wren

I think it's very likely that many of us have done permanent damage of some sort.
Although the body has a remarkable ability to heal itself, how could it possibly withstand the torture that long-term drinking does to it? I guess some of us are more lucky than others.
I don't have a doctor, but I know that I feel better and better as long as I stay sober. If some health problem arises, I'll have to cross that bridge when I get to it.

artsoul

Agree with wren - I'm sure I've done damage to myself, even if I don't have any serious problem right now that's obvious. Probably most of us will never know the extent of the damage - it might be at the cellular level, ya know?

I understand your worries, though, because I had some soreness in my liver region for the last several months of drinking. Those worries definitely gave me the desire to stop altogether.

jamdls

I went to the doctor a week ago for routine blood tests and I still have elevated liver enzymes 3 yrs after I quit drinking, only 1 of the 2 was still high and it's the lesser important 1 but it is still high , and I was more of a 'problem drinker' than alcoholic our bodies just react differently.

Zencat

I too had a lot of problems that resulted from drinking/drugs. The worry and anxiety was a strong motivator for me to focus on my recovery. I channeled those worries and anxiety into a life changing desire to quit doing the things that was slowly killing me.

Stang

I must have iron guts because my blood work came back normal except for vitamin B defeciency. Some people just cant take it as well as others. It doesn't sound like the original OP should have any problems but just to put your mind at ease see a doctor. If nothing else have blood work done. It's quick and non invasive.

Sasha4

I don't think I have any long lasting health damage to my knowledge.

However, my happiness is seriously damaged with the awful things I did while under the influence. Everyday my thoughts drift back to something horrendous I did.

You might be able to take pills to help with the pain or mend the damage. But what do you do to get rid of the thoughts - no pill or surgery can take those away.

Don't damage your happiness, friendships and reputation - it's not just your health that it is at risk.

xx

savexourxship

It's tough to say, as others have mentioned everyone is different. I drank 15-20 a day for a year, and before that 10-15 for a year, and before that about 20 a week. I have nerve damage, but nothing wrong with my liver. My face, hands and calves constantly feel similar to that of an asleep limb. My hand eye coordination suffered greatly, I noticed this a great deal as I am a musician.

The coordination is coming back to me, but all those body parts still feel asleep much of the time.

bubblehead

I have seen a lot of people die from alcohol and that is was prompted me to quit. I got paranoid one day because my abdomen was a little bloated and I had cramps. I did a search on cirrhosis and found one website stating that women could get it on as little as 3 drinks per day. I totally freaked out and that is what prompted me to quit.
It turns out, the liver is in a much higher place than where I had the cramps. Airhead that I am, I did not know that. It was a case of PMS. But, it caused me to quit so that paranoia was probably a good thing.
Quit drinking and the odds are you will be fine. Stress and anxiety can cause you health problems too, so as long as you are not drinking, worrying excessively is not going to help you.

BullDog777

:rotfxko i think i laughed for a good 10 minutes after i read that.

in all seriousness....hey...what ever gets you to put the booze down is what's important. good job

bubblehead

It is pretty damn funny now LOL. I get PMS and I am sure I am going to die LOL. At the time, I thought I was going to die. Now that I know I am OK, I have learned my lesson. I wont be taking that risk again.

hollybear

so true! Thanks for the reminder!
I'm still struggling. Went 3 days without a drink... started drinking again... going another day not drinking... it's like the worst roller coaster ride I've ever been on! I want to get off. I'm so over the worry and anxiety, and just want to feel happy and healthy again!!
Keep me in your thoughts, I need it

loveon2legs

Nothing physically is wrong with me....thank god...but I know mentally the 20 plus years of drinking has affected me..... but I'm workin' on that!! all the best hollyb xo

nolongerdrunk7

I had tingling too and it lasted about 2 years. Exactly like yours. It didn't get worse either. Anyway, I am now about 7 years sober and the tingling is gone. It took about 4 years to go away and then pain followed. But, there is good news. If you take a really high quality Vitamin B12 and Vitamin B complex, your body can repair itself. I buy Jarrow brand vitamins. The Vitamin B12 has to be of the methylcobalamine form not the cynacobalamine . The "M" for is fat soluble and the "C" for is water soluble or in other words, your body pees it out really fast.

Also, you will need to take a fat soluble form of Thiamine called Benefotomine. It may be hard to find locally, therefore order it online. I buy the Doctors Best Formula.

