But there is one thing missing from the replies....dead brain cells can be overcome by brain plasticity. The brain is actually able to re-route around the areas of dead brain cells and you can recover lost function with time and work.
That said, you must stop any further loss of brain cells. There is just so much it can recover from.
My nephew died from inhaling propane..one puff too many. It comes out at -40*F and causes freeze burns. Burned his whole throat and lungs. Not worth the risk to get high that way.
As for alcohol, for those who don't believe that alcohol doesn't cause brain damage I'll share a very painful personal story. My father died from alcoholism. He worked on the Manhatten Project during WW2. Brilliant nuclear engineer. Six months before he died he came to visit. As the evening got darker he looked around and asked where the sun went. I told him it was nighttime. He asked if the sun would come back later. I said yes...tomorrow morning. His brain was pickled. He helped to invent the atomic bomb yet he didn't know where the sun went and if it would return. Yes, alcohol kills brain cells and eventually the whole body.
Jenny
