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Back on the wagon again. 16 years alcoholic too late to quit without health problems? I was doing really good going 3 months sober at a time and then slipping up and going 2 weeks, slipping up. I was sober for a good 2 months and we went to Mexico All Inclusive, that was fun but I drank and I came back and have been binge drinking 3-4 times a week for about a month now. I’m 36 about to turn 37 and I’m really ready to be done for the rest of my life. I’ve binge drank 3-4 times a week since I was 21, that’s 16 years and it scares me. Sometimes I feel like it’s too late and I’ve already punched my ticket for an early death from alcohol. Has anyone else quit and remained healthy after drinking so long? My biggest motivator is health and of course how motivated I am when I am sober for extended periods, I am a better person sober. Anyways I’m on day 3 now and I want to take one day at a time, but I want to look at this post a year from now and be on day 365 sober. |
Yeah, I drank for that long and escaped with good health. Longer actually. I started drinking when I was fourteen and quit for good (I hope) at thirty nine. Only it was binges for years until that progressive to most every day. I drank a LOT. I should be dead. Not just from booze. Reckless behavior, accident or violence. I honestly don't know how I survived. Being sober nine and a half years has totally changed me. Now I'm a nice guy, or try my best to be. I try and help people. I'm active. I enjoy life and people. God must have a plan for me and I'm actively searching for it. Congratulations on day three. And remember you can look back and have a year. You never have to drink again. |
Originally Posted by Ghostlight1
(Post 7037895)
Yeah, I drank for that long and escaped with good health. Longer actually. I started drinking when I was fourteen and quit for good (I hope) at thirty nine. Only it was binges for years until that progressive to most every day. I drank a LOT. I should be dead. Not just from booze. Reckless behavior, accident or violence. I honestly don't know how I survived. Being sober nine and a half years has totally changed me. Now I'm a nice guy, or try my best to be. I try and help people. I'm active. I enjoy life and people. God must have a plan for me and I'm actively searching for it. Congratulations on day three. And remember you can look back and have a year. You never have to drink again. |
Congrats on three days! It gets better and it’s worth it. I think the key is, we all know binge drinking for any amount of time is bad for us. Go to a dr if you’re concerned about your health or the future of your health. For me, my health has improved a lot. Getting sober has involved more than just not drinking; I’ve moved my body more, slept better and longer, stressed less, and eaten better over the past two years. Not that I’ve eaten better, slept more, moved more, and stressed less EVERY day, but most days. EVERY day I’ve abstained from alcohol. I look and feel like a totally different person. If it wasn’t for my tattoos you wouldn’t know it’s me. Try it, I highly recommend. :c011: |
Like Ghostlight I have escaped with my health, with complete amazement, after many years of heavy and progressive drinking. The liver is an amazingly resilient organ for some of us (but not all). How your health has been affected has a lot to do with things out of your control, like dumb luck, genes, or, perhaps, providence. All that being said, alcohol takes a toll on you systemically, so your decision to stop, if only for your health, is a sound one. Congratulations on your decision and on day 3! |
I didn't, and I only did it for ten years. I got screwed. |
Originally Posted by Spybee007
(Post 7037886)
I was doing really good going 3 months sober at a time and then slipping up and going 2 weeks, slipping up. I was sober for a good 2 months and we went to Mexico All Inclusive, that was fun but I drank and I came back and have been binge drinking 3-4 times a week for about a month now. I’m 36 about to turn 37 and I’m really ready to be done for the rest of my life. I’ve binge drank 3-4 times a week since I was 21, that’s 16 years and it scares me. Sometimes I feel like it’s too late and I’ve already punched my ticket for an early death from alcohol. Has anyone else quit and remained healthy after drinking so long? My biggest motivator is health and of course how motivated I am when I am sober for extended periods, I am a better person sober. Anyways I’m on day 3 now and I want to take one day at a time, but I want to look at this post a year from now and be on day 365 sober. A lot of people use others as a barometer for their own situation, so if someone comes in and says they drank a fifth of whiskey a day for 30 years and are 10 years clean, you may find yourself renegotiating your relationship with alcohol. You know, until you're 55 and no longer think 60 is old. |
Hi spybee :) I'm not a Dr so I can't give you any guarantees but what I will say is you'll notice the health benefits of quitting drinking in a few months. Most of us feared the worst healthwise. I thought I'd probably drop dead once I stopped drinking but I'm still here many years later :) The sooner you stop the soon your mind and body starts repairing :) Have you given any thought to how you might maintain permanent abstinence at all? D |
Originally Posted by Thrillhou
(Post 7037911)
I didn't, and I only did it for ten years. I got screwed. |
Spy it's never to late. I drank for over 30 years and I just hit my 6 month sobriety milestone yesterday. After 3 months, I started seeing improvements in skin, muscle tone, hair, vision acuity and many other positives. Recovery is not a straight line endeavor. You'll have many ups and downs along the way and at times it might seem as though you take one step forward and two steps back, but that's okay. As long as your not using, know that your body and mind are healing. Eat well, exercise, drink lots of spring water, meditate and hang around SR. It's definitely not to late for you. Congrats on 3 days! |
It's never too late to make changes that will benefit your health and well-being. |
Congratulations on three days! I drank for twenty years and escaped unscatched healthwise. |
Originally Posted by wildflower70
(Post 7038030)
May I ask what you mean thrill? Did alcohol ruin your body? |
I'm sorry to hear that you've been left with some damage Thrillhou. While my drinking didn't directly impact my health so much, a bad withdrawal left me with a lot of permanent issues. As a drinker I might have given up on life completely - but now I'm sober I kinda feel a a drive to make the most of every day because I know how much I used to take things like just waking up for granted. Life is good :) D |
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