Health Self Assessment - So I never forget!
 

Hello again folks

Thanks for all your support in previous threads - it's really encouraging and helps massively with my commitment in these early days.

Now I'm into my third week (I can hardly believe it) I'm starting to feel better than I have in years.

I'm sort of thinking that (as has happened in previous attempts to stop drinking) the further I get from my last drink, the better I feel and the greater the chance that I'll listen to my AV when it says rubbish like "come on - it's not that bad, look at you, you're strong and healthy - a couple won't hurt."

Time's a great healer but I don't want to forget how booze was affecting me until recently.

I've decided to step back in time 15 days, 20 hours and 51 minutes (thanks sobriety app) and document a tip to toe health assessment of how I was before I stopped drinking - this time forever with my Big Plan :a122:

It's mainly for my benefit so that I can look back and remember the physical reasons I stopped.........

Head Panic attacks almost daily. Finding even the most simple things stressful. Frequent headaches. Red puffy eyes. Waking in middle of night full of fear and panic and anxiety then struggled to get to sleep. woke up exhausted. Poor oral hygiene (brushing teeth in morning made me gag) bleeding gums.

Chest Breathless on exertion. Wheezy - resorted to 'stealing' my son's asthma inhaler. Chest pains after binges - eased by resuming drinking. A terrifyingly high blood pressure. Palpitations and 'missed beats'.

Abdomen Nausea and vomiting. Continuing to drink after vomiting on occasion. Dull ache in abdomen. Bloated and gassy. Beer belly.

Intake Inability to stomach anything but black coffee until late in afternoon. On most days off work drank before eating. Once drunk ate rubbish - packets of crisps, biscuits ++

Output Woke several times in night to pee. Guzzled from bathroom tap in an effort to rehydrate to avoid inevitable next day. Following day didn't pee till mid-afternoon, then concentrated dark urine. Loose stools passed up to 5 times a day.

Limbs Aching weak legs. Muscle wasting, skinny legs. Shaking hands sometimes difficult to hide. Extremely painful ever increasing attacks of gout - the last one in my knee putting me off work for 2 weeks and on crutches.

That's enough to be getting on with. There's probably more and that doesn't include the whole raft of mental and emotional issues.............

I'm blown away to say that already.....almost all of these are resolved.
I just need to work on the beer belly and skinny legs :)

Next time my AV suggests a quick one won't do me any harm I'll check back here.

Well congrats on +2 weeks , I've heard gout is super painfull ,
I hope you get healthy ,

Ps I thought I was the only one who drank tons of alc and didn't pee , I never understood that, I've been sober for a week now and I must have sed 4lbs of water , I guess thats the way it works

Well done on your 3rd week sober Hendrix

Well done, Hendrix, good going :)

Glad you are feeling better too.

I also made a list for my own journal of my mental and physical state before going sober.
Won't bore you with it, but like you, most of my symptoms have disappeared, and I've also lost weight, which is excellent !

BTW, I'm also South West UK.

Thanks for posting this! Saves me the trouble of doing my own, as there was so many similarities and its good to refer back to the physical reasons for quitting.