Hi

When I was in my teens and early 20's and all the way up until my late 30's, I always seemed to be able to drink as much as I wanted and whatever I wanted and never experience a hangover or any other unpleasant effects. In fact, alcohol would put me in a very happy and euphoric mood and I would be motivated, freindly, talkative and feel like I was on top of the world.

I also became an alcoholic and steady/addicted drinker about 4 years ago and have stopped and then relapsed several times over that period. Lately, I have been going for days and even weeks without a drink. Incidentally, I am a beer drinker and I like to drink between 6-9 beers in the afternoons.

Anyway, as of the past year or so (and for some strange reason), I am no longer able to drink alcohol without feeling absolutely horrible for several days afterwards. I get anxiety, panic attacks, shortness of breath, weird sensations and feelings, fatique and weakness, atrial fibrillation (sometimes), a feeling of being disconnected from my body, etc. Also, when I drink now, my sex drives takes a dive, my level of motivation is ZERO and I just feel like crap (it was never like this before!).

So what has happened here?. Have I just gotten too "old" to drink anymore (I'm only 43)?. Has the alcohol finally caught up to me?. Is it the meds I'm on (ie; Atenolol, Lorazepam, Prevacid, Atarax)?. Have I suddenly developed an allergy to alcohol?. I just don't understand how for most of my life I could drink with the best of them and feel great and now all of a sudden, everything changes and I feel like "death warmed over" if I so much as drink a few lousy beers with my evening meal or something.

Anyone else relate to all of this?.

- Thank's LOTS, LT

hi ,
i am a women of 34 and have drank since i was 16 (heavily),
for the last 16 days i have had no booze due to being on detox and meds from doc and will power,
if you feel this bad after drinking why carry on ?? your body and mind are telling you enough is enough, you need to stop the drinking once and for all ,yes there will be hard days to go through and the i want a drink feeling ifif you feel down but you have to stay strong and not drink ,please seek help from an AA meeting or your doctor ,
i am away from sat for a week but will be here after that to talk whenever you need support and a friend

kersti
x

LT

I quit drinking in 1989, & had the same symtoms except the b-fib.
Sadly I traded it a few years later for opiates.

I don't know about the other drugs, but lorazepam is ativan a benzo.
That is not good to mix with alcohol. It can depress your breathing, & even kill you!

Do you really want to keep drinking, or do you want to stop?

I did more in three months after I quit, than I did in years of sitting on a bar stool.

This post doesnt apply to anyone I just thought I would share my story

First off I want to say STOP drinking I know it is hard but it will Kill you
My mother drank since she was 16 yrs old and not heavily until the company she worked for went under, when that happened I guess she started drinking more and more out of bordem. Not to mention My granmother was a Alcoholic
she didnt drink everyday she would bendge (sp)
For a whole year my mother was sick and didnt tell anyone she was scared they would do to her what the did to her mom she was scared to go in the hospital she was scared to do with out her booze. It is like she was here one day and gone the next, one day she got really sick lost control of her bowels she knew what was happening her liver was shutting down and she was dying. I sat with her that whole day watching her die slowly she refused to go to the hospital, that night she decided to go and she died the next morning, she died from liver failure Her whole body just shut down, I was only 22 yrs old Just got married Had and 8 month old baby and then I lost my mom it has been so hard and I would never ever pick a drink up. She was only 47 yrs old, she was the best mother best wife best grandmother. I wish everyday I could just spend one more day with her so she could see my son,
So please if you cant do it for yourself do it for your family it has been so hard on my dad and brother and me. Just take it one day at a time. and God bless everyone of you.
If all of this didnt make any sence sorry I was trying to write a lifetime in a Paragraph, dont have much time to do that when my three year old is beating on the key board.. : )

LT I have been following your post for the past year or more, its the same story over and over again, how you don't understand why you feel so sick after drinking your 6-9 to a case of beer a day. I am not sure why you continue to drink when your so sick the next day, you must feel just horrible each time you do this to yourself.. It doesn't sound like a fun way to live at all. It probably adds to your depression and all around Ill feeling that you feel all the time. I bet you would feel so much better both mentally and physically if you quit the beers.

Have you thought about hitting an AA Meeting or speaking to a Dr about this dilema you have? I know you have been able to quit drinking the beers for a few days or weeks or even months but you seem to not be able to break this cycle.

When you had your heart issue a few weeks ago you had mentioned that you were done with drinking and you were never going to touch a drop again I hope that is still your plan and that your sticking to it. I don't know what to say other than yah, obviously your body can't handle the beers anymore, maybe there are some supplements you could look into if you just can't give it up... they might help you after a night of drinking, maybe something to detoxify your liver and clean your system out...

Or I guess you just have to live with the fact that your going to feel dreadful each and everytime you drink the beers. :dizzy:

I hear many people at AA meeting talk about loosing their tolerance to booze. It never happend to me, but apparently it's very common. If you went to an AA meeting and shared this I'm sure several people would directly identify with you.

