Health problems due to alcohol, when did yours start?
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 35
Health problems due to alcohol, when did yours start?
Hey all,
I'm just curious if anyone cares to say how much and how long a period of drinking it took to develop ANY health issues from minor to serious.
I'm just curious if anyone cares to say how much and how long a period of drinking it took to develop ANY health issues from minor to serious.
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Bali, Indonesia
Posts: 645
Hey fancy
Well the physical symptoms of withdrawal were apparent in me from a very early age - I would always get the shakes the morning after, but never major hangovers. As my drinking progressed my mornings became anxiety ridden.
Ive always been one to have regular blood tests just to make sure everything is okay, a couple of months before I quit drinking my doctor informed me that my liver function was pretty out of wack and my excuse of not being a water drinker didnt exactly work on him. This was after about 10 years of heavy drinking 5-7 days a week.
To be honest, I didnt realise how bad my health was until I quit. For me, the psychological damage was a lot harder to deal with than the physical.....the physical health comes back naturally. Its the head that takes a lot of work!
Well the physical symptoms of withdrawal were apparent in me from a very early age - I would always get the shakes the morning after, but never major hangovers. As my drinking progressed my mornings became anxiety ridden.
Ive always been one to have regular blood tests just to make sure everything is okay, a couple of months before I quit drinking my doctor informed me that my liver function was pretty out of wack and my excuse of not being a water drinker didnt exactly work on him. This was after about 10 years of heavy drinking 5-7 days a week.
To be honest, I didnt realise how bad my health was until I quit. For me, the psychological damage was a lot harder to deal with than the physical.....the physical health comes back naturally. Its the head that takes a lot of work!
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,445
Like Ainslie I really only realised how sick I was when I quit.
I didn't see a doctor for then years - nearly every time I feel unwell I'd simply drink on it.
I'm amazed I have so few problems to be honest.
D
I didn't see a doctor for then years - nearly every time I feel unwell I'd simply drink on it.
I'm amazed I have so few problems to be honest.
D
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: NJ
Posts: 20,458
I underwent a devastating emotional turmoil with both husband and child back in 2003...i sought psycho-wisdom for what was dx'd as "reactive depression"...tried several different meds and suffered some horrible side effects. I was in my mid 40's, peri-menopausal and the meds exacerbated those symptoms...reactive turned into major depression, i drank every day but usually stopped at the 4-5th glass of wine. i never drank after 11PM except on weekends...my depression last 3 years, but i never thought i had problems from drinking. I functioned well, went to the gym, went to work, started dating again.
In 2008 I was dx'd with hypertension and pre-diabetes, i was advised to lose the 35-40lbs that "sneaked up" on me along with real menopause and all the fun of wilding hormones and mood swings, more depression, more weight gain...progressed into 2009 and my relationship began to spiral downward, NOT from my issues, but my partner's gambling addiction...and my mother became more than ill, her age-related dementia made it impossible for us to care for her and we had to move her to a nursing home. My stress manifested, my HTN was out of control and i felt insane...i started vomiing AM daily, and had violent headaches, but i still drank daily. I had a seizure in my office and a week in the hospital showed that i had a small aneursym in my left interior carotid. my htn could be causing it to grow....my anger at my partner increased over his gambling and emotionally abusive behavior. I ended it and my depression settled on my like a big heavy wet blanket i couldn't crawl out of.
In the middle of February, oddly the same day my partner's father died of nonalcoholic cirrhosis and complications from Parkinsons...i found Sober Recovery and started reading and posting. It was a snap decision to stop drinking as i was home ill at the same time (stomach flu & lower GI)....i never looked back and started to feel better physically. I've learned a lot about myself here and my problems along with my depression made worse by drinking. I've been about 90% successful in not drinking, i've had more sober time than i have had in 25 years this year...I feel WELL physically and mentally.
my emotional upset over the breakup of my relationship is still very hard and my mother's illness is escalating...my problems are there, my depression is still bubbling up sometimes....there is no Magic, no harps, no keys to the kingdom....but i am sober and I can function and take my problems in stride much better sober and most improtantly, I can sleep at night and look in the mirror in the AM and NOT hate myself...oh and my hair stopped falling out and my BP is almost normal. I no longer have headaches and sick to my stomach daily...my weight is also going back to normal and I try to keep to a good healthy diet and exercise is daily too...I adopted a little dog in May and we walk 2 miles a day.
