Newbie
 

Hello everyone,

I've been trying to quit alcohol for about 3 years now and am failing miserably! I've been to adsis and tried to get counselling but the doc wouldn't let me til I'd given up drinking which personally I feel was the wrong way round for me. I'm a high functioning alcoholic who has few negative social effects from drinking but lots of health problems.

I was wondering if anyone could give me any insight to health problems they might have... I have quite bad nerve problems, migranes, some kind of stomach problem and chest pains. I find it frustrating at the docs as they treat each problem seperately but I'm sure they're all due to drinking. I want to stop drinking but am cutting down so as not to shock my body too much as in the past I've had withdrawal symtoms. I'd love to hear from people who have had similar health problems or getting help dealing with them! x

I think you need to tell your doctor your quitting drinking, he can help, and he should be able to address all those other issues as well. If you are not comfortable with what your current doctor is telling you by all means get a 2nd opinion. Welcome to Sober Recovery!

I have no really useful advice hypochondriac. Having a Dr you get on well with is a godsend. Alcohol can do lots of damaging things and our bodies can only take so much of it. After you stop drinking your body can begin to heal, but it is not immediate.

I hope you find the relief you seek.

I would try to find another dr who can help you with your present situation and who can answer your questions regarding your health.

I'm glad you posted.

Thanks for you replies!

To be honest I have very good doctors now, they tend to follow things through but still treat all my symptoms as seperate issues. At least I got rid of what my friend called the 'vampire doctor'! He just kept doing blood tests every week and teling me everything was fine. As my usename suggests, I am a bit of a hypochondriac but it's all very real to me x

Hi hypochondriac
Welcome :)

I have a few Drs too - maybe yours aren't communicating very effectively?
Perhaps consulting a Dr specialising in addiction issues might be worth considering.

have you been honest with your Drs as to how much you drink?

D

I have been honest, so much so that I'm confused as to why I have'nt been reprimanded. I think doctors are scared to tell people off nowadays! I come from a family of big drinkers so talking to them doesn't help and being treated like a hypochondriac at the docs doesn't help x

Welcome hypochondriac!

It sounds like getting sober is the key...... Have you considered inpatient treatment? Or used any other resources (like AA, other programs, etc.)?

Things will only get worse if you keep drinking. I got migraines as well, and towards the end of my drinking I developed a tremor in my hands and had soreness in the area of my liver. Since I stopped, everything has resolved itself.

For what it's worth, I though I was functioning "just fine" too..... I think I felt that as long as I kept up appearances, I wouldn't have to give it up. Now that I can look back on it though, I was a lot less functional than let myself believe.
Living sober is so much better..... I hope you give it a try!

I never had any tests or anything to determine what health problems I may have had, but I just felt crummy all the time... Now that I'm sober I feel much much better.:)

y'know...I used to look to be reprimanded too - I dunno about you, but I realise for me now I was kinda looking for someone else to take charge...

I think the more work you yourself put in to getting sober and staying that way, the better you'll feel, hypochondriac - maybe not right away, but certainly eventually :)

D

Their job is not to parent you. They told you to stop drinking. You still want to pretend they're wrong & you are right. Yes, this sounds harsh. What are you going to do?

The thing is you can stop, go to ER if needed, then get their help. High functioning? Stop-many methods are available-high function your tale into one of them. :)

Thanks for replies. I have been making excuses really. I'll keep you posted as to how I get on!

You know, "trying to quit drinking for three years" says something right there. It may be your hypochondria itself that is making it hard. At least if you are still drinking, you have something to blame your symptoms on.

You see, it takes one to know one. I border on hypochondria now, but I was a worse hypochondriac before I quit drinking long ago. With drinking still in the picture, you feel some semblance of control over being "sick". You are right, of course, that eventually the alcohol WILL make you sick if you don't do something about it.

When I finally quit drinking, I discovered what I had feared all along -- the alcohol WASN"T the cause of every single ache and pain I had blamed it for. On alcohol, every bad feeling was a hangover, every headache was "the wine", all my weight problems, too. That kind of stuff. After quitting, which I also "tried" to do for years before actually doing it, I grew to accept that EVERYONE feels aches and pains sometimes, and getting sick at times is part of being a human being.

Maybe where you should focus for your health concerns is your fear of quitting drinking. Maybe none of what I say rings true, but you sound so much like I did. I'm glad you're seeing your docs and being honest. In these days of medical specialty, it's no wonder all your symptoms are isolated out for separate treatment. You might want to try an older generalist, if any still exist in your area.

FT

Hi Hypochondriac,

You may think you are hypochondriac, but maybe you are not. Maybe your drinking is slowly killing you. I applaud you for going to the doctors, but you have got to stop drinking. I doubt if they can fix things for you if you don't stop drinking. Maybe going to an addiction counselor would help, and ofcourse inpatient treatment would definitely be worth considering.....help with withdrawals. I guess what I am saying is you should probably see someone that specializes in addiction - they know what to look for as a result of drinking. I wish you all the best....

Sissy is right, too.

One my favorite "jokes" is the headstone we've probably all seen a photo of, which says on it: "I told you I was sick."

Not REALLY funny, but it does remind us that hypochondria is not necessarily made up stuff.

FT

How old are you Hypo? 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s?

i have been through all these things. The paranoia, when you quit drinking is aweful....the paranoia when you are drinking is worse. the indigestion, the cramps, the migraines, the chest pains, your arms go numb, your heart skips a beat, you wake up in the middle of the night afraid you are going to die.....but, sometimes, more afraid you wont.....It IS the drinking....do not , for a minute fool yourself. Trying to quit......says it all. I hate that I ma an alcoholic....I hate \what I've done to myself and I hate the things I've put my family through. I, too, am a highly functioning alcoholic. But, I think, at times, how much better could I be, since I perform so well now? i know there is a better life out there....when I dont drink, it seems like the world is better for me....my friends are kinder, my family is joyous,,,,,and then, that leads to an excuse to drink....they love me, so I must be okay....it's not okay....but it can be.....I'm not there yet....but I have seen the light....and it is far more beautiful than the struggle we call "life" right now

I'm 30. And "I told you I was sick" is totally gonna be on my headstone! ;) x

Hi - welcome to SR. Glad you are here.

When I joined SR, I too thought that I was a HFA (high functioning alcoholic). I felt it was a "type" of alcoholic until I realized that it was just a "stage" of alcoholism.

Get help now, as it only gets worse. You can't do this alone.

SR is great but you should also talk to your doctor and consider starting a recovery program.

I know what you are going though
 

Been abusing alcohol since my parents got divorced. I am 30yrs old and have developed panic attacks and Anxiety. i have been in the ER many times thinking i was having heart attack but all my ekg nuc tests and even cardiac cath has shown i am in great health except for my High BP. I am now 28day sober and want to like to see my kids grow up and have my wife not leave me. I want us to be happy and me feel better physically and mentally. alcoholis a very destructive drug socially and physically.