Dizziness/lightheaded nausea after binge drinking?

been kinda a heavy drinker for about 2 years... I started where i would have a couple of cocktails and a couple of jooses ever couple of nights or drink 4 days in a row... then it was like 2 Jooses a night. between like may and nov 09, then not so much drinking. 2 times a week... then In feb started drinking more with the new gf. like 3 days a week... finishing 1.75 litres of vodka every 2 days. recently its slowed to about one night of drinking a week. and like 1 or 2 drinks the next day instead of binging everyday... ok , just wanted to give some back ground... so May1st i took a two week break... then on the 12th.. last wednesday I binged again with the gf. normal amount 5or 6 cocktails with around 6 shots each. dont really remember but we drink in unison. shots and cocktails at same intervals. I'm 25, 300 or more lbs i think.... shes 24 120lbs?? so the next day i woke up dizzy and a lil drunk as usual. but worried by the time evening came around and was still lightheaded and nauseas.... days went by with only slight improvement... its the 17th and am lightheaded when getting up to fast... and not really nauseas but have had no appetite... felt a stomach growl i think today so that might be good. but also every night since thursday night i wake up suddenly, like im frightened by a nitemare or can't breath... arms were numb first 2 times but i figured i was layin on them. then night before last slept on a recliner and awoke the same way but my leg was asleep... happened 2 times within about 10 mins last night only while dozing off. no numb limbs and i assume i slept fine. I usually go to sleep around 5 or 6 but ive been getting sleepy at 3 every night. woried i may have messed up my CNS from what ive read online and the feeling that i stop breathing in the middle of the night... is this something i should really worry about or just will pass considering lightheadedness has gone for the most part and not really nauseas... and think i might have an appetite and won't have to force today... all help will be greatly appreciated...

[Westguy1003]

So many things could be going on that may or may not be related to drinking. But to give you my own experiences:

I used to be able to drink a lot, heavily, and I'd feel hungover the next day like usual but it'd more or less go away. Then about two or three months ago I found that my hangovers were getting worse. I'd be dizzy, lightheaded, and off balance for the day, and even days after I stopped drinking. MUCH worse than anything I ever had before. It was then that I started thinking that I was drinking too much and made plans to quit.

You could have so many things it's impossible to say with any certainty but regardless of that you're clearly doing damage to yourself by drinking as much as you do. Best to hold off drinking for at least a few months and see if things don't get better. Although I strongly urge you consult with your doctor and tell him/her everything you've told us.

People who drink heavily tend to be defficient in any number of vitamins or minerals because the liver works overtime to process the alcohol. If you drink regularly than your liver is likely on overdrive and not doing what it's supposed to be doing. The good news is that your liver is a very tough organ and can actually repair itself most of the time if you give it a break. You're still young so it's possible that any damage you've done to your body you can reverse or at least manage if you quit the booze.

If you're body is reacting to your drinking differently then you're used to then it's trying to tell you something. Thing of your body like a car. You know your car better than anyone else. You know what it can and can't do and you know what it normally sounds and feels like and you know what it sounds and feels like when somethings wrong. This is the same. Your body is telling you to stop doing what you're doing.

Don't drive yourself crazy trying to diagnose yourself by reading on the internet. Lightheadedness, dizziness, nauseau are such broad symptoms they're indicative of almost everything and anything you could think of from a brain tumor to liver disorders, cancer, to motion sickness, etc. You'll convince yourself you have a dozen different things before you even set foot in a doctors office and it'll make you crazy. I know, I've done it! Go to your doctor and get properly diagnosed.

There really is no UPside to heavy drinking. Given time, heavy drinking or binge drinking will have negative effects on nearly every organ in your body. Brain, liver, kidneys, heart, etc... And that's to say nothing of the hangover the next morning. You're still young so if you can cut out the binge drinking, limit your alcohol intake, or better yet give it up completely I strongly urge you to do so, at least until you get a diagnosis from your doctor and give your body adequate time to heal.

I won't preach to you too much about the evils of alcohol but consider your health and the possibility that you might have a drinking problem. Alcoholism is not defined by how much you drink or how often you drink but rather by continuing to drink even when the drinking causes problems and/or you know it would be better, safer, or smarter not to continue drinking. You can be an alcoholic and only drink once a week or a few times a month and you can be a non-alcoholic who drinks much more than that! It's in the effect that the booze has on your life, not the extent or frequency. Only you can say if you have this problem and if you're drinking is having negative effects on your life. Although At the very least it's having negative effects on your health and wether or not you have a drinking problem realize that your health is extremely important.

Here's how I looked at my life and my situation: At WORST, I'm an alcoholic. At BEST: I'm drinking far too much and doing damage to my body and my overal health. See? No real upside there.

Aside from the drinking I'd mention your sleeping problems to your doctor. While alcohol can cause some sleep disturbances and disorders it's entirely possible you may have sleep apnea which is a fairly common problem especially among larger people. If you shoot awake in the middle of the night and have trouble breathing or catching your breath it's a definite possibility that you might have sleep apnea. It's common but potentially dangerous so certainly bring that up to your doctor as well. It can be easily diagnosed with a sleep study (although they're certainly no fun). I have it myself and I can tell you firsthand that stopping drinking and/or losing weight goes a long way toward managing it.

