The Conversation We Need to Have About Alcohol and Dementia

Dementia is one of those words that can stop a conversation. It feels heavy and confronting, and for many people it is something they would rather not think about but avoiding the topic does not protect us. Understanding it might.

In Australia, dementia has been the leading cause of death for women since 2016. In 2024, 62.4 per cent of people who died from dementia were women. These are not distant or abstract numbers, they tell us this is a real and growing issue, and one that deserves more open conversation.

We need to start talking about dementia, not in a way that creates fear, but in a way that builds awareness. We already accept the idea of reducing our risk of heart disease or cancer through lifestyle choices. Brain health deserves the same level of attention.

For me, this conversation is deeply personal.

Seeing dementia when I was young

I saw dementia up close when I was young, within my own family. At the time, I did not have the language to describe what was happening, but I could feel it. I could see the confusion, the changes in behaviour, and the slow loss of familiarity in someone we loved.

What stayed with me most was not only what dementia took from that person, but what it demanded of everyone else. The emotional weight. The quiet grief that arrived long before death. The way families adapt, often without realising it, around care, worry and loss.

Those early experiences stayed with me, even when life moved on. Years later, when I began questioning my own relationship with alcohol, they resurfaced with clarity and urgency.

Dementia is not just “old age”

Dementia is often spoken about as if it is an unavoidable part of getting older. It is not.

It is a chronic condition with many contributing factors. While age plays a role, lifestyle choices across decades also matter. What we consistently expose our brains to shapes how they function later in life.

Alcohol is one of those exposures.

There is a recognised condition known as alcohol-related brain injury, sometimes referred to as alcohol-related dementia. Long-term, heavy alcohol use can damage brain cells, impair memory and decision-making, and increase the risk of developing dementia.

A growing body of research shows a clear link between prolonged alcohol consumption and cognitive decline. More recent studies are also challenging the long-held belief that there is a completely “safe” level of alcohol when it comes to brain health. This does not mean that everyone who drinks will develop dementia, but it does mean alcohol is not the neutral substance it has long been portrayed to be.

Why this mattered in my decision to stop drinking

I did not stop drinking because I believed dementia was inevitable if I continued. None of us get that kind of certainty. I stopped because I wanted to give myself the best possible chance.

Having seen dementia within my own family, I understood how devastating it can be, not just for the individual but for everyone who loves them. As I learned more about the impact of alcohol on the brain, it became harder to justify continuing to drink something that increased my long-term risk.

Choosing an alcohol free life was not driven by fear, it was driven by responsibility. A quiet decision to care for my brain while I had the capacity to do so. If dementia were ever to touch my life, I want to know that it was not because I ignored what I knew and that I made informed choices. That I tried.

This is about awareness, not judgement.

This is not about telling people what they should or should not do. It is not about blame or shame.

It is about awareness.

For a long time, alcohol has been woven into our culture as something normal, expected and even necessary. The long-term risks, particularly for women, have often been minimised or overlooked. As the evidence becomes clearer, the conversation needs to evolve too.

Awareness creates space for choice and choice allows us to respond in ways that align with our values and our health.

That response might look like drinking less, taking regular breaks, or choosing to stop altogether. It might also begin with simply paying closer attention to how alcohol fits into your life and how it makes you feel. There is no single right answer, only informed ones.

The choice is always yours.

If this topic stirs something in you, let it. You do not need to rush to a conclusion.

Sit with the information. Ask questions. Read more. Talk to your GP if you need to. Reflect on what you want your future health to look like, and what role alcohol plays in that picture. Dementia is confronting, but silence does not protect us. Education, awareness and small, intentional choices do.

For me, choosing not to drink is one way I honour what I saw when I was young, and one way I look after the life I still want to live.

And that feels like a choice worth making.

By: Caitlin Behrens

References:
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2024). Causes of Death, Australia.
https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/causes-death/causes-death-australia/latest-release

Dementia Australia. Alcohol-Related Brain Injury (ARBI).
https://www.dementia.org.au/about-dementia/alcohol-related-brain-injury-arbi

Topiwala, A. et al. (2017). Moderate alcohol consumption as risk factor for adverse brain outcomes and cognitive decline. BMJ.

Schwarzinger, M. et al. (2018). Contribution of alcohol use disorders to dementia cases. The Lancet Public Health.