In 2008 I was dx'd with hypertension and pre-diabetes, i was advised to lose the 35-40lbs that "sneaked up" on me along with real menopause and all the fun of wilding hormones and mood swings, more depression, more weight gain...progressed into 2009 and my relationship began to spiral downward, NOT from my issues, but my partner's gambling addiction...and my mother became more than ill, her age-related dementia made it impossible for us to care for her and we had to move her to a nursing home. My stress manifested, my HTN was out of control and i felt insane...i started vomiing AM daily, and had violent headaches, but i still drank daily. I had a seizure in my office and a week in the hospital showed that i had a small aneursym in my left interior carotid. my htn could be causing it to grow....my anger at my partner increased over his gambling and emotionally abusive behavior. I ended it and my depression settled on my like a big heavy wet blanket i couldn't crawl out of.
In the middle of February, oddly the same day my partner's father died of nonalcoholic cirrhosis and complications from Parkinsons...i found Sober Recovery and started reading and posting. It was a snap decision to stop drinking as i was home ill at the same time (stomach flu & lower GI)....i never looked back and started to feel better physically. I've learned a lot about myself here and my problems along with my depression made worse by drinking. I've been about 90% successful in not drinking, i've had more sober time than i have had in 25 years this year...I feel WELL physically and mentally.
my emotional upset over the breakup of my relationship is still very hard and my mother's illness is escalating...my problems are there, my depression is still bubbling up sometimes....there is no Magic, no harps, no keys to the kingdom....but i am sober and I can function and take my problems in stride much better sober and most improtantly, I can sleep at night and look in the mirror in the AM and NOT hate myself...oh and my hair stopped falling out and my BP is almost normal. I no longer have headaches and sick to my stomach daily...my weight is also going back to normal and I try to keep to a good healthy diet and exercise is daily too...I adopted a little dog in May and we walk 2 miles a day.
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: far far from home
Posts: 373
Like some the physical withdrawals started in me quite early. Shakes, inability to sleep and the anxiety, terrible anxiety. So much that I had several cardiac workups when I was in my teens and early 20's. Weight gain and hypertension were a hall mark of my 20's.
Things went downhill from there to pancreatitis at 27, liver inflammation at 28 and visible jaundice at times. The doctors told me flat out that I was headed for a liver transplant. At 29 as a direct result of being drunk I had a fall and the resulting injuries required 8 orthopedic surgeries, 2 of which were on the spine.
I have a lot of metal in my body and the ortho stuff stills hurts bad some days but the internal medical issues have cleared up with sobriety. At 34, 2 years sober I am in the best shape of my life. The liver (Thank God) is normal.
Things went downhill from there to pancreatitis at 27, liver inflammation at 28 and visible jaundice at times. The doctors told me flat out that I was headed for a liver transplant. At 29 as a direct result of being drunk I had a fall and the resulting injuries required 8 orthopedic surgeries, 2 of which were on the spine.
I have a lot of metal in my body and the ortho stuff stills hurts bad some days but the internal medical issues have cleared up with sobriety. At 34, 2 years sober I am in the best shape of my life. The liver (Thank God) is normal.
April 18, 2010
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,117
Hi fancy -- I experienced heavy depression at the same time I began drinking. To some extent it's a chicken and egg question, but I'm sure drinking didn't help.
Over the 9 years that I was drinking heavily I experienced several health problems that are atypical for someone my age. These were spaced out, the most recent one happening in January of this year. I suspect I would not have encountered as many had I not been drinking. There were also health consequences I experienced as a result of putting myself in unsafe situations while drunk. One example is that I was once hit by a car while leaving a bar. I came out okay, but it could have been really bad.
Health is definitely a big motivator for me in sobriety. Welcome to SR!
