alcohol and malabsorption

Hello,

I was wondering why only some people that abuse alcohol have malabsorption issues and others do not.

[boogieman]

hi. there are two reasons for this. in alcohol abuse, the person will commonly eat very poorly which can cause an imbalance of nutrients. this can appear as malabsorption. the more direct relationship is due to damage to the digestive tract, especially the liver and pancreas that produce enzymes essential to digestion. hope this helps,   gm

[KjFlicka]

If two people the same age and sex drank exactly the same amount for exactly the same amount of time, etc., however, and one developed cirrhosis and one didn't, individual genetic variations in liver enzymes may be the root cause.

[jasper07]

Hi! My husband is alcoholic and will not get help. He does eat extremely poor and it shows. He has had his yearly physicals for his job and nothing shows up regarding his liver or any other damage. When we met 7 years ago he was 195 lbs. and now he is 160. He looks terrible and it scares me but there is nothing I can do. He has to do it for himself. He does not force feed himself. I cook but it's a waste of food. He gets sick after 2 bites and never finishes. That is the alcohol taking over, right? I don't et  how he can go on and work either.

[boogieman]

hi. unfortunately, until one decides they want to quit it can be quite frustrating dealing with them. they have a progressive illness that constantly tells them they are well. the best available resource for those close to someone with chemical dependency is al-anon. it is not for the alcoholic, but for their friends and family. it teaches them how to deal with their issues without enabling, and allows them to heal and live life no matter what the chemically dependent person says or does. i've been on both sides of the equation and twelve step programs like al-anon and aa have been the most effective therapies for those directly affected. eventually the repercussions of the illness become too great to ignore, and hopefully then the person will not be too badly mangled when they arrive at the point of willingness. take care,   gm