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Alcohol makes me sick! Torn as to what to do.

Old 01-28-2013, 12:14 PM
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Alcohol makes me sick! Torn as to what to do.

I am 36 years old. I drink about once a month, socially with my husband and friends, and tend to have 3-5 drinks. I have a very high tolerance to alcohol; it takes a lot for me to even feel "buzzed". I really love that feeling, too. Sort of floating away, everything funny and romantic and pretty and meaningful. I used to be able to drink and barely feel hungover. Now, it's ER level hangovers for me.

In fact, what brings me to this forum is the fact that I was just in the ER Saturday morning after drinking champagne with my husband. We were doing our taxes (drinking champagne - it just sounded fun!) and one glass led to another... you know how easy champagne is to drink. 2 bottles were gone in about 4 hours. 2 hours after we went to bed, I started violently throwing up, having diarrhea, stomach cramps, heart palpitations/tachycardia, out of control panic feelings. I already suffer from very occasional debilitating panic attacks and have stomach issues.

I have a breathalizer (I got a DUI about 8 years ago, blew a .10; and never drank alcohol and drove again) and when I use it my BAC goes up and up, getting higher as I get more sober. I just can't process alcohol at all. The ER dr. confirmed that by saying that my BAC was .15 6 hours after my last drink, which he said would have put me at about a .30-.40 (death level) when I went to bed which is impossible because I was completely coherent. In fact, I was BARELY buzzed in the ER at all. He said I must have a very hard time metabolizing alcohol then and asked if I was Asian (because they tend to have a difficult time with alcohol). I am not. But most times when I drink it's like I've been taking Antibuse.

When I was younger I binge drank out of depression. I don't do that anymore, and haven't since the DUI. However, I have ruined many things due to the alcohol allergy/intolerance I have; not really by over-drinking, but from the illness it causes. Which is where the real bummer is for me. I don't know if 2 drinks will send me to the ER or 4 drinks will just simply give me a headache the next day. I've tried eating, drinking water, supplements, spacing out the drinks, drinking the same type of alcohol, etc. Unfortunately, even 1-2 drinks over the course of a whole night can give me a terrible racing heart and panic feelings and I usually can't sleep, sometimes vomiting. I wake up with crazy feelings of guilt even though all we did was hang out with friends.

I'm not ready for AA. In fact, while I respect and appreciate what it does for many, I don't think it is for me- #1 reason is that I'm an Atheist. It seems I do best when I make a plan for drinking, If I'm going to at all. Setting a limit on how many I can have (usually 3), and drinking a ton of water. I guess I'm afraid to go completely SOBER. That seems so drastic! But I know I can't do what I did the other night, which is just drink without a care. I realize I made a mistake there. Which is strange for me truly because usually I am very cautious. But I just can't afford another ER bill and/or feeling so damn sick. It seems like it takes days to recover because my health isn't 100% right now. I also wonder if there isn't something medically wrong with me as well. 1-2 drinks should not give you stomach cramps, vomiting, heart racing, etc. Most drs. just say "don't drink", but I would love to know what 's wrong with me.

To clarify, my husband will gently remind me of the drinks I've had and that's it. We sort of enable each other. He gets pretty ill too from drinking but nowhere near my level. He'd be supportive no matter what path I chose, and probably go that path too.

That's my story; at least most of it. Thank you for reading. Any comments would be welcomed.
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Old 01-28-2013, 12:20 PM
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Thanks for sharing your story. There's a lot of support here. Sounds to me like you've answered your own question - even limited drinking causes major problems for you. Unless you want to live with those problems ( and they will get worse most likely ) then you have to choose to stop drinking for yourself. There is support here, and many forums on secular recovery methods as well if you don't choose AA ( which by the way doesn't require a belief in god at all ).

Regarding your last paragraph, no one can give medical advice here so I'd suggest seeing a different doctor or a specialist to investigate further.

Take care and best of luck with whatever decision you make.
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Old 01-28-2013, 12:26 PM
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Welcome to SR. With the symptoms you describe, you shouldn't be torn about what do do. Just quit.

Are you clinging to the idea of drinking because you like it? Or because you're an alcoholic? Because unless you are an alcoholic, you won't need AA to quit. You just quit drinking.