Over the 9 years that I was drinking heavily I experienced several health problems that are atypical for someone my age. These were spaced out, the most recent one happening in January of this year. I suspect I would not have encountered as many had I not been drinking. There were also health consequences I experienced as a result of putting myself in unsafe situations while drunk. One example is that I was once hit by a car while leaving a bar. I came out okay, but it could have been really bad.
Health is definitely a big motivator for me in sobriety. Welcome to SR!
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 401
I've been an alcoholic since 2002 (consuming 12+ beers a day....sometimes more & sometimes a bit less). I was warned by a doctor in 2006 to tone down my drinking after he mistook my high liver functioning due to alcoholism for Hep C.
This past year in February my doc believed my latest blood test results were indicative of cirrhosis of the liver. He told my to stop drinking immediately and get my test re-done in April. I've just managed some stretches of sobriety beginning in June. I'm still trying to muster the courage to get a latest round of bloodtest results done and get the inevitable verdict.
My liver is constantly sore. It is especially painful to yawn, sneeze, or laugh. I have no doubt I have cirrhosis due to my abuse of alcohol for so many years. Best case scenario I lose 20-25 years of life expectancy. My gall bladder also get flashes of pain periodically. My kidneys feel "heavy" and have dull pain to them. I can't sleep on the right side of my body at night due to severe pain in my liver when I sleep. My body bruises easily.
The one thing that is helping me to maintain stretches of sobriety is watching and reading people who have died of liver failure due to alcoholism. I know I'm not far off and I also know it is a horrible way to die. That being said, I continue to relapse despite getting longer of stretches of sobriety these last x2 months.
Not trying to elicit and sympathy here, just responding to the thread
This past year in February my doc believed my latest blood test results were indicative of cirrhosis of the liver. He told my to stop drinking immediately and get my test re-done in April. I've just managed some stretches of sobriety beginning in June. I'm still trying to muster the courage to get a latest round of bloodtest results done and get the inevitable verdict.
My liver is constantly sore. It is especially painful to yawn, sneeze, or laugh. I have no doubt I have cirrhosis due to my abuse of alcohol for so many years. Best case scenario I lose 20-25 years of life expectancy. My gall bladder also get flashes of pain periodically. My kidneys feel "heavy" and have dull pain to them. I can't sleep on the right side of my body at night due to severe pain in my liver when I sleep. My body bruises easily.
The one thing that is helping me to maintain stretches of sobriety is watching and reading people who have died of liver failure due to alcoholism. I know I'm not far off and I also know it is a horrible way to die. That being said, I continue to relapse despite getting longer of stretches of sobriety these last x2 months.
Not trying to elicit and sympathy here, just responding to the thread
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: far far from home
Posts: 373
Originally Posted by mercurial me 
The one thing that is helping me to maintain stretches of sobriety is watching and reading people who have died of liver failure due to alcoholism. I know I'm not far off and I also know it is a horrible way to die. That being said, I continue to relapse despite getting longer of stretches of sobriety these last x2 months.
Not trying to elicit and sympathy here, just responding to the thread
I drank anyway, even when I quit initially it was due to pre-trial probation for a DUI that involved drug and alcohol testing and not wanting to spend the summer in jail. My liver had nothing to do with it. I talk about the benefits of sobriety on my health but they were not the reason I got sober. The reason I stopped had nothing to do with my own thinking at the time.
Anyway, I am just trying to say, that I have been there. Drinking in the face of life threatening health issue, drinking one day out of the hospital post treatment for pancreatitis. Drinking after barely escaping paralysis.
Not trying to give sympathy:-) But just letting you know you are not alone.
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Here There & Everywhere
Posts: 153
I went from heavy drinking to full blown alkie sometime after I got PTSD in 2003. One of the group counsellors that met with us after the incident said it was good for all of us to go out and sorta "let our hair down". Boy oh boy, we did and some of us never stopped. It was the only way I could sleep. Anyway it was in 2004 that my liver functions first started spiking. Then it was hypertension, for which I am now on medication. Don't even want to talk about the weight....
