DETECTING DETERIORATION: ALCOHOL
It is well known that long-term alcohol abuse can affect higher-order functioning of the brain. It can impair memory and the ability to plan ahead. Usually, this catches up with men in their 50s and 60s.
One of the first symptoms is a dissociation between what they say and what they do. Affected men can recite rules but have trouble acting on them. It’s not deliberate: they just can’t. They know what is required, but they don’t put it into practice and they can’t see that they are not doing so.
One senior executive with a history of heavy drinking recently bowed to pressure from colleagues and consulted a neuropsychologist. He had excellent social skills, had obviously been very bright in the past and could hold a wonderful conversation. But although he was perfectly charming, he had a very poor memory. The doctor would tell him something, and when he raised it a few minutes later, it was as if the executive had never heard the information before.
CPs often do not pick up such impairments during standard check-ups. They do many basic tests but are not equipped to assess higher-order brain function. Men like this executive often sail through routine check-ups because their social skills disguise their symptoms.
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