A question for the experts please respond.

[ay100]

Hi all;

I turned to alcohol because I have the following disorders and trying to cope with them for over two decades.

I have eating disorder. I can not easily swallow solid foods when I am not under the influence of alcohol. (2 cans of beers and I can eat anything). Once I went on a liquid diet just beacuse of this and I hardly ate anything solid for three years I nearly died of malnutrition.

I have OCD, Panic disorder chronic and sometimes generalised anxiety.

have been to all sorts of psycoholgical treatments and had all the physical tests. Nothing physical wrong with me. It is diagnosed as psycosomtaic disorder.

I want to give up beer drinking entirely and at the same time to be able to eat. Is there any substitute medication for this. What can give me the same relaxation of the two beers so that I can eat normally.

I am 41 and and I want to switch to a sober life.

thanks

[MarkSichelCSW]

I'm not a medical doctor so couldn't offer advice about a substitute medication for the beer. I suspect that a self help program for recovering alcoholics would be the best way to deal with your problems and have a sober life.

[Ten Chips Down]

Originally Posted by ay100

I want to give up beer drinking entirely and at the same time to be able to eat. Is there any substitute medication for this.

ay100 -

This is a good puzzle. May I request you offer me more detail as to what exactly the experience is like? I.e., can you swallow but only a with determined effort? Because see, right off that sounds like an involuntary reflexive disorder affecting esophageal function. Once everything is relaxed, you're easly able to eat solid foods - yes?

I would say to see a specialist about this and be tenacious until you're not laughed off but instead are taken at your word. Only then will they begin to focus on real the causation rather than "it's all in your head."

It's great you want to give up drinking though (you said beer; I'm assuming you mean all alcohol) and "another drug" might not even be the answer. It is an interesting case!

Best -
Ten

[ay100]

Thank you all for responding. I will see a speacialist about it again. I guess it's a reflex tyhat makes swallowing hard. I forgot to mention that I had 2 major chocking experiences when I was a child. I am probably predisposed to this condition. I only drink beer. I hate the taste of other alcoholic drinks. I went to all kinds of threapies and tried various meds. I was even given electroshock threapy alas no improvement.

Thanks

[MarkSichelCSW]

Only a medical doctor can suggest medication. Check out whether they have AA in Istanbul. That would be helpful.