I have HepC and was told in 2008 that if I didn't do something about it I would eventually die. Long story short, I begin treatment after the summer holidays. Good news, my liver functions have gotten way better since I stopped drinking and damage to my liver is only in the not so bad range. So, you can see that falling off the wagon is not a choice for me.... if I drink, I die. They won't give new livers to alcoholics...
You see, I have been very lucky. I have a guardian angel and have been given a second chance at life. I didn't realize the sign in 2003, had to drink myself through that pain and horror. Now, with my liver hanging in there pretty good, and only 6 months of treatment with an "easy" genotype, plus my sobriety and my new lease on life which includes drastic lifestyle changes and a new attitude, I have my whole life ahead of me.
What can I say. Look for the signs. Many of us on here have been given a 2nd chance, grab it and run with it!
I have HepC and was told in 2008 that if I didn't do something about it I would eventually die. Long story short, I begin treatment after the summer holidays. Good news, my liver functions have gotten way better since I stopped drinking and damage to my liver is only in the not so bad range. So, you can see that falling off the wagon is not a choice for me.... if I drink, I die. They won't give new livers to alcoholics...
You see, I have been very lucky. I have a guardian angel and have been given a second chance at life. I didn't realize the sign in 2003, had to drink myself through that pain and horror. Now, with my liver hanging in there pretty good, and only 6 months of treatment with an "easy" genotype, plus my sobriety and my new lease on life which includes drastic lifestyle changes and a new attitude, I have my whole life ahead of me.
What can I say. Look for the signs. Many of us on here have been given a 2nd chance, grab it and run with it!
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Germany
Posts: 2,058
I drank excessively for 10 years and I knew the day after boozing how bad I felt. Like Dee said....I also didn't go to the doctors and just continued to drink to numb and it was just another excuse to booze it up.
I would say about 8 years in I was drinking daily, and became more binge like. Stocking up for days at a time and staying home with no excuse to leave. It was during one of the 3 day straight binges that I suffered my first panic attack. It was far more then the shakes and forceful vomiting that had been happening more and more. I went to the ER and was given a prescription for Xanax for the anxiety. I was told not to drink. Yeahhhhh.....right. I continued to drink and would pass out when I took the pills.
A few months later I couldn't take the anxiety, shakes, etc. and bloodwork revealed during a physical that I had an extremely abnormal liver enzyme count. They did endless u/s and was ready to do a liver biopsy. i scaled down the drinking and the numbers gradually improved over the next year. Keep in mind I reduced the periods of drinking but the binges still existed.
When I finally quit and came clean to the doctors early this year my counts were checked and all was perfect.
Point is that alcohol affects everyone differently and there is no ok period to booze heavy. There are effects from the years of my drinking that I will not erase. I have a tendency to forget things and have concentration issues.
The benefits in my life have been endless since I got sober but man I wish I never started as many times I could have died. I had a relapse in April and even though I had been alcohol free for a few months prior......I was worse then ever. Point is my body is done and can't tolerate alcohol at all.
I would say about 8 years in I was drinking daily, and became more binge like. Stocking up for days at a time and staying home with no excuse to leave. It was during one of the 3 day straight binges that I suffered my first panic attack. It was far more then the shakes and forceful vomiting that had been happening more and more. I went to the ER and was given a prescription for Xanax for the anxiety. I was told not to drink. Yeahhhhh.....right. I continued to drink and would pass out when I took the pills.
A few months later I couldn't take the anxiety, shakes, etc. and bloodwork revealed during a physical that I had an extremely abnormal liver enzyme count. They did endless u/s and was ready to do a liver biopsy. i scaled down the drinking and the numbers gradually improved over the next year. Keep in mind I reduced the periods of drinking but the binges still existed.
When I finally quit and came clean to the doctors early this year my counts were checked and all was perfect.
Point is that alcohol affects everyone differently and there is no ok period to booze heavy. There are effects from the years of my drinking that I will not erase. I have a tendency to forget things and have concentration issues.
The benefits in my life have been endless since I got sober but man I wish I never started as many times I could have died. I had a relapse in April and even though I had been alcohol free for a few months prior......I was worse then ever. Point is my body is done and can't tolerate alcohol at all.
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