Firstly, I apologise for the repetitive nature of this post, I’m sure there’s been many like this writen before. I’m a just about to turn 29 year old female who has been drinking around a bottle of wine a day for the last 8 or so years (with some weeks of sobriety throw in between)
I drink mainly to numb my anxiety, which can be quite crushing. In doing so I’ve suffered unpleasant side effects such as gastritis, not helped by taking aspirin for the inevitable headaches that follow my red wine habit, as well as weight gain. Recently however, I’ve noticed upper right quadrant pain which is really frightening me. I had a LFT mid last year which came back normal- but still I hear stories of people with damaged livers who’s blood tests come back ok.
I’m not sure what I’m looking for here- maybe some helpful encouragement to help me stay off booze, or maybe someone to tell me what I’m doing is dangerous and I need to stop ASAP. I’ve tried to stop booze so many times in the past and I always go back after around two weeks. What strategies did any of you use to stop drinking? Does anyone have any advice? I’m really struggling.
Hel x
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its obvious you cant stop on your own and people telling you that your doing wrong wont help as you already know this. there is plenty of help out there for people who drink but there are plenty of agency to give you the suppor you need. here is a link where you may find the support and dont be hard on yourself just get the help. wising you well. love grace
Hi Hel, you need to see a Doctor as only they have the experience and knowledge to make a diagnosis. They will be able to run all of the relevant tests and then go from there. Tell them what you have told us about your drinking so they have the most comprehensive picture of your health at the moment and ask for help. Do you have family that can support you? You do need to stop drinking. I don’t drink alcohol, I’m not being judgemental here, as I don’t like it, butI ended up with problems from an unhealthy lifestyle, unhealthy food, weight and little exercise. Luckily I have been told I can reverse the damage done with time however it was a huge shock to me when I first got my results back.
Please be reassured that I am not trying to frighten you but you do need to see a Doctor for tests and to see if they can help with the alcohol problems. In the meantime, stay off Google as you will scare yourself silly like I did!
Congratulations on taking the initial steps to a healthy lifestyle and I wish you all the best, please let us know how you get on
Hiya, don't apologise for posting, we've all got to start somewhere. I left it to late to stop and at the age of 45 was diagnosed with cirrhosis. I'm in relatively good health because I stopped drinking. Have you tried groups, counseling etc? I know a lot of people don't like the idea of these things but finding the right help can help in staying booze free.
Don't be afraid to go to your Dr about this if you feel it is a problem.
Be honest with them, and don't underestimate your level of drinking.
You should find that, far from being judgemental, they will welcome you with open arms for genuinely seeking their help.
And please don't think that stopping drinking is all AA meetings, self-loathing, and sackcloth and ashes. There are all kinds of services you can get access to that will help you in a way that suits your own mindset and/or beliefs, if any.
And often there is a lot of humour along the way too.
Yes, I second the “go to doc” suggestion. I too had a bottle of wine most days, and once you get to that stage, your brain tells your body it’s normal. This means your body expects the alcohol, so cutting down or even quitting is tremendously hard. I had some minor pains similar to what you describe. An ultrasound suggested mild fatty liver. Since I cut down and later quit*, the pains have long gone.
* I started a thread entitled “Campral” which was the drug I got through my GP to reduce my alcohol cravings. It’s working for me, but everyone’s different so go and see your GP and say you want help cutting down or even better quitting. They won’t judge or scold. Good luck.
Would you like to consider phoning our nurse led helpline tomorrow? It may be useful to have a chat with me about how you are feeling and some ideas about changes you can make and help you can access?
You have already made a major step forward by admitting/realising that alcohol is not conducive to your good health. Admitting at 29 you have a great opportunity to change. You will find encouragement and support on here but you need your GP to sort the medical side.
