DonnieB

I cannot be the only one! Had I know that putting a cork in the bottle would stop all the disgusting IBS symptoms, I would have quit years ago! How many others who drank regularly were afraid to leave the house, specifically the bathroom? Whenever we enter a mall or whatever, the first line of vision is for the washrooms. We carry extra tissues in the pockets. Keeping everything clean is an all-day job. We are afraid to “fluff;” not sure what the result may be. Doctors diagnose IBS; a rather general catch-all for all that ails back there. Years of this nonsense. I thought it was aging! I thought it was the foods I ate! Now, after quitting the sauce for good (and I will not change my mind), I have “solid proof” that it was the ingesting of alcohol that caused all these indelicate issues. No more! None! I even went out for a two hour stroll with the dog this week- unheard of before! So- in the event you find yourself spending half your life either on the can or hovering close by- maybe give some consideration to stop drinking. Had I known this, I would have quit years ago!!

Soberwolf

Congrats DonnieB

freshstart57

Those of us long sober may have forgotten that particular aspect of heavy regular booze consumption. I don't think mine was as irritable as what you describe, but it was definitely an issue. And not trusting your 'predicitive ability' was another problem.

As you said, no more issues in that particular department. Just dandy!

SarahB60

Same here! I had horrible IBS where I was chained to throne every morning before work. Now I'm 37 days sober and things are running smoothly.

Alwyshope12

There were so many physical and mental symptoms that I never equated to alcohol, some were obvious and some I have thought about after reading posts here and see that they very well could have come from the alcohol.

some of the symptoms include:
1. anxiety
2. sweating
3. insomnia
4. IBS
5. depression
6. mental confusion
7. shaking
8. paranoia
9. short temper
10. lack of empathy

All the great posts about symptoms have really made me think about what was wrong with me and reminded me of all the horrible conditions that I dealt with.

That is especially critical as I have have been going though the first two months sober, as there is a small temptation to drink, but thinking of all the negatives that come along with it really makes me say no thank you.

dwtbd

Now that you mention it, I read alot more in the family room, lol.

MLD51

I was much like you, Donnie. I was diagnosed with IBS, too, and tried everything. Nothing worked. If I had known quitting booze would "cure" my poop problems, I probably would have quit a long time ago! It's a wonderful feeling to now be able to leave the house with impunity every day!

freshstart57

AlwysHope, that is a very good list of the bad things caused by drinking. I find it even more important to consider the list of things I can do or be or achieve, positive things, only if I quit drinking. I find that list to be energizing and empowering.

A huge congratulations to you on your two months of sobriety. Well done!

MelindaFlowers

Donnie, your post made me giggle more than once! Reminding me of the horrors!

Daily unpredictable dia#####. I can't even type the word. Every god damn day like five times.

All gone now!

anattaboy

AH, I've got some as-yet unresolved GI issues but they are a lot better and being addressed--a step up for sure. Congrats on 2 months!

am658

Oh yeah I remember this!

First thing when I awoke the next morning - horrible stomach cramps and a feeling of "GO to the toilet NOW" came over me. Often several times before work.

Now? I'm very regular and everything's back to normal.

I do NOT miss those days. Sometimes, in work, the sudden urge would come. How embarrassing...

MLD51

Just goes to show how poisonous booze can be. It seriously only took about 3 days after I quit drinking for the digestive tract to begin to heal. Now everything is great, and I can eat whatever I want again!

MelindaFlowers

This sounds so painfully obvious it probably doesn't need to be typed, but I heard awhile back that to figure out what iscausing a health problem, you need to remove possible causes. Duh, right?

I don't know why but that kinda stuck with me. "Doctor, my hands shake and I have IBS and insomnia and I've gained weight and I don't know what's causing it!"

Doctor: How much do you drink?
Me: 10-12 drinks a night....

It is truly a blessing that so many health problems disappear in sobriety. One more reason to stay the course. I had all 10 of the problems listed above and probably eight are completely gone and two are almost gone.

LBrain

yep

zjw

yep i went to the doc one time cause it was so bad. when he asked how much i drank I of course lied. when i sobered up wala problems solved.

waynetheking

Its amazing that the 10 things listed in alwyshope post we would have gladly traded to get drunk. ..unbelievable. great thread donnieb and congrats on 2 months alwyshope.

sickofthiscrap

This is a subject close to my heart. I've had horrible digestive issues for most of my life (long before I became a drinker). I used to medicate my IBS pain with booze because the doctors couldn't give me anything that helped. Plus, I tend towards the "can't poop" side of things so I considered diarreah from booze a plus!

Since I've quit, things got worse for a while... now they seem to be getting a bit better. I'm always going to suffer from this but at least now I think I can manage it without the booze for self-medicating. I'm in the midst of a major lifestyle overhaul... cutting sugary, starchy and fibrous foods out my diet because they bother me, and exercising. Its an ascetic existence and hardly "fun" but I'd take that over constant pain any day.