Another thing that helps is to take Lecithin capsules or granules. This supplement works to rebuild the myelin sheath on the nerves. This is why you have tingling. The nerves are misfiring. Picture an electrical cord with rips in the coating. That is your nerves right now.

Eat really good. Lots of meats etc and take these supplements. Your body can heal itself. I am living proof of that.

LaFemme

Sarah...I am so impressed you have already been to the Dr...that is very brave...I am a chicken and I know as soon as I get my healthcare straightened out I need to get a full physical. I thought I would notice huge phyiscal changes as soon as I quit...and there were some. But most have been coming with time. The weight is coming off slowly. The huge one though is energy. I was exhausted like never before in my life the first 3 months. It is only now as I am almost at 4 that my energy levels are rising and the brain fog lifting. I guess the body hgs been workin hard on repairs and there wasn't much energy leftover.


I am doing my best to give my body whatever it needs right now...sleep, exercise, good food and vitamins.

CarolD

nolongerdrunk7.....Welcome.....
Well done on your 7 sober years.

Hi Everyone....
Nutrition is very important to all desireing
a healthy life.
Before jumping into any supplements ....
please check with your doctor.

There are all sorts of questionable ..un proven
things for sale...on line and in stores.

nolongerdrunk7

Hello

I disagree about the checking with the doctor advice because the majority of doctors just want to push drugs as the cure. Case in point; I just read or at least tried to read ( the book made me really mad), "Healing the Addicted Brain". It is a bestseller and I was excited when I got my copy from the library. What a load of garbage this book is. It is full of recommendations of what type of pharmaceutical drugs will stop craving etc. I thought the book would talk about vitamins / minerals etc., but no.

Doctors are in the business of making $$$$$$. Take your health in your own hands and educate yourself about vitamins etc. There isn't any money to be made for doctors to tell you to take vitamins. Plus the FDA doesn't approve of natural ways to heal oneself because again, there isn't money to be made in natural cures.

I know that my damaged nerves hurt about 95 % less since I have been taking quality B vitamin supplements. The tingling has completed stopped too. My doctor just tried to push anti-depressants on me to heal the pain. Sure the pain stopped, but I quit the pills after a week because I was not about to fall in the trap of having to take drugs for the rest of my life.

LaFemme

I agree with Carol about getting professional advice on supplements and vitamins. I also understand a healthy scepticism about the medical profession...the cure can be as bad or worse than the illness...still ifgyou are looking for alternative healing a little research might turn up a non-conventional doctor who can help you.

SSIL75

I can relate! I used to have liver pain and would take one of two paths.

1 - I'd convince myself it was an stomach ulcer and therefore not as serious so I could keep drinking.
2 - I'd stop or dramatically cut down for a few days until it went away. Then I'd tell myself that seeing as it fixed itself so quickly, I could go back to drinking 'just a little while longer'.

All roads lead to more wine!

It was like living in an alernate universe. Locked in a world that wasn't real. Obsessed with something that had no value.

Hang in there.

mercurial me

I did a ton of research into the nature of the damage I've done/continue doing to my body from alcoholism. I'm pretty much a classic case. After x8 years of heavy drinking I could feel my body wasn't processing/filtering the alcohol out of my body via liver & kidneys as it should. Two months ago I got a liver biopsy which revealed moderate scar tissue (cirrhosis). Cirrhosis of the liver alone decreases your life expectancy by about x25 years which is frightening for me. This doesn't exclude the possibility of complete liver failure & we know where that leads.

There are a lot of different factors involved. I believe my damage was caused due to the way I drank.

1) I would start my day with a few "eye openers" (drinks first thing in the morning that act as a stimulant)

2) I would drink very quickly. (eg. kill a six pack of beer in a hour when I had the chance to avoid getting caught by my girlfriend) The alcohol was absorbed into my system very quickly.

3) I developed a huge tolerance to alcohol causing me to need to drink larger quantities to achieve the desired effect. (I've never had a DUI because despite having days where I drank x15 beer I was never stumbling around or passed out in a pile of vomit). My body simply had to deal with all of the poison in my system and now it's saying no more.

By the way.... I'm up here in Canada. Where the hell is Obama with your health care reform? It's any wonder the Republican are gaining again. ***not wanting to start a political debate here*** Keep in mind I'm an ignorant eskimo up here, lol

tsmba

I trust that you have ceased to drink. I was fortunate that I didn't suffer permanent damage (physically). No matter what has happened, one thing is certain: continued drinking will only worsen things!

Obama's "health care reform" is a complete crock!