Quote Originally Posted by CDNSushi View Post
I've been on the wagon for almost 5 days... Anyone got any tips on how I can make my jones for a beer go away? Or at least a good way to take my mind off it? I've been noticing that alcohol is so much a part of our society that it's hard to escape... I can't even turn on the TV or a movie because of all the ads, product placement and whatnot.. I'm glad that my abstinence from alcohol is only for a short time and not long-term... How do the teetotalers do it?

First off, let me say that I RARELY drink. Maybe once a year. That being said, a few things for you:

5 days! GOOD WORK! Stick with it. I am going to Weight Watchers. I am clarly addicted to food. I go to it for many reasons that I shouldn't. I've been in WW for 3 weeks now. Sometimes it's really hard to just walk away, not eat, but I do it. What helps? WATER. That will help you too. Drink LOTS of it. Not too much, but plenty. 8 cups a day? Nay - 16. Stick with it.

Now, to get away from alcohol. This is something I do know a bit about. I grew up with addicts. Several came through my doors when I was a kid. I learned a lot about the sickness, disease, whatever you call it. Get the stuff out of your house. ALL OF IT. Dump the expensive along with the cheap. Next, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT go around people who are not going to support you in your efforts.

Want a few reasons to stop? I can help with that. I used to do the surgical recovery of human allograft tissues - corneas, bones, skin, connective tissues, cardiovascular tissues. MANY of my donors were on the table WAY TOO EARLY because of alcohol.

Amongst other things, Alcohol use leads to Cirrhosis of the liver. Taken from the MayoClinic.com site : "Cirrhosis (sih-ROW-sis) is a term used to describe scarring of the liver. Your liver is a large organ that sits in your upper abdomen. The liver carries out several essential functions, such as detoxifying harmful substances in your body, purifying your blood and manufacturing vital nutrients.

Cirrhosis occurs in response to chronic damage to your liver. With mild cirrhosis, your liver can make repairs and continue its role in the body. But with more advanced cirrhosis, more and more scar tissue forms in the liver, making it impossible to function.

A number of diseases and conditions can cause the chronic liver damage that leads to cirrhosis."

One of the results of cirrhosis is ascites, a buildup of excess fluid in the abdomen and around the organs. This is caused by the liver not being able to filter as it should, which keeps fluids in the body rather than passing them out through the urine.

When this happens, high ammonia levels in the blood are common, resulting in an altered mental status. Dealing with someone with this is like dealing with person on LSD.

Alcoholic cirrhosis develops for between 10% and 20% of individuals who drink heavily for a decade or more. There is great variability in the amount of alcohol needed to cause cirrhosis (as little as 3-4 drinks a day in some men and 2-3 in some women). - Wiki

When the liver starts to go it puts a strain on the kidneys. They then start to fail.

One common occurence is bleeding of the varices, which are in the esophagus. These buggers are dilated veins in the throat that often bleed in a person who drinks a lot. They can rupture, leading to death. A very very messy death. You don't want to know how I know that part.

Another common occurence is Hepatitis C. I don't think I need to go into detail about that.

Now, on to personal experiences with a live person.



My wife's uncle is in the hospital. Hep. C positive and what I suppose you could call end-stage Cirrhosis. Every two to three days he is having 7-8 LITRES of fluid drained off of his abdomen. His ammonia levels are increased. He is hallucinating. The doctors are trying to control the bleeding of due to his varices veins. They are not being too successful. His liver is almost completely out of commission. His kidneys are starting to shut down. They have to put him under to scope him and work on the varices. Coming out of this should be no more than a few hours. You've been under or you know someone that has, so you know what I am talking about. Last week when they had to go in it took him 3 days to wake up from the proceedure. He is in constant pain, but he can't be given pain medication because the liver won't filter them from his blood. He needs a liver. Problem is he is not a candidate for a liver because he has been drinking in the last 6 months. His outlook is not good.

Suppose, for a minute, that you have some beginning stage of Cirrhosis. STOP NOW and the liver will be ok, will continue to do it's work. Continued drinking, regardless of how much, will only continue to damage your liver. For your sake, stop. Keep up the fight. Get the urge, go walk. Go run. Call someone who supports you. Find a meeting. Find a sponsor. Take up mountain biking. DO ANYTHING, just don't drink.

God bless you. Keep on fighting.