several alcohol questions

[keiransk]

Hi all

First post



I'm not sure if I'm developing a damaging relationship with alcohol. Certainly it appears to have changed.



I will give a little background and then pose some questions which I hope esteemed members, particularly those from an academic or professional background in alcohol services, may be able to answer.



I should add that I worked in mental health at a fairly senior level and hence my questions have not been answered via "normal" reading and experience. Possibly because of this, too, I am reluctant to present to formal services for help (though would do so if the issue became more problematic)





I have consumed alcohol since my teens. I am now a youthful looking 45 yr old. I am male, South Asian (hence possible deficiences in acetaldehyde dehdrogenase), single and live in London. I am (perhaps enviably) in the position of choosing no longer to work, as money is not a problem. This does mean, though, that there are fewer limits on consuming alcohol and , indeed, more opportunities due to going out more frequently. I have been on the medications finasteride  (Propecia) for hair loss for a year, and tadalifil (Cialis) for better erections for several years. From my limited reading, these drugs do not have odd effects with alcohol. These are "lifestyle"drugs. I am generally healthy.





Questions:-

1) Apparent LESS TOLERANCE to alcohol

In my younger day I could drink up to 6 pints, and still have sensible conversations and remember everything I had done, with full control. I even drove a car with several pints on board (not proud nor clever) without problem

Nowadays, I would not dream of driving after a single pint as I am aware of how poorly I am tolerating it. Conversations with others become odd after a pint or two.

Surely a sign of addiction is increasing tolerance to alcohol

So any explanation of LESS tolerance in my case?



2) AMNESIA

I always used to remember everything I had done/said whilst drinking.

Nowadays, there are times when I cannot recall what I'd done or even how I got home

This is truly worrying for someone like me who likes to be in control at all times

Any explanation?



3) Possible connection to illegal drugs?

Drugs were never a feature of my life until the early 40s when I dabbled in a minor way with cocaine, E's and very occasional K and cannabis

This episode lasted for two tears at most and I did not think the drug experiences were particularly special. I haven't taken any for 3 years.

What I did find, though, was that whilst on drugs, there appeared to be no limit on how much I could drink without my body rejecting it by vomiting or falling asleep.

In fact my changed relation to alcohol dates to this time and I wonder if combined drug and alcohol use activated different brain pathways, which perhaps are now stimulated when I consume alcohol only? Anyone know?



4) Effect of fresh air

I can be "ordinarily" drunk within my house or a bar, but sometimes going out and walking in the fresh air "knocks me out". I always manage to get home safely, but awake completely unaware of how I did so

I think this is well known about, but does anyone have an explanation?



5) Vomiting

Whereas in the past I could vomit as a safety measure during the night, I now find that I'm likely to vomit the following morning. There is usually a huge amount of liquid, suggesting the body has not processed this, waiting to expel it the next day

Any explanation?



6) Suddenly awake during the night

Whereas in the past, an evening of alcohol excess would lead to a full night's sleep with a hangover the next day, nowadays I can often suddenly awake, fully alert, anytime from 2- 4 am, fully conscious and unable to reurn to sleep

Is this a withdrawal effect, and anything to help?

It's possibly the most disturbing symptom for me



7) Increased mean corpuscular volume

A sign of alcohol damage is raised MCV (bigger red blood cells) in the blood. Whilst mine have always been towards the high end of normal, this value is now OVER the nornal range

Other possible causes of this have been excluded

So the question is , how significant is this value in the absence of any other blood parameter of alcohol abuse ( I have normal liver function tests, including gammaGT)?





many thanks to all for reading these musings and thanks in advance for all help/suggestions/advice

[ibizan]

thanks for the update!if this is working for you and no affected life areas from alcohol use then so be it!If it gets out of control again then you always have choices to make !

[keiransk]

hey all
thanks for replies

I thought I'd let you know that I quite simply reduced my alcohol intake to about a third of what it had been

These erstwhile problems have disappeared and my blood count with respect to red cells has normalised

And I have no cravings, etc. I see no reason why this new situation cannot last

I don't really understand why my tolerance for alcohol has dropped so much in my forties  -  but it makes sense to respond to what my body is telling me!!

[rod44]

Hi, I am not of a medical, academic or professional background where alcohol is concerned, I am however a recovering alcoholic and do feel qualified to comment from my experience as an active addict and my struggle to recover from this disease …

I suffered blackouts that involved not remembering parking my car before going drinking or most of what happened thereafter....

My parents were non drinkers, there is a history if I go back a few generations but this apples to most everyone...

If you have medical issues then drinking will not help especially if you are taking medication, there may be an underling problem that you may not be aware of combined with drinking and the use of medications....

