alchy

I keep seeing people here say to drink lots of fruit juice. Which makes sense to me to replace the usual alcohol sugar. But most information sites about alcohol detox say to maintain a very steady diet in regards to sugar and avoid anything sugary. Which is it?

Second, and this may be dumb of me but........I see people recomending getting enzymes checked regularly after quitting. I KNOW my enzymes are horrible, but will they not by default be slowly improving if I am now not bombarding my liver with alcohol, eating well, hydrating and exercising?

CarolD

Welcome to our SR Alcoholism Forum...

Water is the liwquid to drink to better flush out the toxins.

There are different types of sugars...as I understand it...the type in fruits and unsweetened juices are different .. healthier than the one used in candy /carbos.

With my doctors ok...I followed an eating plan for hypoglycemia for about 6 months...and I feel it was useful.


The reason some people get regular blood work done re liver functions is to make sure things are improving.....IMO
My liver functions did not require any attention...tho I had been a long time drinker.

Please do consult with your doctor about how best to tox....be both sober and safe..

LexieCat

If permanent damage has been done to your liver (cirrhosis) the numbers might not improve.

Not trying to scare you, but if your numbers have been high, you want to be sure they come back down. If not, something might be more seriously wrong.

alchy

Ok great. I will certainly proudly be telling my doc the next time I see him that I have quit drinking and get him to run the numbers.
And I've been drinking loooots of water. But I did that before, just more now. It's kind of sad but each hangover day(everyday) I would drink lots of water anyway, take my vitamins and try eat well to repair from the night before and prepare for the coming night of drinking. Maybe my diligence in that over the years is why my detox hasn't(so far) been as horrendous as I expected.
Thanks to you both.

topspin

alchy,

Carol's right on the money making a distinction between the natural sugar in fruit and the "other " stuff. Just eating the oranges required (if squeezed) to fill a glass is a better option. Same amount of sugar, but it's released SLOWER , so that your adrenal glands don't have to work overtime to stabilize blood sugar levels.

I'm all in favor of not eating anything with the "other" sugar. <sucrose>

But , early on, anything, and I really mean ANYTHING beats drinking. Years before I learned about (the dangers of) sucrose, .....there were times I'd wake up wondering how the hell I could've eaten the whole box of Oreo's !?!

Later, I began to realize recovery has a lot to do with repairing both mind AND body

MrDavid

Amen...sounds like good advice to me.

POPaTOP

Being a medical person myself, I can give you some answers to this.

The kidneys, liver, and pancreas can be greatly affected my alcoholism/heavy drinking. You would want to get these enzymes checked to make sure, at this point, they have not been affected by the alcohol intake. If they have been, your doctor would put you on a treatment plan to get them back to normal ranges.

And yes, if you stop drinking these enzymes would fall back to normal range over a matter of time, though it won't happen over night.

You don't want your kidneys to fail, pancreatitis, or liver failure. Abnormal ranges could cause al ofl these problems.

Your doctor would most likely order a CMP (Comprehensive Chemistry Panel), GGT, Amylase, and a CBC (Complete Blood Count), Vitamin B12 and Folate. He/she may also order a Vitaman B1 level.

Greatly recommend you get these checked. You would also want your blood pressure checked.

All this being said, I am NOT giving you medical advice. Just want to let you know why these enzymes are important.

Hope this helps,


Pop A Top.

CarolD

Thanks for sharing that information ..yes seeing a doctor is always the wisest idea...
I appreciate you are following our SR Rule 10 and not giving professional or lay medical advice.

welcome POPaTOP...

Dee74

Welcome to SR popatop

D

Kellye C

You have already been given the the advice to get checked out by a doctor and I totally concur. One thing about the sugar when I got sober I was told to take a tablespoon of honey if I started having shakes or cravings. The oldtimers swore by it so I did it AFTER I went through my hellish withdrawals at home without medical assistance. They say God looks after drunks and fools. I didnt join here til I was a year sober and had no clue how dangerous doing it on your own can be. Had i known then what I know now I would have sought help or supervision as I had a SEVERE physical addiction at the end and both my liver and kidneys were not well....

Dont be me, do this the smart way!

Hugs,
Kellye

MrDavid

Amen...good advice.

Mavis1

Welcome to you, just go and do it and know that they will check you out. we were all very sick physically as well as mentally broken when we checked in to a detox. they told me to not talk and listen and sit down front and just take it all in and let others guide me. the physical stuff gets better as well as the mental. just go and do it. don't think beyond that, it's a very hard thing you are doing but just go. I have so much hope for you. this disease is a killer. I know first hand. please go. hang in there, we're here for you.

mavis

GlenK

I don't know the exact answer to this, but here's what has recently happened to me.

When I went in to see my Dr., two days after my last binge (now day 10 of sobriety), I was going through the DT's badly. Shakes, night sweats, etc., etc. He prescribed me librium (which helped immensely), and some little pink pills for my heart/blood pressure. They also did a blood test.

My wife and I went in on a Thursday, and he wanted to see me again the following Monday. I went in the following Monday (DT's were over finally - thank God for Librium!) and was informed that my liver enzymes were "moderately high". I forget the exact numbers, but they were both in the upper 200's. My doctor requested another blood test that day.

He called the next day (Tuesday) and said my numbers had went up (even though I hadn't touched a drop of booze) - I was shocked - one of them was now over 300 and the other now in the upper 200's. So he sent me in immediately for an ultrasound. I'll get the resuts early this next week.

It could mean, gallstones, gallbladder, spleen, damaged liver, etc., but from what I understand sometimes it just takes time to bring the numbers down.

One of the hardest things I've ever done was to go in to see my doctor and be completely honest with him. I used to be the worship leader at our church and he was one of my friends at that church. So, you may be able to imagine my horror of unleashing my deception to him. Especially when I told him how much and how long I'd been drinking.

The point is - go see a doctor, and be completely honest with him/her... they really are there to help.

Hope this helps - Glen

Dee74

welcome to SR GlenK

D

laurie6781

Ah yes. After I got out of the hospital (5 days) and went to the Recovery Home for Alcoholic Women, I was still detoxing, partially from the meds they had given me after I died. However, at the Recovery Home for the next 5 days, they kept giving me very large glasses of Orange Juice with Honey mixed in to help me keep from shaking.

That was 30 years ago, and to this day I cannot drink a glass of Orange Juice without gagging. Not real fond of oranges either, roflmao However, other fruits, like raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries I love. Also the small tangerines, sometimes call Cubies I can eat, but no Oranges and NO Orange Juice.

Things have changed a lot since then, and that is why it is even more important now than it was when I detoxed to SEE A DOCTOR, or GO TO AN ER. Detoxing can and does KILL.

J M H O

Love and hugs,

alchy

Thanks for all the support and advice. Stupidly, I didn't go to a doctor. Today is day 7 and I haven't had severe withdrawal. I am lucky. Spent the weekend at a theme suite hotel with the wife. Going out to dinners with her at restaurants and seeing normal people enjoying a drink was a bit hard, but it is bound to be. And I keepp thinking, well if I were drinking, this is the type of thing I would drink at, a vacation away, restaurants etc. But then I think, well, I drink everyday, regardless of situation, being home alone, or even when I am sick. I know I am not a normal drinker and I never "enjoy" my drinks. THey have one purpose and that's to get me drunk. So I choose to quit.
But anyway, I will surely tell the doc when I am there next that I want to have my numbers checked. I think, and correct me if I am wrong, that I should be over the worst of any physical withdrawal. Now it's just the maintanance of sobriety. Which may be harder.