemselves,orpreventthisconditionfromoccurring.WhatisThiamine?ThiamineisaBvitaminthatdoesnotnaturallyoccurinthehumanbody. Thismeansthatwemustingestitinourdietstomaintainahealthyquantityinourbodyatalltimes. Thiamineplaysanintegralroleinthebrain,digestivesystem,andcentralnervoussystem.Byhelpingtosynthesizeacetylcholineinthebrain,thiaminepreventsmemoryloss. Inordertopullnutrientsandenergyfromourfood,thiamineassistsintheproductionofstomachacidandmaintainstheefficiencyofalldigestiveorgans.Thisincludestheregulationofmetabolismandthepreventionofconstipation. Thisessentialvitaminisalsoinvolvedinthedeliveryofelectrolytestomuscleandnervecells,regulatingnervefunctionandmaintainingbalanceinthebody.Thiaminecanbefoundinmanyfoodssuchaswholegrains,eggs,nuts,andsomemeats. Ifyouexperienceathiaminedeficiencyorhavetroublegettingenoughthiamineintoyourdiet,youcansupplementwithpurethiamine,multi-vitamins,orB-complexvitaminsthatdeliverthemanyBvitaminsyourbodyneedstofunctionefficiently. Unfortunately,evenwiththeadditionofsupplements,heavyalcoholusecandepletethebody’sthiaminetodangerouslevels.Thiaminedeficiencycancauseseveralseriousconditionsa