My recovery started when I was admitted to a mental health unit in my local hospital. I was told by the professionals that my problems at that time were due to alcoholism. I would not accept this despite the fact that in hindsight life for me was a drunken blur, I had my first drink at about age 15,  and for many years I was ok, I would worry about my drinking but always dismissed this as many of my friends were drinking the same amount as I was, they slowed down and settled down in time but I continued to drink..... It was really the last two years that things got out of hand, I could not get through the day without a drink, I could not get the buzz, I was drinking more but with no results, I would wake in the night and could not sleep so I mixed “drowse”  cough medication hoping to 1 get more of a buzz     2 to get a full nights sleep. I would steal for drink and the thing is I thought this was normal behavior....It took many years to hit this dark place but looking back now I can see how gradual my demise was but I could not and/or did not see it happening at the time....
My advice for what it's worth to you is see your GP, be totally honest about your drinking, If you think you have a drink problem then you need to sit up and take notice.......

Good luck and  hope you get the answers you need :)

Ray

[ibizan]

the blacking out..the memory loss is indicative of just more than a alcohol problem....the best to you figuring this out.

[dominosarah]

That is good you have had your liver checked and are normal.  Stick around this site as most of us can relate to what is going on.......sara

[keiransk]

Yes sure I realise that my drinking is problematic and therefore I am indeed asking about it

My liver function tests have always been normal, nut my red blood cells are large in volume (can be a sign)

[keiransk]

Thanks again for comments
No, there's no family history of alcoholism  -  my mother never drank a drop (entirely against her culture)  and my father enjoyed the occasional drink only. My brothers drink very moderately, much less so than I do.

I genuinely don't believe I have ever been dependent on alcohol. Rather, I may have had harmful use of alcohol. The problems now are to do with the effects of alcohol on my system, even though they are lower amounts than previously consumed.

[dominosarah]

Well i am not an academic professional here but i am a recovering alcoholic/drug addict.  I drank and did drugs from an early age and i am 48 now.  Bottom line here, if you are asking about it you must have a good idea it is a problem.  Have a liver panel done, that can sometimes be a real eye opener.........all the best         sara

[ibizan]

4got to add...a very strong history of alcoholism on both sides of my family!

[ibizan]

i think the word dependent hangs folks up when it comes 2 alcohol.Plus all who post here asking these questions do have  a problem don't want to have a problem and don't like hearing that they have a probelm,in my experience in this forum! 3 things characterize alcoholism.....a loss of control over the amount consumed and ones behavior.....and this happens repeatedly despite attempts to control and rationalize the use.Affects areas of life....family, interpersonal relationships,finances,legal problems etc or a total discomfort with the drinking and a continuance of it.Glad u never took drugs and drove but alcohol is the most socially acceptable/legal drug in the world.Your retirement status will chart the course of your drinking/possible consequences...more free time!NO ONE ever wants to be alcohol dependent...no one! I sure didn't!Is there a family history of it?A well respected psychologist from the UK that lives in my state gave a seminar on dually addicted folks.He said..and I agree with him from what i've seen in my daily job as a substance abuse counselor....if there is one parent who is chemically dependent the child has a 30% chance of being so themselves.If there are 2 parents a 70% chance.I agree with the saying....one isn't responsible for being chemically dependent..but they are responsible for what they choose to do with it!

[keiransk]

Thanks. Glad to see you have done well
I should point out that I never took drugs and drove, and that my drug-taking generally was mild
I've started investigating PAWS and whilst there are ideas of interest and relevance here, I was not dependent on alcohol previously, and have not attempted to be abstinent currently

[ibizan]

forgot to add...reason why u could drink and drink with cocaine and E is that there is astronomical amounts of synthetic speed in these drugs that cause the so called hollow leg!If u haven't used any of these drugs for 3 years they are out of your system.But chronic use of these can damage neurotransmitters and deplete amino acids in the brain.Also PAWS is primarily for those who become sober and have problems in recovery .PAWS will give you excellent info on what damage u are doing to ur central nervous system functioning with the drinking.I presented for treatment with 2 college degrees and in a similiar field such as u in 1983.Complete abstinence has eradicated these problems u describe from drinking that i 2 experienced!

[ibizan]

1.body/liver begins to tolerate less alcohol after years of tolerating it...body is telling u ENOUGH!please don't drive drunk! 2.ur having blackouts...memory loss during apparents functioning moments.please don't drive drunk! 3.i do not think a connecction here....primarily alcohol related. 4. no connection- alcohol related. 5.no xplanation i know of for this....its just vomit! 6.yes- u need to stop drinking! and see ur MD for a non habit forming sleep medication.this is normal and subsides with sobriety.Body has habituated itself to nocturnal consumption and when one stops this the body says where the alcohol?7. this is MD's area of expertise.Google PAWS....Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome and see if any of these symptoms are applicable to ur situation!