DagnyTaggart

Yesterday, a nurse at my outpatient treatment facility took my blood pressure. I am considerably overweight, have abused alcohol for years, and am a smoker.

After only 7 days of abstinence from alcohol AND tobacco, my blood pressure reading was 120/78!!!!!!!!

I was absolutely ecstatic and am so encouraged to continue abstaining and learning how to work a program.

To those of us struggling in early recovery, please know that things can change for the better more quickly than you realize. Hang in there.

SkyeSea

Yay Dagny

robgt350

hay good for you. keep up the changes.

ImperfectlyMe

Wonderful news!!!!!! That is just the tip of the iceberg of the other health benefits you are going to have now !

foolsgold66

Excellent news. Are you on meds for your bp? I was 110/70 after 14 days abstaining, it was still at borderline dangerous levels when I was drinking despite the meds.

DagnyTaggart

I was never medicated for elevated blood pressure, although perhaps I should have been. My blood pressure had been in the 140/90 range which isn't dangerously high, but it is certainly unhealthy. As alcoholics and addicts tend to do, I continued drinking and smoking hoping it would just go away. That strategy didn't work out

Tides

This is great news, and I (obviously) feel the need to echo what you said.

Back in 2012, before quitting for 3 months, my bp was 142/90. After quitting, 118/78.
I relapsed, started drinking heavily. That and anxiety pushed the levels up to 160/80 - waaaay worse than before. A small dose of daily medication, and no drinking for a month has helped a lot. I'll find out just how much at my next dr. visit in 2 weeks.

But without question, alcohol - which "normal" people use to relax - has quite the opposite effect from "relaxation" on me. When combined with tobacco, that has to be like a double whammy.

Great news about your 7 days. Hope everything keeps going in a positive direction for you.