cubbies191

Hello everyone. Brand new member here... Here's my concern... And I'll try to make it as short and to the point as possible.

I am 32 years old. I have even drinking since I was 16. Through high school and college it was pretty much the binge drink on weekends thing that a lot of teen/early twenty-something's do...

After I got out of college... I got a job.. And have been employed ever since. I never drink on my work days ... I ALWAYS drink on my off days.. And as I got into my early 30s it has started to scare me. All of my friends that I used to consider "drinking buddies" have gotten married and gone on with tier adult lives.. I find myself sneaking drinks behind my girlfriends back.. Drinking while she's at work and I'm off.. I'm off three days a week and it scares me that even when I know I don't want to drink... I still always manage to have some type of alcohol every night. I have actually scaled back considerably over the past year but I have been intending to quit and just can't do it.

My normal drinking over my three consecutive off days is about a six pack of beer and a pint of alcohol daily. Lately I have been obsessing with the fear of developing major problems due to my drinking like cirrhosis. I spend a lot of time trying to find how much alcohol it will take to develop a disease like cirrhosis and how long I have to really try and curb this addiction. That, of course, is how I stumbled across this forum. Please give me some insight and some willpower to stop. Thanks to all for listening.

-Jeff

suki44883

Welcome to SR, cubbies! Glad you found us. You'll find a lot of support here if you want to quit drinking. As far as your fears about your liver go, the best advice would be to see your doctor and be honest with him/her about your drinking. A simple blood test can tell if there is any liver damage.

Hope you'll visit often and read and post as much as you want. It will help.

KateL

Yes, try and see a doctor to put your mind at rest and keep posting here to decide on your plan of action to stop. It sounds like you want to. Good luck xxxx

calico

Hi, cubbies191. Sounds like you really want to quit. Check out the 24-hour club in the newcomers daily support forum. It is a lifeline.

huntingtontx

Hi Cubbies, glad you found us. Lots of support here. I quit drinking almost six months ago and my liver checked out fine. Tell your Dr you want to quit and he/she will give you advice on the safest way. I drank for a lot of years, out of control. You never know when your liver will just say enough. Now is the best time to quit. I hope you come often and hang out with us. The sober life is so much better.

Gal220

Welcome! This is a great place to get support and learn about different ways to help stay sober. I hope you find what you're looking for!

Mags1

Hi cubbies, welcome to sr, lots of valuable information to glean, keep posting and reading, it helps me enormously.

KatieA

I am a woman, I have been drinking more than you, and there is no liver damage. But then I have always excercised, had a healthy diet, vitamin b, lots of water etc.

Maybe at least take a break from the drinking, get a simple blood test. I know it's scary, but trust me, it will make you feel better. I was freaking out just like you. I wish you all the best.

JaylaaKent

Just my opinion, but alcoholic thinking is obsessing over next drink, hiding, sneaking, I did the same thing towards the end of my drinking career. I drank from March 2010 until Sept 2013 and I had liver damage. It's mostly healed now with abstinence, but it affects everyone differently!

bigsombrero

Welcome. Sounds like you're drinking at a pretty good clip there. As someone who has been in your situation, I understand those fears. Welcome to SR - keep reading the boards, see if you can find something that resonates with you.

Owllie11

Hi Cubbies...the liver is an amazing organ...it can repair itself, but abstaining is the only way to get that ball rolling. My liver enzyme numbers were off the charts this summer, but after I went to rehab for 30 days, my numbers dropped significantly, and I was back in a healthy range. That is just my personal story. Unfortunately, I relapsed, but I am now back on track. As others have said, visit a doctor so that you can have a clearer picture of what is going on with your liver. Good luck to you!

Nevertheless

All I can say, is you certainly aren't doing your liver any good.
I had a cousin that died of cirrhosis. He almost never drank. It's just like your heart. Some athletes that take excellent care of themselves get heart problems. I wouldn't wish cirrhosis on my worst enemy. We all know excessive drinking greatly increases the odds of it happening.
I was a slave of alcohol most of my adult life. All I had to do to set myself free was not take the first drink. I think that sums up alcoholism pretty well.
Picture yourself in a jail cell. All you have to do get out is not drink. Sounds so easy doesn't it? Alcohol was a prison to me,yet I kep't drinking every day.

MattyBoy

Some people drink very heavily for years without developing cirrhosis. Others develop it very quickly and suddenly. We are all built differently and some livers are more resilient than others. The only way to find out how yours is doing is to get some liver function tests. Remember some liver damage is reversible if cirrhosis hasn't set in so best to find these things out sooner rather than later!

Spinach

So have you considered drinking to be the problem not your liver.
If you think life without drink is dull or fun less it isn't Infact once your free life opens up so much more than you would believe.
Your liver is an amazing thing.
Liver disease is known as the silent killer as it gives little warning before things get sticky.
If your concerned enough your family Dr should be able to test and re assure you but after testing if you carry on drinking unchecked you will only start worrying again, this comes from your knowledge that you drink too much rather than anything medically.
Stick here and talk to people with health problems from drinking and discussions about sobriety and you might stay around and find a great new life .
It's good that your thinking about things and I'm sorry your worrying about things.
John

cubbies191

Thank you everyone for the kind words and encouragement. I am going to set up an appointment with my doctor and get things checked out. I really really want to kick this bad habit. I can't do this for the rest of my life that's for sure!

Can I ask what some of the forum members who are now sober did to curb the urge to drink..? I find it hard to not drink when I don't have anything else to do... kind of out of boredom I guess you can say..?? What are some good self-help methods that I could try..?

Thanks again guys for making me feel welcome here.

-Jeff

huntingtontx

Hi Cubbies, I decided in my mind I was not going to have another drink, no matter what. Later I came here and got great support. I now drink coffee and herbal tea and lots of water. Not one day have I ever woke up and thought, I wish I had drank last night. LOL...The first few days can be hard, but you can do it. Just make up your mind.

newman23

Hey Cubbies191,

I've gone through that same scare recently. One thing I would recommend is to not Google your fears and symptoms and etc. I've been a nightly drinker for 7 years and my ALT and AST enzymes were elevated. I still drank, and came to a point I was "positive" I had end stage liver disease(thanks to both my Googling and my drinking) and not much time to live. I would obsess with the fear and would spend hours Googling related topics. I've still been following up with the doctor for regular tests, and recently got normal bloodwork and normal ultrasound of my abdomen. I would highly recommend doing the same. Do you currently work a program like AA, outpatient, AVRT, etc?