Day 1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 10
Day 1
Greetings Community!
Day 1 here....I got first got sober at 33, and lasted 16 years. Took it up again but now at 60, fear that I've really screwed my health up, possibly for good. For the last year or so I've had balance, gait issues, and have been diagnosed with ataxia by a neurologist. Even after finding this out, I've continued to drink. Last night, after spending the whole day researching ataxia, I decided that it's crazy to keep destroying myself. My only hope is to stop drinking.
So, here I am on Day 1. The damage is likely permanent, but I hope that by getting sober, I can at least prevent it from getting worse. If any of you have alcoholic ataxia, I'd really like to hear your experiences, especially after getting sober. Thanks for being here, folks.
Day 1 here....I got first got sober at 33, and lasted 16 years. Took it up again but now at 60, fear that I've really screwed my health up, possibly for good. For the last year or so I've had balance, gait issues, and have been diagnosed with ataxia by a neurologist. Even after finding this out, I've continued to drink. Last night, after spending the whole day researching ataxia, I decided that it's crazy to keep destroying myself. My only hope is to stop drinking.
So, here I am on Day 1. The damage is likely permanent, but I hope that by getting sober, I can at least prevent it from getting worse. If any of you have alcoholic ataxia, I'd really like to hear your experiences, especially after getting sober. Thanks for being here, folks.
I looked like that holdin beer
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 627
I think so, I noticed my memory became worse and worse and my coordination even when sober. I also used to get jumpy and see things out of the corners of my eyes and get startled frequently. I am not sure if that is part of it. I am a lot better now, but I am younger.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: UK
Posts: 1,145
Welcome to SR 
it's good to have you here. You'll find much support and understanding here.
I don't know anything about ataxia I'm afraid, but I can say that since I've been sober my life has improved dramatically - I am physically and mentally in better shape than I've ever been. I've only been sober four months. But, of course, you probably know all that if you've been sober 16 years. That's an amazing achievement... you can get all that back. Wishing you all the best.
it's good to have you here. You'll find much support and understanding here. I don't know anything about ataxia I'm afraid, but I can say that since I've been sober my life has improved dramatically - I am physically and mentally in better shape than I've ever been. I've only been sober four months. But, of course, you probably know all that if you've been sober 16 years. That's an amazing achievement... you can get all that back. Wishing you all the best.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 10
Thanks all. Did a search on this site for ataxia, and the only reference I found was under the definition of wet brain. Looked it up on youtube, and found a demonstration of ataxia, with extreme lurching and staggering. My case, while disturbing, is much more mild, thank goodness, and I still hope for improvement from it with the elimination of alcohol.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 1,387
Welcome Farm Diva!
I am about your age. I was sober for years, drank, sober again for years, drank, and now I am sober for one year. One of the many catalysts that I had to quit drinking was the fact that the last year I drank I kept falling....as in falling so hard a couple of times that I still have lumps on my head from the falls, and I got black eyes from two of them! Heck, I was beginning to fall even when I was sober....I had lost my sense of balance. Since I live alone I became really concerned. The good news is that when I stopped drinking I have not fallen once. I don't have ataxia, and I don't know anything about it, but regardless of what the diagnosis is, stopping drinking will help. Best wishes to you - please keep reading and posting. This forum has been invaluable to me. Take care.
I am about your age. I was sober for years, drank, sober again for years, drank, and now I am sober for one year. One of the many catalysts that I had to quit drinking was the fact that the last year I drank I kept falling....as in falling so hard a couple of times that I still have lumps on my head from the falls, and I got black eyes from two of them! Heck, I was beginning to fall even when I was sober....I had lost my sense of balance. Since I live alone I became really concerned. The good news is that when I stopped drinking I have not fallen once. I don't have ataxia, and I don't know anything about it, but regardless of what the diagnosis is, stopping drinking will help. Best wishes to you - please keep reading and posting. This forum has been invaluable to me. Take care.
Community Greeter
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Upstate New York
Posts: 51,576
Welcome FarmDiva (great name). I was older, too, when I finally laid it down for good. I was a wreck in every way. None of my problems continued after I quit, though. It took a few months. You might be surprised at how resilient your body is. I'm glad you're under a doctor's care.
Congratulations on making this huge decision. You can have a wonderful new life.
Congratulations on making this huge decision. You can have a wonderful new life.
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