kelsey123

How do all of you who quit after a long time of drinking convince yourself that you can still be healthy after quitting and your body can heal? I just feel doom and gloom and worse case scenario all the time and then will have panic atacks when thinking about how damaged my body may already be.

suki44883

Kelsey...If possible, I highly recommend using a detox facility and then, if necessary, moving on to rehab or an outpatient IOP program. The detox facility will get you safely through the withdrawal process and get all the alcohol out of your system. The rehab or IOP program will teach you skills on how to cope with cravings and learn to live a life free of alcohol.

At the very least, you should see your doctor and be honest with him about your drinking and that you want to quit. He should be able to help you get through the worst of the withdrawals.

Welcome to SR, Kelsey! We are here to support you!

SamanthaIam

Kelsey, just know that the best thing you can do for your body is to stop drinking.

Why not ask your doctor to discuss with you the physical recovery? Ask about the outlook if you stop drinking now.

I bet the answers will be very reassuring.

Pete55

I am so glad top be back here after a spell. No I did not pick up a drink or a drug, but my sober journey is now about 3 years and 8 months or so. I stopped counting because picking up a drink does not come on the radar.
But it took some time to "get it".
I do remember thinking early in sobriety a few years ago, that I really have nothing to freak out about anymore in regards to my physical body and organs.
I was lucky, did not get into much issues, but I could sense my drinking tolerance was getting less and less. The alarm bells went On a bit but I took no notice. My thoughts were, "I need to drink more so I can re-build the tolerance I had when I was in my 20's", and at the the time I was 50. That delusion and many never get to realize. But I could never figure out why I was black-out drinker and all I wanted was to have a good time.
The point is this, Alcohol in the chemical sense of the word progressively does damage one way or the other to body tissue. Only you know the inner truth of what is going on when you now take a drink. Ask yourself, "is my drinking the same as it was when I started?
And look closely at your answer, with honesty to you. "Listen" to the voices your mind is trying to say, one side may tell you, "it's ok, nothing will happen", and the other side says, "something is not right". And it's like a tug-of-war.
Well, the good news is, it's only alcohol, let it "win" and let it go, knowing well in your heart that if you do not add anymore alcohol to already damage body tissue, then it can only get better! That's how you win at this.
Sure, there are parties and Xmas etc just around the corner and there is the expectation that we, " have to be like the rest" and "cheers for the new years resolutions" and blah blah blah. Well, I know I can sit back and watch the show now, rather than be part of the show, only to make a fool of myself if I get back on that drinking stage. I let others now do the drinking and "entertainment" for me. That's how simple it is.
And you are not on your own, we ARE allowed to not drink. There is no rule or tradition set in stone that "we must drink or else"....
No, I don't don't drink if offered, because I am not going to drink today.
What about tomorrow? Well, that will be today soon when the sun comes up, and I am not drinking today again.
Each day, it gets easier because the clarity returns as the body restores itself.
Sure their might be sugar cravings, have some. After 3 years, I can now almost say, "no" to chocolate. Takes practice, but sooner or later these other obsessions will disappear off the radar to.
And lots and lots of water, knowing it is flushing away the toxins.

alcoholsux

WOW, Kelsey I could have written your post,the only difference is I'm 31 and today is my quitting day. i've only been drinking heavy for the past 3 years, yet I've gained weight, and my digestive system is a little off whacK. how about YOU? anyone suffer from Acid relux from drinking? I'm so glad I found this forum. I will need the support!

look4billw

I can't convince myself of anything that isn't a fact that this point.
I do know that if alcohol caused any of my problems, adding more is not going to help them go away.
I can't change what I've done to myself in the past, but my higher power has watched out for me when I couldn't watch out for myself,
so I have to put my faith in my higher powers will & grace.

mikefreak

I drank for 33 years. If you can stop drinking in your 20's, This would be very very good. (wink)

dingoraven

i'm in my late 20's too and have done quite a lot of binging. for some reason now it's in my head that i could be doing a lot of serious damage and it's time to stop before it's too late.

just ask yourself what you have to lose by stopping? i don't have to lose 2 days after i drink from recovering. that's a nice start.

btw, anyone get that bloated feeling after a binge spell (3 days of very heavy drinking)? it's the third day after and i still feel bloated. getting kinda worried.

Anon4recovery

I'm 33 and have tried to quit many times before. Been drinking progressively more ever since I was 21. The last 8 or so years, I've been at least 6 deep every night, the past 4 years or so it's been at least 9 deep. Would make a Friday swing by the liquor store and grab a bottle of vodka and some beers. Would swig vodka shots while chasing with beer until I got the "high," next thing I knew I'd be blasted. It's to the point that I cannot sleep until I am hammered.

I know I'm hurting my body. My liver hurts and I feel like crap every morning.

I've got to stop this. I just want to return to a Friday night when I read a book and hang with my wife and dogs....innocently. Everything revolves around a drink.

So, I've felt it's too late for me also...but I'm not going to accept that. It's just the addicted brain arguing with reality.

The reality is it's never too late until you are dead. We still have time.

dawnrunner

I believe that if they had quit in time, they might be still alive today. Something went round a corner for them, oddly at about the same time though they were 2 years apart in age.

They did not get a full blood workup until they were already ill, yellow eyeballs, and losing personality. At that time, both were offered treatment. The older one of the two was on a liver transplant list when he died in hospital in seizures; the younger slipped out of health care and died in our mother's house alone, in the bathroom in the night. I am so sad about that fact- just imagine that way of leaving this world. Well, neither death was one anyone would choose.

