Have I permanently ruined my brain?

there are exams that one can take to assess cognitive ability and memory function among other things.

I have known guys who I was sure smoked themselves stupid. I think it is possible. If it is a concern I would suggest you go get it checked out.

Will your INS cover it?

doc now!

Another resource is Dr Daniel Amen and his work on brain health. This is just one link with info http://www.anewdayanewme.com/ANewDayANewMe/dr-daniel-amenyou-can-reverse-the-aging-process-in-your-brain/

As a former hard-core "pot head" (among other things), I can relate. Drugs (of all kinds) will damage your brain in some way, shape or form. The good news is the resilience of the human body and it's ability to heal itself. There may be parts of your brain that are fried and will remain so for the rest of your life. BUT, your brain has the ability to "re-wire" itself. It will take time, but you can recover. I know this first hand. And thank God you've realized what you were doing to yourself.

Definitely see a dr and be brutally honest about everything you did. Explain what you're looking for and hopefully they will be able to help.

Neuropsychological evaluation PRONTO.

I don't know anything about the long term effects on your brain, but just posting to say that I'm SO glad you're doing better!

As a recovering addict (prescription pills), all I can offer is my own experience. I have the same issues with processing information and memory as you do, and I largely attribute it to my drug abuse. See a doctor. That's the only way to know for sure. There are ways to help rebuild your memory.

Okay: done is done. Just plain clean living may help to bring back some cognitive function that has been lost..
I would worry about going forward from where you are right now.
The more you study and try to learn the more you will learn.
If your brain has changed than you may need to learn new techniques to learn things. These techniques may be different than what worked for you before. In many ways your brain is like anything else; it can be trained to do what you need it to.

I just wanted to add that I think you should feel safe talking to a doctor about this. Make it clear that you are feeling much better and no longer have any desire to hurt yourself and just want to get better and feel normal. They will probably want you to get psychiatric treatment (which is probably not a bad idea, but which you can refuse) but you shouldn't worry about being committed against your will. Definitely go in, tell somebody the whole story, and stop stressing out about it by yourself!

HOWEVER!! Neuro-pathways that carry information in the brain that were pruned (essentially meaning they died) while we were drinking will be regenerated during extended periods of sobriety.

Not true. The neuropathways cannot regenerate. They will, however, create a new "route" to do the same job. Once they're dead, they're gone. The brain is amazingly powerful though, and will find a new way to work.

I am positive that you will make a full recovery! You are quite young, and your brain isn't even finished with some major growth, so it will repair better than it would if you were much older. Still, neuroplasticity (the brain's ability to adapt, rewire, rebuild, and heal) happens at any age and after almost any stress that you put it through.

I had major brain trouble for a long time, not due to alcohol but due to similar stressors. I had many days where I was sure that I could never recover, but the human brain and body are miracles of the universe and I was proved wrong! I've never been so happy to be wrong

Here's what I did that helped me speed up my recovery:

Diet:

The most significant thing that helped me was cutting out all grains. I didn't realize until a few weeks after I'd stopped eating them, that I am psychologically intolerant to grains and that I can think so much more clearly without them. Of course your mileage may vary, everyone is different, but there's no harm in trying "Paleo" or something similar (GAPS diet/SCD, etc) for a week or so, to see how you feel. Low-carb diets can actually be really beneficial for healing the brain, though at least for me it wasn't sustainable for the long term. I eat a lot of potatoes and fruit for carbs, but when I was much lower carb I think that it sped up my healing process.

I found that too much sugar gave me brain fog and increased depressive episodes, so I try to only get it from fruit and the occasional chocolate bar. It's best to have fruit and other sugars with a good source of protein and/or fats.

Juicing in the morning was really good for me for a while, especially juicing large amounts of greens such as spinach.

Another really important thing I did was increase my intake of healthy fats (including healthy SATURATED fat! Saturated fat is excellent for the brain and nervous system.) Fish/fish oil, coconut oil, meat, olive oil, eggs, etc.

Exercise:

I went for a 30 minute brisk walk each day, which lifted my mood and got my brain more motivated and ready to tackle the day. The walk worked best in the morning, right after a little something to eat.

Smoking:

Not sure if you smoke cigarettes or not, but I thought I'd add this because it made such a difference with me. After six years of smoking more than a pack a day, I finally quit smoking at the end of July this year. Not only did my physical energy improve, but my brainpower got so much sharper! Quitting smoking also eased residual anxiety/depression that I had.

Herbs:

These herbs improve brain function. I found that tinctures worked best for me, but some prefer capsules or tea. Anyway they are: ginko biloba, panax ginseng, siberian ginseng, rhodiola rosea (my favorite!), licorice, rosemary, gotu kola (another favorite!), muira puama, mucuna pruiens, evening primrose oil. YMMV.
And, since you mentioned binge drinking, here's some for improving liver function, which indirectly affects your brain health: dandelion root, milk thistle, schizandra berry.

Vitamins:

I usually get all my vitamins from food, but some vitamins were very helpful for me for a while. They were: b-complex with extra b-12, a quality multivitamin, fish oil, and magnesium.

Nootropics:

I didn't actually get around to using these, but I've heard wonderful things about these supplements, especially piracetam and anaracetam. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nootropic

Good luck and don't worry, you will be fine!

As an internet expert, you did ruin your brain, permanently.
Fret not, most peoples brains are ruined anyways, and your only using 10 percent of it. So you can blow up the other 90 percent and be alright.

for example, you own a car, but only the horn and wipers work. Thing just sits in your driveway all busted up, but you can honk at the neighbors cat, and watch the wiper blades go back and forth.

Yep, consult your physician.

But look on the bright side, worse case you could always become a politician.

Hey there. So I might get different people's opinion on this.. But that's ok I'm posting bc I care and I want to help. For sure what everyone said about seeing a doctor is wise. But I also want to add another point to this thread
We are humans and make mistakes in the past that we regret and want to forget/take back. It's encouraging to see you've made good life choices and things are turning around for you! There is a God who made you and loves you and doesn't want you to be in pain. That's why He came as Jesus to the earth and died as a sacrifice for all our past sin and shame. But He is resurrected and lives! And anyone who calls on his name I saved from sin death game everything and we are 100% reconciled back to God. All that shameful past things are wiped clean because He chose to give his own life up so we wouldn't have to lie through these things. There is a vers in the bible that says "by His stripes we are healed". No only does Go want to wash away our past that we may regret the things we did, but also JHe wants to give us hope, life, joy, but most of all to feel loved. He also heals. I personally have been physically healed by the Lord twice, one of those times I was bitten by a snake (a Venemous cotton head). A Christian Lai hands on me and prayed and the Holy Spirit of God heale my leg/foot. That's just one small story I've been on mission trips where I've seen blind eyes restored and deaf ears opened by the power of God. Why? Because He loves us, and wants us to know that He cares. You may not even read this post. Maybe you will. I encourage you if you feel like this post pulls on something in your heart, please feel free to message me and I would love to pray with you o answer any questions you have. He says in hHis word if we ask anything believing in His name He will give it to us. I certainly believe without a doubt in my being God heals the mind and brain damage that was done by pas mistakes. Thats what He is like, a good Father, and He is so for you. So am I like I said any prayer or just to talk ask questions please feel free to message me.