angelwithoutgod

Since I quit, back in May, I have gotten sick with nasty colds twice. I hardly ever remember getting sick when I was drinking. I wonder if it has to do with handling stress. I used to drink to handle stress and now I don't have that so is my body basically shutting down and getting sick from stress? I think I handle stress better now, I just try to do too much stuff in one day and it catches up to me. I'm sick right now so sorry if this makes no sense...

PurpleKnight

I would doubt it, but I do know many aches and pains I never noticed suddenly cropped up because I wasn't numbing what was already there with alcohol anymore!!

You might have a point on stress, we have to find new ways to relax and deal with not getting run down without alcohol, have you changed your diet or increased exercise since getting Sober? healthier ways to deal with it?!!

I found we can't now short circuit our approach to life with alcohol, we need to get the basics of healthy living in place and deal with life head on!!

angelwithoutgod

Hmm, yes, actually I have changed my diet. I eat a lot more than I used to. I eat more junk food but I also eat more fruit. I try to eat a variety of things but I do have a sweet tooth and I also like salty stuff. I exercise about the same as before. I also cut back my caffeine intake...oh and I quit smoking sort of for the most part around the same time I quit drinking.

BrodyCrystal4

I am not a doctor. I am an idiot. Take what I say with many many grains of salt. Also, google it, and talk to your doctor.

The majority of your immune system is your digestive tract. That whole thing about sneezing or coughing near people, and giving them the flu.... that's BS. Sicknesses are largely transmitted by touching a doorknob, or a light switch, or shaking someone's hand, and then putting your fingers in your mouth, or using unwashd hands to eat your chicken fingers.

If you are a heavy drinker, there's a good chance your stomach often has alot of alcohol in it. Alcohol kills germs which is why they use it (albeit, a different type) in hand sanitizers. Also, heavy drinking promotes excess stomach acid, which also kills alot of ingested germs.

I'm not saying drinking makes you healthy. I'm saying exactly the opposite. It helps you kill more pathogens, but it devastates your organs, including your heart and brain, and takes years off of your life.

My advice is to have more orange juice, and if you can, coffee. And less sugars. And workout at least three times a week. And wash your hands. You should be fine. But yes, your observations are not crazy.

Again, consult an actual physician, I'm just some moron on the internet.

Tamerua

I think that I drank through illnesses and didn't notice how sick I would be because of hangovers. That's me though. I've been sick more than a few times since getting sober and I really do think I just notice now because i generally feel good.

zjw

I used to wonder if the alcohol killed whatever virus's or what not that could be floating around in my system. Thus keeping me healthier. I was proabbly also totally trashed when I came up with this idea too for what its worth.

FeelingGreat

I suppose it could keep your throat 'sterilised' and knock off bacteria that start growing there. While simultaneously killing your liver.

Climber122

What keeps us healthy is our immune system, plain and simple. That's why people with HIV get sick a lot if not on meds, because their immune system is compromised. Alcohol is a toxin and decreases the ability of your immune system to function. If you want all the nitty gritty scientific research, here's what the National Institute for Health (NIH) found - (it's an older study but suffices):

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publicatio...rt/chap04b.pdf

And from another NIH publication:

"With a compromised immune system, chronic drinkers are more liable to contract diseases like pneumonia and tuberculosis than people who do not drink too much. There is also data linking alcohol’s damage to the immune system with an increased susceptibility to contracting HIV infection. HIV develops faster in chronic drinkers who already have the virus.
Drinking a lot on a single occasion also can compromise your immune system. Drinking to intoxication can slow your body’s ability to produce cytokines that ward off infections by causing inflammations.Without these inflammatory responses, your body’s ability to defend itself against bacteria is significantly reduced. A recent study shows that slower inflammatory cytokine production can reduce your ability to fight off infections for up to 24 hours after getting drunk."

Source: Beyond Hangovers

Hope that helps clear up any confusion on the topic.

angelwithoutgod

Thanks guys. It looks like the scientists have conflicting viewpoints from the personal experiences. The idea of alcohol killing germs seems plausible! It also makes sense that alcohol would compromise the immune system, so I don't know the answer, but at this point I'd rather have a cold than a hangover. And I guess that is all that matters.

Climber122

Right on Angel. Sorry you're sick! Apart from not drinking, make sure you eat well too. I know I was eating pretty poorly when I first got sober. You'll get sick more when your nutrition includes a lot of fast food/pizza/sugar/pop etc... Course I don't know your diet, but that's how I ate - and on top of that was getting so many "empty" calories from alcohol. Hope you feel better!

AAecon

I had a lot of aches and pains, head pain, stomach pain, lower back pain, in the beginning which drove me to have 1 or 2 beers here and there for 2 months to ease the pain. However, after 2 months or so it passed and I stopped for good.

I also had a couple 2/3 days colds. Hang in there, hopefully it will pass.

JTBIV

Alcohol weakens the immune system, plain and simple. A few years ago I was hospitalized for five days with pneumonia in both lungs. Doctors were at a loss as to why a young, fit dude couldn't fight off the infection. I knew why, I drink.

cleograce

It's not likely, I'm going through an illness at the moment and my surgeon told me that the best help would be not to drink at all because my body isn't fighting it and stopping drinking could help,
doesn't alcohol prevent you absorbing vitamins also?
Cleo x

mercurial me

Not giving medical advice....been told that alcohol completed depletes minerals like magnesium, thiamine, folic acid, etc. On the other hand I've heard of it's benefits (fights plaque and tartar on your teeth because of it being a poison/disinfectant). I've got beautiful teeth but cirrhosis of the liver. I've never had a lot of flu/head colds but a doctor once told me I've managed to systematically take at least 20 years off my life span with my liver damage. Not giving medical advice, just sayin'

Mountainmanbob

in agreement with the above statement -- up top the mountain

Bob

lunar

I don't think so, but I'm not a Dr.
I noticed when I initially stopped drinking, aches and pains, or perhaps a sensitive
tooth would pop up. I attribute this to being drunk most of the time and numb.
As far as stress/anxiety, mine diminished greatly when not drinking.
The booze was making me depressed, anxious, guilty, shameful and fearful.
This may be off topic, but when I quit smoking years ago, I got FAR less colds,
flu, wicked sore throats, fever, etc.

Mountainmanbob

Does quitting drinking weaken your immune system?

seems that ninety nine % of all people would answer no to this question

M-Bob

KDBnSLC

Now that you are not drinking are you out and about more often-around more people so you're more exposed to various viruses than before?

RevivingOphelia

I had the exact experience and even started a thread about it awhile back.

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-sobriety.html

weird, eh?

KissMyTiara

I don't know if it weakens it or not. I have not had a single cold or worse in over 10 years of drinking. Nothing. But I don't have kids either.