Part of the illness of Alcoholism is the denial of our predicament, so it's good that you're becoming aware of all this; keep asking yourself and others these questions and the full truth of you sitution will be realised by you. That's why at AA meeting we suggest people keep coming back, because it takes time for one to realise the depth of their past and present situations and of course to see how they can get better and live a wonderful live without needing to drink :-)

LT-
I've been following your threads as well. I watched my husband drink heavily. We have known each other since 10th grade, so when I say this, I mean I watched him drink litterally from a young age, until adulthood.

He was the same way. He could drink as much as he wanted and it never made him feel bad the next morning. He never got mean, abusive or rude even when he was drunk. Always happy and in a great mood. HOWEVER, the drinking did catch up with him and was affecting him the following day and for may days after, but he would just heal that with more alcohol. (Beer was his choice)

I could see the toll it was taking, so I confronted him about it and gave him an ultimatum. He quit cold turkey thank the Lord.

What I'm trying to tell you is that your body has been processing this alcohol for many many years, and it's now worn out basically. It's not able to tolerate and process this alcohol like it used to. Age may have something to do with it, but more than that, the constant consumption of alcohol is where the problem is. You are damaging your liver- PERIOD. When that goes, you will be in a painful, horribly sick mess. You can not live without your liver, and it's not common for an alocoholic to be put on the waiting list for a liver. Even if you were to get lucky enough to get one, there is still a chance your body will reject it. If your body doesn't reject it, then you will live a life full of having to take medications that cost thousands of dollars a month just to keep your body from rejecting the new liver.

I know you keep saying that you can go for days, even weeks without a drop, but I have to say this- You are an alocoholic my friend. I say this in a spirit of concern, not judgement. I say it because I read your posts and it scares me to think about the road you are traveling down. I know first hand what alcoholism does to a family. There were (are) alcoholics in my family. I've lost loved ones to alcohol.

Please, PLEASE seek out help. If you can't afford counselling or rehab, find an AA group. This is your body! Your future! Your LIFE. You need to stop this cycle of abusing your body before your body decides it's had enough and stops fighting for you.

You can do it, but you first have to admit there is a problem. It sounds from your posts like you are making excuses, trying to find feesible answers to justify the way you feel after drinking, but by doing this, you are ignoring the real issue here. There are no answers for what is happening other than your body can not continue to take the alcohol any longer. It's telling you that very clearly. These are not subtle hints my friend- they are "here's your sign", point blank, in your face, signals saying please stop the drinking and live!!

Take care and please, think about these things. You can take the first step and make the choice to live without alcohol. If you can go one day, or one week, then certainly you can go a lifetime.

Good Luck LT-
Lezlee

Have you stopped caring FT?

ethos

Hi

When I was in my teens and early 20's and all the way up until my late 30's, I always seemed to be able to drink as much as I wanted and whatever I wanted and never experience a hangover or any other unpleasant effects. In fact, alcohol would put me in a very happy and euphoric mood and I would be motivated, freindly, talkative and feel like I was on top of the world.

I also became an alcoholic and steady/addicted drinker about 4 years ago and have stopped and then relapsed several times over that period. Lately, I have been going for days and even weeks without a drink. Incidentally, I am a beer drinker and I like to drink between 6-9 beers in the afternoons.

Anyway, as of the past year or so (and for some strange reason), I am no longer able to drink alcohol without feeling absolutely horrible for several days afterwards. I get anxiety, panic attacks, shortness of breath, weird sensations and feelings, fatique and weakness, atrial fibrillation (sometimes), a feeling of being disconnected from my body, etc. Also, when I drink now, my sex drives takes a dive, my level of motivation is ZERO and I just feel like crap (it was never like this before!).

So what has happened here?. Have I just gotten too "old" to drink anymore (I'm only 43)?. Has the alcohol finally caught up to me?. Is it the meds I'm on (ie; Atenolol, Lorazepam, Prevacid, Atarax)?. Have I suddenly developed an allergy to alcohol?. I just don't understand how for most of my life I could drink with the best of them and feel great and now all of a sudden, everything changes and I feel like "death warmed over" if I so much as drink a few lousy beers with my evening meal or something.

Anyone else relate to all of this?.

I have read what you posted and I really can understand what your saying..
so
who cares anymore if you can drink with the best of them
Why is that important to you?
I understand how your body doesn't want that anymore.. mine doesn't either
Listen to your body ... it's telling you something - ( I'm trying to listen to it myself and it's so hard and sucks)
Stay STrong
Kristen

I have read what you posted and I really can understand what your saying..
so
who cares anymore if you can drink with the best of them
Why is that important to you?
I understand how your body doesn't want that anymore.. mine doesn't either
Listen to your body ... it's telling you something - ( I'm trying to listen to it myself and it's so hard and sucks)

Yes, I affirm. Very similar area.

Also want to add I asked that question Lonely (Fellow) Traveler because caring (again - about everything) is an important starting point, one that once crossed that other way is hugely difficult to cross back over. A rubicon, if you like.

ethos (still on the wrongside (a relative thing, isn't it?) of the riverbank)