My intention in mentioning them was to point out that you can still be medically OK and nevertheless need to quit drinking asap, because the health consequences are not always gradual, but sometimes quite sudden, almost stealthy, and fast devolving.

Keep on and be strong! Your children need you healthy and sane. YOU need you healthy and sane.

onlythetruth

It's not a question of convincing myself. It's the reality. I was a daily, blackout drinker for 25 years, but once I quit, I healed and I am fine.

But you just found out that your liver panels are NORMAL, right? It seems to me like the rational thought here is "good! My liver panels are normal, and I can keep them that way if I quit now!" The fact that instead you're having panic attacks and ruminating about how damaged your body might be, suggests to me that there may be something mental going on here. I think your best bet is to get checked out by a mental health professional.

kelsey123

No, I know...I guess my fear is that I coul somehow still have cirrosis
with normal labs.somehwere I read your labs are actualy normal with cirosis (the alt and ast). I gues that is my fear... and

suki44883

Kelsey, it take a lot, and I mean A LOT to cause cirrhosis. Liver damage doesn't start out with cirrhosis. It is the last stage of liver disease. Also, the liver is the only organ in the human body that can regenerate itself if too much damage hasn't been done. The chances of you already having cirrhosis are very slim.

That having been said, you don't have to wait for damage to quit drinking. As I said earlier, I highly recommend going to a detox facility if at all possible, then on to either inpatient rehab or at least outpatient IOP. What you learn there will be the tools you will use to live a sober life.

Dee74

Welcome to SR Anon4recovery


Kelsey - I was deathly worried about my health too - but I gradually calmed down - I realiised I'd had every test known to man, and I felt ok - and I was living healthier than I'd ever done before

like I said, go and get a second opinion if you feel you need to - have a battery of tests if you like ...if you're judged healthy then, and you're still worried, why not see a therapist to talk about your fear and anxiety?

D

Danae

Hi Kelsey,

Just wanted to add to what others have said, as your posts spoke to me.

I quit a year ago (as of tomorrow!) to some degree out of self-disgust, but in part because I was terrified of what I was doing/might have already done to my body.

I found SR after googling "liver disease" and read every post i could find on the subject. My liver tests all came back fine, and by some standards I wasn't drinking all that much (but still plenty to be destroying my life, if not my liver). I was having some trembling in my hands and spasming of my eyelids and saw a neurologist. He helped me to see that the alcohol was having an impact even without liver damage. He didn't shame me about it, and it felt good to have fessed up to a doctor.

But I used the fear to make myself quit for good. I really am never going back to drinking---feeling bleary and sick and ashamed. If I could harness the fear of liver damage to make it stick, then fine, it has been a useful tool. It also brought me to SR which has been wonderful.

A year later I still do things I shouldn't (eat too much sugar, too many calories) and I haven't magically become perfect, but I'm not worried about alcohol and it is a huge relief.

Maybe a doctor or a counselor could both put your mind at ease about any lasting complications as well as supporting you in staying sober and finding a better path. I've found the last year to be full of surprises---lots more self-awareness now that I'm not numbing myself with acohol.

So...to answer your question...no, it isn't too late to quit. Any many of us here at SR would have been thrilled to have quit at 29! I hope you can do it. Good luck, and keep posting.

Danae

Zebra1275

I am quitting now but should I even bother or is it too late?

Too late for what?

I'm in my 50's and at 29 I think you are still a kid.

kelsey123

Well thank you so much for calling me a kid!!! Been feeling old lately, since I am that seriously just made my whole week!!!! I guess wondering if it is too late to avoid permanent damge to my liver/body, cirrhosis, etc, after about 8 years of heavy heavy drinking, like every night almost, except for my two pregnancies. Thanks again for calling me a kid, totally put a spring in my step!!

bubblehead

I would suggest you stop reading online about health problems and stick with discussing this with your doctor. Reading online will only freak you out. I know, I've done it. Some info you get online is inaccurate.

There are people in their 30's that have cirrohsis. There are people that drink all their lives and never get it.

People will tell you horror stories and I've seen one myself. The thing is, I've also known people with cirrohsis that were fine once they quit drinking. It's never too late!

The point is, your bloodwork is fine. If your doctor is not concerned, you should not be either, as long as you quit now!

The other thing worth mentioning is that your liver is not the only organ that can be damaged by alcohol. It can also damage your brain over time. So don't let that bloodwork be a license to drink, because you could be damaging other things. Just quit now. If you don't, you run the risk of gradually drinking more and more, which is going to do nothing to benefit your health.
Your doctor knows more about your health than anything anyone here is going to tell you. Just be honest with them about how much you drink.

slimjim30

Of course it's not too late. It's the perfect time. Do it now so your kids grow up with a sober mummy!

I'm 33 and 2 plus months sober. It's wonderful!

Zebra1275

Thanks again for calling me a kid, totally put a spring in my step!!

Your welcome, kid.

Only your doctor can tell you whether you have done permanent damage. You are young, and your body has an amazing ability to recover, if you quit now you probably will be fine. I drank pretty much everyday (although, not falling down drunk) for well over 20 years. But I'm in very good health now for a guy my age and play competitive tennis several times a week with guys 25 years younger than me. So yeah, your body can recover from the damage you've inflicted upon it.