visch1

I see many posts about slipping and sliding and how hard it is to stay sober for many. I know it's hard to scare an alcoholic however I was thinking of a list about the long term affects of drinking including the losses, brain damage, diseases, disabilities etc. I'd call it a "I didn't know list." or something. Like alcohol is alcohol in beer, wine vodka. BE WELL

mecanix

On average four to eight thousand pounds a year saved for this alcoholic ..

No pains in my liver anymore .

No blood pressure at 170/120 .

Stable relationships with friends and family .

m

ippochick

long term effects? liver damage, blackouts, falls and injuries (i fell downstairs and broke my nose and 2 teeth and didn't even wake up), the risks of driving drunk, breakdown of relationships, fear, anxiety, isolation, panic, the exhaustion of hiding bottles, topping up bottles, getting rid of empties. the shakes, the DTs, one drink or five drinks or ALL the drinks never being enough. self-loathing, shame, making a dick of yourself publically, never having enough money or enough booze, losing your job, destroying your future, giving up on life and drinking yourself to death without even caring as long as you can get your drunk on without anyone hassling you about it.

should i go on?'

bi11fish

As an alcoholic I did not care about the long term effects, cause I was sure nothing bad would happen to me.

FreeFall

So many negatives...

Broken capillaries and red face...rotting gums and teeth and bad breath...coated tongue...ugly toenails...smells coming out of your pores...stringy dried out unhealthy hair...

Diminished ability to do math and remember things...stress and anxiety over things you've said or done...black outs...car accidents...arrests...high blood pressure...anemia...loss of vitamins and minerals...loss of income...missed work...damage to reputation....


just writing this is making me anxious and REALLY glad I quit!

cheapredwino

Being in two drunk tanks since last summer.
Being in emergency getting my head stapled up because I was stupid enough to tangle with a bouncer.
Scaring the hell out of a couple young guys who insulted the wrong "old fella".
Leaving the bar loaded, getting on my bike, wobbling about 20 meters before slamming face-first into a concrete stairway, taking a little rest on the asphalt with my bike while gathering the strength to pull myself back up on it, riding to the next bar with my face covered in blood, being escorted by police cruiser to Emergency, cleaning myself up in the bathroom and realizing that it was just a little cut which made a lot of blood, hopping back on my bike and thankfully riding home. lol
Writing my wife and her friends nasty emails about how I hated them all (I don't really hate my Exie, but yes, I hate her best friend's husband).

I'm not sure I really regret any of it, because things are working out nicely now. When I think about it all, I laugh to myself. Surprisingly, I remember it all too!

My Exie is from a drinking culture worse than mine, so she wasn't a suffering sober spouse.

All that crap went on last fall, when I was furious at my personal situation. 2013 has been a great year drinking wise...got into no trouble to speak of.

cheapredwino

Oh, all that stuff happened AFTER my Exie and I separated. I was pretty harmless before that.

ScottFromWI

How about lying on your death bed, your skin the same color as an ugly yellow bruise, with your parents, wife and 3 school aged kids at your side watching you die at 42 years old. And the whole time knowing the reason you are dying was 100 percent preventable, And 100 percent your decision despite multiple warnings. Just happened to a friend of a friend here last week.

MIRecovery

Alcohol splits you off from the herd and then it kills you but not before it has destroyed everything you hold dear

Nighthawk8820

Okay. How about the loss of your dignity and personality, becoming a punchline or a walking joke to everyone around you? Knowing you have disappointed everyone who cares or cared about you, and that you have no skills whatsoever to live life with a clear head because you have used alcohol as a crutch for so long, which stunts all growth. You can have no real, strong personal relationships because alcohol is the only real relationship you have.

Then there is the financial and legal ramifications that come for most long term alcoholics. You could find yourself with a cardboard sign on free way ramps because you lost everything, due to drinking. Do you think those poor folks planned on ending up on those freeway ramps? It can happen to anyone!

Then there are the glorious health issues to look forward to. Liver and brain damage, kidney failure, high blood pressure, horrible anxiety and depression, jaundice, malnutrition, and losing your teeth. Seizures, respiratory failure, hallucinations, heart problems, and eventually death.

Also, did you know alcohol withdrawal is the only form of withdrawal that can actually kill you? Alcohol effects the part of the brain that controls your body's automated responses, such as breathing, your heart beating, and digestion of food. When you withdrawal, those systems can shut down resulting in death. Other withdrawals may feel like death, but the withdrawal from alcohol is the only one on the list that can kill you.

Also, each time you do detox and go back to using, the next time you detox will be worse..........each time. Hope this helps, take care.

cheapredwino

That's really sad.
Poor kids.

ScottFromWI

It's sad but true, and not an isolated incident.

sickntired78

This right here really sums everything up to a T. I've got a few friends that can moderate and it really doesn't affect their lives, but for the most part, yeah, it takes everything you love, then destroys you personally.

LiveforToday22

Jails...institutions....DEATH

Tang

This should be on a warning label on every bottle. Though to someone else's point, an addict wouldn't care.

sober4myboys

8 days ago, got a call from the ER that my baby brother was in a motorcycle accident. Didn't know if he was alive for HOURS.

He was drunk, remembers nothing, but thankfully survived. God had to have been holding him because all DR's say he shouldn't be with us today.

My brother in law was in PRISON (state prison not county jail) for a year because of his drinking and driving.