Myocarditis and alcohol

[Johannes1998]

Hi! Im an almost 18 year old boy from Norway. Im very active and workout normally 3-4 times at the gym and I also play soccer 2 times a week. I was recently diagnosed with Myocarditis. The doctors say that I cant have any physical activity for at least three months. I understand that this is very important so my heart can take time to recover to the normal condition. The doctors say the myocarditis is serious, but definitely not one of the worst and  they believe I will recover completely if I let the heart rest. They have also said no alcohol for 3 months. The physical activity part I fully understand because my heart needs rest but I dont understand why the alcohol is so important. Im not saying I want to be sloppy drunk, but anything would help. At my age I attend a lot of partys so if I would be able to maybe drink 1 or 2 beers this would be great. So my first question: Can I drink 1-2 beers during these three months?

Furthermore I was wondering about alcohol after these three months. I would think that I gradually would be able to drink more as the time goes. So then maybe increase the alcohol consumption little by little. And after maybe 4-5 months can I then drink 6 beers so that i get drunk? (Not sloppy drunk but drunk enough to feel the alcohol).

Last question. Next year, in may there is this graduation tradition called "Russ-time" and you basically drink a lot of alcohol and party very much in one month witch will lead to less sleep than usual. I understand that I probably should not party as hard as I would have done if i did not have the myocarditis. I know that for example sleep is very important for the heart. So my question is: In almost a year from now, will I be able to consume enough alcohol to get drunk and attend lots of parties (but try to minimize it a bit)?

Thanks for all answers and experiences before hand.

[achillea]

As you may now know, myocarditis can be very damaging to the heart, depending on a number of factors, some of which are preventable and some of which are not.  Having had myocarditis, you are statistically at risk for something called idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (you can google it).  It is a scary thing.

Alcohol is directly toxic to the cells of the heart.  It interferes with the function of the mitochondria, the tiny engines that run a healthy cell.  Significant alcohol intake can damage the mitochondria badly enough to cause cardiomyopathy in even once-healthy hearts.

Do you see a connection here?

If your medical doctors wisely counseled you to avoid all alcohol, why would you want to risk damaging your heart for the rest of your life—for the sake of getting drunk?

You describe yourself as a ‘boy.’  In Norway, you will be legally an adult at 18, so boyhood is pretty much over.  If you wish to be a healthy adult who enjoys a long life, I would suggest following your doctors’ advice and being not just observant of their advice, but scrupulously observant.

If you need booze to feel happy or confident, there are ways to get there that do not involve damaging your heart, and if you need that kind of help, tell your doctors about it.

[Jayde25]

Hi Johannes,
\Avoid drinking alcohol. It can lower your blood pressure and may increase some of the side effects of Micardis. Do not use potassium supplements or salt substitutes while you are taking Micardis, unless your doctor has told you to.
You are very young and have the rest of your life to enjoy a drink with friends. Getting drunk is not good for your heart or indeed for the rest of your body.
This is an important decision you need to make right now. Look after your body for now or suffer more serious consequences. This is not meant to scare you just to say it like it is.
You can have fun without alcohol you just have to work a at it. Good Luck.