If you struggle with that, maybe you do have some sort of dependance that will take some form of recovery.
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Old 01-28-2013, 12:29 PM
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You sound conflicted about whether or not you want to be sober, and I guess I'm not sure why. It sounds like your reasons to quit vastly outweigh your reasons to stop. And if you get sick after even a couple of drinks, how does moderating to a couple of drinks help you? Are you even able to moderate? I couldn't. I had to quit. It was the best decision I ever made. I know several people in AA who are atheists, so that doesn't have to be a hurdle for you unless you make it one. But even if AA isn't for you, there are a lot of other methods of recovery. You can stop planning your drinking and start making a plan for staying sober!
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Old 01-28-2013, 12:41 PM
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If you only drink once a month then you surely won't notice it too much if you stop drinking.try not to think of forever,just stop now. If it makes you so ill it makes sense to stop. It'll get worse and worse if you carry on. Many people quit without AA,although if you feel you could get benefit from it then it's worth a try. If you can't just stop then this site is a great support,lots of good help and advice.
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Old 01-28-2013, 12:43 PM
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My grandmother use to be the same way. My mother says she remembers her drinking and not getting sick. Then just a couple drinks would make her sick. My grandmother now has no lining in her liver. The alcohol has tore it away. So maybe you should consider that. Maybe your body can no longer handle alcohol because its allergic to it. If you cant drink cranberry juice or anything like that then maybe you are allergic. Go get some test done.
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Old 01-28-2013, 12:56 PM
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Hello, welcome to SR.
Id say...stop! Your body is obviously protesting loudly. Many people dont drink for varies reasons...it IS a poison. I WISH i got that sick after drinking. Hangovers just didnt really occur anymore.
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Old 01-28-2013, 01:01 PM
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Atheist AAer here.

There are other programs/methods as well. The main thing is to want to quit and have a PLAN. Then follow THE PLAN.

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Old 01-28-2013, 02:28 PM
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Hi Marchparker,

HMMMMMM" Let's see the Question was "Alcohol makes me sick! Torn over what to do"? Really??

It would seem to me if you eat or drink something that makes you sick with no way of knowing when it will do so--that's kind of a red flag, don't ya think?

Obviously, but in MOO, it's your body's way of telling you "hey buddy keep it up and I'm leavin"
Please talk to your doctor for help in quiting??

Trix
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Old 01-28-2013, 02:46 PM
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Liberate yourself from all the bs that goes with alcoHELL.

Don't drink , be cool be sober.
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Old 01-28-2013, 08:47 PM
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I don't know much about alcohol but i suggest you to stop taking it because its not good for you and also alcohol have a high sugar content which is not good for your health.
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Old 01-28-2013, 08:55 PM
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Yes, welcome to SR....I think we've all to some reason wanted to figure out a solution to our problems (like what was wrong with us) so that we could correct it and keep drinking. There have been plenty of times where I have used alcohol very responsibly. I have also plenty of times abused it and put mine and others health at risk. Because I cannot control what happens when I drink I do not do it.
If this was peanut butter would you make a different choice? Would you keep eating peanut butter if it sometimes sent you to the ER? I know you are facing a difficult decision to quit drinking entirely when it doesn't seem like you really have a problem but I don't see another solution. Next time you drink what if you don't make it to the ER? I would be thankful for the wakeup call and stay away from the booze....
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Old 01-29-2013, 06:28 AM
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VERY WISE!!!!! KITTY
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Old 01-29-2013, 06:41 AM
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i can only speak from my own experience...alcohol simply isn't an option for me. in the past, sometimes i could handle it, sometimes i couldn't. but the times that i couldn't made me realize i was playing with a loaded gun. the only way i can make sure that never happens again is to realize alcohol is not an option.

i wish you the best of luck in whichever path you decide to take.
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Old 01-29-2013, 06:56 AM
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I was determined to figure out "what was wrong with me". I was convinced there was some mysterious medical reason why I could not process alcohol. I think I felt like if I had a fancy diagnosis it would make it easier for me to not drink. Well....the reality is that I'm an alcoholic and that I've trashed my body to the point of it can't process alcohol anymore. It took a number of trips to the hospital as well as a significant car accident for me to FINALLY get it....I am an alcoholic, I cannot drink alcohol, I need help to not drink.

You don't need to figure out what is wrong with you if you simply stop drinking. If there isn't alcohol in your body, you won't get sick anymore. You already mentioned that you have additional medical issues. This is a no-brainer. I know that getting sober scares you and it seems drastic. Death is drastic. Stick around this site. You are WAY too young to put yourself through more trouble. This is a great place to get support and information!
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Old 01-29-2013, 12:02 PM
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Doggonecarl!!!

Just cannot help seeing Sweet Wlima Girl. Always brings a smile to my face, you certainly captured her beautiful spirit. What joy she must have brought you!!!

Wilma Fan.
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