hey all! i've been looking for the right "forum", no pun intended, to ask this question. while i'm only 28 i truly feel like my mental quickness is slipping. for example, one of the things i pride myself on is how articulate i am when i speak. and in the past it was never an issue expressing myself, my only concern was learning the right words to get that job done. however now when i'm speaking constantly i can't find the word i'm looking for. i mean i know what it is, i know what it means, i know i know the word. i just sit there and blank for 10-20 seconds. most of the time i'll eventually get it, but more and more i just have to give up. while that's the most frustrating symptom, i also have trouble doing word jumbles or "where's waldo"-esque type games. i just sit there staring.. with my wheels turning. i'm a very tech oriented guy, always interested in talking politics or social theory, i'm not pretentious, or at least i hope not, but i do like to think of myself as an intellectual person. so it just really bothers me that i'm loosing my edge, so to speak. i've talked with other people and they seem to think it could just be a lack of stimulation. i'm an owner in a little business that brings me in enough income that i really don't have to work but an hour or two a day and it's very mundane, just printing and packing shipments. as a result i'm not forced to really do anything engaging. also i wondered if it could be a result of my drinking increasing. before i only partook on the weekends, but with the extra free time i drink pretty much every night. nothing heavy, two to four beers a night, but i've always heard alcohol kills brain cells i've been in this rut for about two years/

regardless what the cause is, what i'm looking for is a resolution. i mean i've experimented with aniracetams, but i don't think they're a solid fix. are there some eastern herbs anyone's heard of, or would omega-3's really make that big of a difference? of course i've heard doing things like brain reflection test, brain creativity tests, memory test, brain stretching games, IQ boosting exercises, brain stimulation games, spatial intelligence games like the Rubik's cube help. i was wondering if anyone had some real hard and fast answers, all input is welcome, thanks!

Cease. Drinking. ETOH. Now.......a combo of excess etoh intake and malnutrition may well be the genesis of your problem. Taking vitamin B12 and thiamine may be of help. good luck

There are websites for mental stimulation, google it.

Johns Hopkins has a White Paper (about $20 for their PDF file) that addresses these issues. They have several papers you can get for free, as well as updates.

I would suggest you find an area you are passionate about. Passion seems to help my internal "search engine" find words. Anger and Adrenalin work too (short term of course).

Go to the Mayo Clinic and type in "MCI". Mild Cognitive Impairment is an interesting area. I detoxed off morphine (car wreck - I am 100% disabled) due to Respiratory shutdown in 2008. My mind does not function as well as it did. Not sure why. Not a function of age, more a function of opiates and other prescribed drugs. I also did public speaking and taught graduate level courses. I would not be able to do that today. BTW, I am 64. Most of what they printed about MCI fits me. I have been retired since age 55 (car wreck was 9 years ago).

Good luck with your search, at least you are intelligent enough to understand things aren't functioning as well as they used to.

Thanks for your post. I've also recently gone off morphine. I've "heard" that long term opiod use creates a situation where our brians stop producing the neurotransmitters and whatever we need to think clearly and avoid depression. Do you know anything about this situation?
Thank you,
Tazzpup

Hi S, There are so many possible reasons for foggy brain,a term which is used descriptively by doctors and understood. Everything from chronic dehydration to lack of exercise and poor oxygenation, to liver stress and onward. Have you had a blood work up by your doctor to rule out high liver enzymes? I would start with the basics and work your way along. Any regular drinking can affect the liver, foggy brain is one sign of this. I also have lost some articulation skills I used to pride myself on, I can relate to your distress.

This was the result of a stroke along with meds and liver issues. Ask for a scan to rule out brain issues, not to be an alarmist. Only if other tests come back normal. I doubt this is the case. A work up by a Neuropsychologist is also helpful if the mystery continues. Expensive, but will give an objective baseline of functioning levels for future comparison. Also read more on links about B12 and metabolic issues and nutrient deficiencies. Taking supplements and absorbing them are often separate issues. Mrs D is the recourse on this site whom I think is one of the most widely informed and quite perceptive. Maybe she has some suggestions as well. Good luck and never give up-except the booze perhaps (as an experiment which will cost you nothing). Best Wishes TT

I apologize for not following up sooner on this thread. As with everything in life somethings just get set to the back burner indiscriminately. I appreciate the feedback, the replies were more technical than the average joe's answer and that's what I was really looking for. I'm going to try all the proposed solutions and will report back with what I've found. However in the meantime per TT's mention "Mrs D" if you do read this I'd appreciate your input as well. Thanks!