Realising you need to stop is also a big step forward. Along side this when you see your GP be honest and share any reason you may have had for turning to drink? Some use alcohol as self medication, addressing this as well will help you stay strong and determined. If you have anyone in your life who also drinks heavily you need to review this. I wish you all good and no one on here will criticise you ever, only support and care. So many things can damage the liver, not just alcohol. The vast majority are unaware of this , but a lot of members on here are in this position,including me. Feel proud you have taken your first step, Hazelx
I am writing from personal experience, my first bottle of wine was a bottle of Chianti when I was 15 in the local park, 40 years later and a lot of alcohol later things had to change. I was drinking secretly, mowing the lawn with a glass tucked away in the garage while one was on the garden wall, hiding mini bottles in my socks and other tricks of the trade. In July 2018, last year I developed a rash, could this be a symptom of liver damage. Test results showed raised GGT, I confided in the Doc and explained all, re-test in one month, managed to get down to 45 units a week, still raised GGT, no surprise, however I believed that after a history of beer n wine I wanted to cut down as a first step. Re-test in 3 months, a target date, I enjoy red wine, I enjoy craft beer , so what next ? One of the most difficult things was to cut down, I remember the first night , I failed and had two glasses, thats 500ml to you and I , but it was a start. I made up an Excel spread sheet to look at my consumption, it kinda gave me a target but importantly I managed to convince myself what good excess drinking was doing for me. I said to myself, okay lasagne for tea , thats a defo for red, but maybe just a glass, I got into the habit of measuring 250ml , about 3.3 units and that was all, craving the second of course, but it was a start. Most importantly I started putting obstacles in front of me, I would do anything that meant I didnt have to drink and if I got to 21.00pm, Id say " okay, what difference will this glass of wine make to me now ?", it wont change me , it wont change the television programme Im watching, it wont mean I cant sleep, it wont mean anything tomorrow and Im hardly going to wake up and say, "damn, I wish I had that glass of wine last night ". I started playing table tennis at a local hall which finished at 22.00pm, an alcohol free night, really , I did it but only because occupied myself with something else to do, you need to find something that can keep you away from the cork. Slowly I began having juice with my dinner and then slowly and ceremoniously poured 250ml to have with cheese n biscuits and that was it, whats more, I actually loved it, because I had managed to cut down and control my intake, its a first step and if you can do that yourself ( which you know you can do ) cos youve said so, then you will fill your heart with happiness that you managed to do it for yourself ? But what about any long term damage, like you , I cant have got away with this. Re-test Dec 2018 , all results normal , but what about the damage Ive done, well, what about it ? As you start to feel happier within yourself the panic dissipates until you start to realise what life can be like with alcohol, but in moderation and with a few alcohol free days per week. As you can tell I could go on and on but this is all very recent to me and I have changed the "habit" of a lifetime and feel very lucky, some days are a struggle but that will keep diminishing, trust yourself first, find things to do and hey if you live anywhere near Fife in Scotland just message me and who knows we can help each other, or we can speak on the phone, sometimes just talking to person who has been through it ( thats me in the past 6 months) can be of help and we can talk for an hour or even two hours, but lets make it one of these nights that mean we are doing something that takes us away from pulling the cork, if you dont , I wont . Promise !
My lft's are virtually normal but I have autoimmune hepatitis and cirrhosis so yes the lft's don't always show the full extent of liver damage. I would ask your gp for a liver ultrasound. Tell him/her about your drinking and don't be tempted to minimise it. Good luck. Deb
Great point. Unfortunately many are in those shoes GrandmaDylan. This is why I hate when GP's give people LFTs and then tell them they are fine if the tests come back normal. We both know from experience that simply just isnt the case in all people. People forget that LFTs are a snapshot of your livers function in that moment and not it's TRUE state. It blows me away how advanced of liver disease people have been found to have upon proper search by a proper doctor who were otherwise told to stop worrying because their LFTs are normal. My GP did the same. If I had of walked out of that office and kept drinking thinking all was good and fine I'd be dead right now.
If LFT was normal there won't be any long lasting damage. Spirits is what will seriously damage your Liver. As other readers have suggested it would be best to get some help to reduce drinking and address the anxiety properly. Exercise and a healthy diet can do wonders for your liver health.
Agree with everything you’ve said and whilst spirits contain more alcohol than other drinks, are spirits more harmful? If someone drinks one glass of scotch a day, that’s not going to hurt. If, however, another person drinks a bottle of wine or four beers a day, that’s certainly unhealthy. I would say everything in moderation, but I’ve had to become one of those annoying ex-drinkers as I had little/no self control.
The irony about what I wrote above is I liked beer and wine, but I never liked spirits. In my case, as I drink fast, I’m very thankful i never got a taste for spirits. That would have been nasty.
Wrong! Spirits Wine or Ale make no difference. Alcohol is alcohol. Your liver doesnt care what type it is. One standard drink is one standard drink. This is a common misconception that one is less harmful than the other.
I don't drink and didn't drink much in my teens and twenties. My cirrhosis is due to my antibodies attacking my liver. I also had graves disease...an autoimmune condition that attacked my thyroid. I've had fibromyalgia for about 16 years and every symptom I've ever had is automatically put down to that. I even put the pain I had with my gallstones down to fibro.
Last year I started a low carb diet to try to get off the insulin which had been caused by steroid use. I lost 35lbs and was pleased to stop injecting insulin. I went to see my diabetic nurse for my yearly blood test. My gp was really pleased as all my bloods were completely normal apart from being anaemic. I was shocked when the haematologist I was referred to for the anaemia said she thought I had liver disease. I went for a liver scan which showed cirrhosis, an enlarged spleen with varices and portal hypertension...and yet my lft's were and still are normal!!! So please don't be lulled into a false sense of security. Deb
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Liver pain
Only 22 and worried about cirrhosis symptoms?
Is 20 units a week a lot? 
Liver damage 
