Did you make it out ok
 

Has anyone here drank high quantities for a few years and quit and came out healthy?

99% of us. :-)

I think pretty much everyone who has stayed sober has. However, it's a good idea to let your doctor know what's up, because detox can be hard on your body and potentially dangerous if your alcohol intake was high.

Rev

does the detox kick in right away or after a few days?

I didn't have a tough detox, so I'd be the wrong guy to ask. I was not a super heavy drinking (six pack a day, hence the "Amateur" status). I believe it varies with everyone.

Rev

Usually withdrawals start anywhere from 12 to 48 hours after your last drink. Please see your doctor to be safe when going thru withdrawals.

Hi Mayson

The very best thing to do is see your Dr. and ask them all these questions :)

The good news is I was a 24/7 drunk, for years, and I've come out OK.
There's many other posters here like me.

I really do believe tho that the sooner we quit the better off we are.

D

hi mayson18, i drank heavily for around 10 years. A bottle of wine a day, no more that a day in between, with another 2-3 spirits at weekends. To the point where is was affecting my health. during a routine health check, doctors picked up that i had a slightly enlarged heart, high blood pressure, knackered liver with raised liver enzymes. i was also clinically obese at the time. This happened 5 years ago. gave me a huge scare, and I went cold turkey. no booze. wasnt really making a commitment to stay dry, just wanted to live. lasted 8mths. Blood pressure normalised, lost a hell of a lot of weight (did very little exercise, just tried to eat healthy, but lost 30% of my body weight), liver recovered.

Unfortunately fell off the wagon at christmas, and working my way back up to heavy drinking over the last 4 years. was drinking only spirits for a time, but for the last few weeks, in an attempt to achieve 'controlled' drinking, switched to white wine and low alcohol alternatives, no help, ended up drinking twice as much. During this time, put on a bit more weight, about 10 pounds, but nothing major as I also took up regular physical exercise, (probably to try and 'counteract' the effects from additional alcohol calories) BP crepped back up.

currently 25 days sober, want to make this last. not touched a drop. my blood pressures normalised, i have much more energy, still exercising, and feeling great (running on a treadmill hung over is not a good idea). best of all, this time, I've been allowing myself to eat occassional reward foods like ice cream and chocolate cake etc. feel great after eating them (now that I dont have to think of the calories i might get from alcohol), and i've actually lost 5 pounds!

so for me there is so much evidence that alcohol is a poison, not just in the AA sense of the word, but a physical toxin to my physical health. It damaged my heart, knackered my liver, working on my BP, making me fat, not to mention the anxiety and depression associated with a drinking lifestyle. And i've had to work really hard, and continue to, to tryand undo the damage that has been done.
There is No evidence that i should take a drink for any reason, not to celebrate, i feel anything but happy, and not to help cope with difficult situations (i wont even go there).Yet still disorganised thoughts pop in every now and then telling me how fun it might be to have a drink. The danger of slipping up is always there, but yet, I feel that with the right goals and attitude in mind, i will get through this.

I had no lasting effects from my 5 years of active alcoholism.
:no:
Years later....when other medical issues came....by being clear
headed and a non drinker....I dealt with them in a positive way.

I simply can't think of anyone who improved their life
by drinking a liquid toxin.....alcohol.

Good to see you here....:hug:

I'mon day 7. I had blood work done and thiamine prescribed for the insomnia. The blood work came back normal. I have lost 20 lb during the last 3 years of my drinking. I already feel my strength coming back so all looks good so far.
The body is an amazing thing in how much stupidity it can take.

Over the course of my 25 year drinking 'career' (it was a full-time job after all just making sure I had my supply, had it hidden from family, etc), at one point I was drinking a 1/2 gallon of vodka a day for about a year. At the time I was anywhere from 100-115 pounds. Of course, about 11 years into my career, I started having withdrawal seizures. I had to drink to literally stay alive as crazy as that sounds to some. During some periods where I entered one of the 28 days treatments (too many to count on my hands) I was told my liver enzymes were elevated, etc but I came through it all and I now consider myself healthy and the doctor is happy too. After almost 2.5 years of recovery, all I worry about now is my weight, but not really because it certainly hasn't stopped me and my sweet tooth. ;) That alcohol was a great diuretic/lax, but what a terrible way to keep my weight down back then! I'd rather be 145 and sober than 100 and drunk.

I survived alcohol and am so grateful for my sober life. I couldn't really begin to recall how much I drank because I had such a high tolerance and well.....I drank myself to oblivion on and off for about 10 years.

I will say that I would go through about 6 - 5 Liter boxes of wine a week when I was on a wine kick. I would go through 3/4 of handle of Cpt. Morgan and a 12 pk of coke nightly when I was on my rum kick.

Liver/Kidneys abnormal, anxiety/depression/panic attacks developed, memory loss, constant scratching all over my body and nervous system issues, and reproductive issues. Thanks to my drinking.

I quit and I am normal....perfectly healthy with the exception now of possible breast cancer which may be related to the absurd years of drinking gallons of toxic waste. No proof yet but will keep everyone posted.

When I became sober I reached out to my Dr. and had him monitor my health. Blood work at the height of my drinking versus one month sober was night and day.

Speak to your Dr. and keep posting on your progress.

All the Best!

I have heart palpitations. I got my heart checked out and it's normal...so that's good...but I suspect these things came about as a direct result of my drinking. I had problems with my bowels for the longest time (still do with certain foods). I joke around about poop problems but it's something I could have avoided...and some of the waste that's come out of me was scary. I didn't think it would ever improve...but it has.

I'll take palpitations and stomach problems. Many drinkers suffer far worse than that.

The sooner one quits the sooner the healing begins.