Again, I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to consult with your doctor about this as I, and the others on this forum, can only share with you our own experiences and insight from our own lives. We can't diagnose you. Any or all of this could be caused by the bing drinking or any number of other things. For the sake of your sanity at least, talk to your doctor.

Good luck and keep us posted!
31 Days.

[Cedmar]

thanks for the comment, I don't consider any of it preaching.  It's welcomed. Yeah, I only freaked so bad because I felt perfect before that Wednesday. Then its like the hangover never went away... well the nauseas..and light feeling... and the sleep apnea JUST started for the first time the day after... You know? It's like too much for a coincidence ... yhen yeah, as you said... started climbing up the walls. Gonna get myself checked sometime soon here.

[Jacker]

What you should worry about is your increasing quantity. Dizziness is what finally ended my drinking career too.  I went on a binge that left me so dizzy that I didn't' feel normal for about 6 weeks.  This is not to scare you- it's to let you know that your body is trying to tell you something.  If you are this dizzy, lay off the booze until you feel normal again.

If you're an alcoholic, then you should stop for ever.  If not, then take a break and moderate your drinking........but if you can't moderate, then you have your answer on whether or not you are an alcoholic.

My balance is back now, the vertigo is gone.  Prolonged sobriety is what fixed it.  

[Cedmar]

okay, pretty much not dizzy at all right now... don't think i had any apnea or atleast that woke me up freaked out. Still a little nauseas tho. sometimes almosr ro where I WANNA throw up.

[Westguy1003]

Apnea is not something you "get," it's something you "have." It's still worth getting checked out as even though it's a common condition it's potentially very dangerous.  Many people with sleep apnea wake up trying to breath dozens of times throughout the night, sometimes hundreds and are never even conscious of the fact it's happening as they're still half-asleep when it happens. I went for a sleep study and was astonished to find that on average I "wake up" 30 times an hour. Losing weight helps, sleeping on your side instead of your back helps, etc. But again, that's something thats up to you to pursue.

You really have to listen to your body though. Sleep apnea or not, binge drinking and alcohol abuse can cause a whole slew of health problems not the least of which are sleeping disorders. like Jacker said, give up the booze until at least you feel normal again. If you get the dizziness and the lightheadedness again it's probably time to seriously hold off on the booze for a good, long while. Like Jacker I started getting horrible bouts of dizziness and balance issues after drinking and that's what finally convinced me it was time to stop for a while. It's been over a month and I'm still feeling dizzy and lightheaded for most of the day but it's better than a hangover and it's not nearly as bad as it was when I was drinking.

Sometimes your body tries to tell you things. At the very least you should probably take a break from the booze for a few weeks / months and give your body time to recover from it. Binge drinking is never a good thing, healthwise and can lead to many problems. As I said, being an alcoholic doesn't always mean you drink a lot or drink often... but those things don't help either. Addict or not, give your body a break. If only as an experiment maybe do what I did and make plans to stop for a month. If you find you miss alcohol, more importantly if you CRAVE it then maybe it's time to consider getting some help. If you can go the month without thinking too much about it then I can guarantee you'll feel better and more productive at least physically and mentally speaking and maybe you'll choose to abstain longer.

It's up to you but remember to keep your health in mind and mind your health.

Good luck.

[pettygil]

Feeling dizzy could mean many different things. It may, or may not be the booze you are drinking.

I would see a doctor. I did and come to find out I have a nasty inner ear infection, which will cause a person to feel light headed, or off balance. I don't have any pain in my ears, still don't, so I was surprised to find out I have an inner ear infection. I have bladder infection with no symptoms, but I have an infection. My point is this: If you don't have any symptoms that doesn't mean you are well and you should be seen by a doctor.
I have another doc appointment it a few days. I'm dizzy again to.

I also have panic attacks, which make me feel dizzy and I have vertigo, which makes it seems like the room is spinning. However, booze doesn't help those problems I have, it just makes it worse. Drinking can cause dizzy spells to. A lot of things can cause you to feel light headed, so best if you get that checked out.

Also, drink lots of water, as when you drink that much, your body become dehydrated.
Which can cause dizzy spells.

[dollbud]

i am a silly 54 year old female,...who drank too much wine a couple days back. prob about one 750cl bottle and another half, no other mixes. i am on medication for heart and hypertension as well. i usually try and moderate and know ehen not to exceed as have had probs before in past 12 years when drinking at binge level became a problem. all brought on by personal stuff of very heavy nature!!! altho i suppose some will say that no life experiences should turn you to drink....but i say lucky the individual strong enough to not fall this path...i certainly shouldnt have any reason now tho altho at times reflection kicks in, but generally am ok for past year or bit longer, since had scary moment couple years back with alcohol poisoning. anyhows, a couple days back i was out and had bottle wine to last whole evening along with pint soda to water down effects of wine strength, unfortunately got embroiled in a companions drinking speed and ended up binging too much, result....vomitting..passing out..unable to get up/function until 8pm the following day...now it is 3rd day and still feel dizzy if get up too fast or even if head turns from side to side when in bed..and as usual am now very worried over health that have caused irreversible brain damge..any thoughts...chrissi

[bday55]

Must be old age creeping in. Same thing happened to me last week. And I didn't even finish the bottle. Dizzy like crazy the next day. I'm a power drinker too...always been. I'm taking some time off (much needed), been heavy drinking since Thanksgiving. I'm just an idiot. I feel pretty good after 4 days   of no drinking. Hope it works out for you. "Alcohol, a Hell of a drug"