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Drinking

Guys,

Am I the only one in here who drinks the occasional pint or two.....? I know we are in a privelege situation in that we are either on medication (good ole NHS!) or being closely monitored. For those who might feel i am not  helping my own cause, i'm not a weekly drinker.... I just like a small bottle (or 2) from time to time. Is there any scientific research showing HBV patients should not even touch alcohol?
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Avatar universal
Zelly
Ah yes the difference between normal and healthy. Not the same are they.
I think we can all relate to
we have a virus that kills liver cells
Alcohol kills liver cells
put the two together and we have a Fibrosis party happening.

There will be a safe linit though, and it will be close to 1-2 drinks a day with no more than 7 per week and 2 or 3 Alcohol free days each week. Whether you can stick to that is another thing.

CS
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Alcohol can interfere with the anti-virals used in Hep B, also.

I tend to agree that if you're not on treatment and not having high viral load or elevated liver enzymes then the occasional drink isn't going to hurt.  But everyone's "occasional" is different and one person's glass of wine is another person's tumbler of scotch.  And some people can have one drink and some people will not be able to stop at one and some people will be sufficiently bombed after one drink to not have the wherewithal to not keep going. (Some people like me will be asleep after half a glass).

I'm also with you about the last issue, I hate to be the vice squad about alcohol.  But because I don't know what kind of alcohol related issues a poster might bring to the table I tend to err on the side of extreme caution.  Here's another reason why: for years my doctor told me my liver enzymes were normal.  Well, 30s - 50s we NOW know isn't really normal for a small woman.  19 is the upper limit of normal.  Because I thought I had normal liver enzymes and UND viral load I continued to have the occasional glass of wine.  I probably didn't hurt much but I sure as hel! didn't help either.  There have be no studies on moderate drinking and HBV so we don't know what the effect might be and I've been tricked before by the limits of science.  

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Its too polite this board.
How can an Alchol question not degenerate into a fre for all. jeez guys where is the  passion.

Dont take Alcohol if you are taking Interferon it stops it from working. Does with HCV cant see why it wouldnt with HBV.

Other than that the occasional drink isnt going to do you much harm.

In saying that the longer I have this damn virus (HCV) the closer to no Alcohol at all i get.
Strange really i could end up an Alcohol nazi and that doesnt appeal to me.
CS
Helpful - 0
217229 tn?1192762404
I have a Zune --- and it's really nice... Small one -- video player --- 8gb.

Took a few moments to understand how it all functioned - and after that --- I was Zoomin' with the Zune.

LOVE IT now.

Much more user friendly than any Ipod product --- and certainly easier to upload to and download from onto the computer.

And you can share with anyone else who has a Zune --- by wireless. Pretty interesting - not too many folks here have one --- But I can't wait till I go on vacation to share some stuff... With folks that I meet out there.

Meki
Helpful - 0
181575 tn?1250198786
Quitting drinking wasn't that hard but I was at best a social drinker to begin with.

I tell people the truth:

My friends knows it's HepB.
Others I tell that I can't drink because I'm taking some meds.

Here's a trick: Charge your friends $5 a head for being the designated driver...LOL

Zelly, go with the Zune.  I'm anti-I-anything...LOL

Helpful - 0
217229 tn?1192762404
"hairy this drinking topic can get on other Hep boards.  It tends to spark frantic debate. "
Oh yeah...

But - it opens the avenues for communication and opinions. Which helps people make up their own minds... And that's a good thing.

Hugs youse guys.

And luck Zelly - buy yourself a Zune --- or IPOD... You'll save your sanity.

Meki
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
steven is referring to how hairy this drinking topic can get on other Hep boards.  It tends to spark frantic debate.

As someone who once quit smoking (a mere weeks before finding out I had Hep B) I know how hard it can be to let go of a habit.  Even one that's really bad for you.  Don't think too far ahead.  Don't think, "Oh, I can never drink again!"  Think, "I can't drink this weekend because I'm on the meds."  Do that again next weekend.  You may find that once you break the habit you don't miss it as much as you thought you were going to.  Remember, anything done for 28 days is a habit...even NOT drinking on the weekends.  

But, don't think of it as forever...that makes it too tempting.  I tell myself I'm saving my glass of wine for whenever my husband opens a *really* good bottle (he's a wine collector).  Granted, I barely drank before but sometimes its nice to have an ounce of wine after spending the day with three pathologically loud children.

My weekend will be spent with the aforementioned children.  I'll be trying to not suffer permanent hearing loss.  Wish me luck.  You?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Guys,

Thanks for the updates..... The hardest thing of not drinking is well, not drinking... I agree with Steven that beer tests pretty darn good but healthy living is much more worth-while..... I will take this all into consideration when i next go out.... altho it sucks.... Anyways everyone looking forward to weekend???
Helpful - 0
181575 tn?1250198786
You know the forum is a success when the first "drinking" thread is posted.

I agreed with Zelly.  Haven't read of any specific studies but I took a hardline against drinking.  And probably a harder line if you are also on treatment.

I'll make a couple of points:

1)  I was advised when to take my meds.  Empty stomach with Entecavir.  TDF with meal.  It has to do with how the meds chemical are absorbed.  How does alcohol affect this, who knows?  Probably not good.

2) There are HBV in your liver cells.  In lay logic, alcohol will hurt the unaffected healthy liver cells and make HBV angry.  It could encourage more viral activities / replication.

It was hard to quit in beginning but I haven't touch a drop of alcohol since being diagnosed.  I like beer but I decide to like my liver more.  So try to control the variables you could control.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
A lot of doctors will tell you that the occasional drink is okay.  A lot will tell you not to touch it.  The problem is that there are no studies of moderate alcohol use and HBV so we really don't know the impact.  

I have been known to have an occasional glass of wine in the  past but I'm not sure I will continue to do so as I'm becoming more aware that without biopsy I don't really know the true state of my liver.  Also, we now know that even though I was meeting the lab levels for normal ALT my levels were never a true normal.  Lab levels skew high for a few different reasons.

What we can say for certain is that you really should not drink at all while you are treating your Hep B or if you have active liver damage, high DNA or elevated liver enzymes. Given that you are on treatment I would stay away from any alcohol.
Helpful - 0
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