Drinking

[Keswickcres6]

Does anyone here have a drink with afib I have had a few lagers a couple of times last time I had a drink in woke up with my heart banging I did miss my bisoprolol though do you think it would be OK would love have a drink but to scared

[Jalia]

How many is ' a few '?...lol! Many find that alcohol is a trigger and you appear to have done so as well. Of course you can always try having less with taking your bisoprolol as usual and see what happens !

[BobD Volunteer]

Most I think take the sensible approach and avoid alcohol. Just not worth the risk.

[HiloHairy]

Alcohol thankfully doesn't appear to have an effect on my AFib. Sodium on the other hand... This makes it difficult to eat in my favorite Asian restaurants.

Does AFib have an effect on your punctuation or is that just sloppiness?

😜

[CDreamer in reply to HiloHairy]

very poor forum etiquette to comment on a post criticising spelling and grammar

[Ducky2003 in reply to CDreamer]

Guessing AF affects some folks capacity to be pleasant,sometimes, as I noted on another post yesterday.

[andyk0001 in reply to CDreamer]

Very

[Jajarunner in reply to HiloHairy]

Was that a joke at the end coz if so it needed a smily face to indicate so....

[Keswickcres6 in reply to HiloHairy]

😅😅😅😅

[Keswickcres6 in reply to HiloHairy]

How does your afib affect you? ??? And where is it sloppy have i hand written it ?no I was merely asking did anyone drink with afib and get criticised for sloppiness 😅😅hilarious

[stoneyrosed]

Those kind of pompous remarks cause me to think twice about coming on these forums. Dissapointing.

[Jalia in reply to stoneyrosed]

I agree. Totally unnecessary and not the kind of response we expect here. We should also bear in mind that there are many for whom English is not their first language.

[HiloHairy in reply to Jalia]

Tank y'all fo settin me strate on 4rum etcutWont let it happen agen!

Mestak fo tink tha memba wit nam lik Keswick wood no engrish.

[Keswickcres6 in reply to HiloHairy]

I am English

[Ijacp in reply to HiloHairy]

Hilo obviously some abbreviated form of hilarious then. Not!

[Keswickcres6 in reply to Jalia]

I am English 100%

[Jalia in reply to Keswickcres6]

I didn't think otherwise....understood your post perfectly ! I was merely drawing attention to the fact that we do get some who post on here who obviously struggle with the English language and should not be ridiculed because of this.

[Ducky2003 in reply to Keswickcres6]

Jalia was just sticking up for you after the uncalled for comment about your punctuation.😊.

[Keswickcres6 in reply to Ducky2003]

I know ..thanks Jalia x

[CDreamer in reply to stoneyrosed]

Thankfully they are rare.

[Sfhmgusa]

I think from past posts and personal experience alcohol is a very clear trigger for some and not others . But equally anxiety is the same , I guess if you are anxious about alcohol you may not know which made you get your arrhythmia.That being said , and providing you enjoy alcohol so you prefer not to stop drinking it, I would try a single ( small) glass of wine or half pint when you are relaxed and have had your beta blockers and no other pressures etc.

If that triggers afib you will know , if not you can take small steps to suit your life.

One thing I’m certain of is that binge drinking is something we need to consign to history ablated ir not

Steve

[CDreamer]

It depends on the affect it has on you. In your case, having tried it a few time and met with the same result I would avoid but your choice.

If you react like that all you are doing every time you take alcohol is increasing the scarring on the structure - which increases the AF burden further.

[Pigleywigley]

I manage a few beers with lemonade in (I’mnot usually fizzy drinker either). I watch my diet & lifestyle. I’ve been getting away with a few beers but wine has triggered me before. I always drink LOTS of water 💧👍

[HiloHairy in reply to Pigleywigley]

If wine is the trigger could it be the sugar or some other ingredient in the wine rather than the alcohol?

[CDreamer in reply to HiloHairy]

More likely sulphides. Sugar turns to alcohol in fermentation.

[Jajarunner]

Trouble us, when you are worried about Afib you can't enjoy your drink. I stayed off the booze for four months after each ablation though I did play Russian roulette with a sherry trifle the other week!!!!

[Ducky2003]

I don't think alcohol was a trigger for me as I only tended to have a glass of something when out for a meal and my AF seemed to start up out of nowhere. I have not touched a drop since that first trip in an ambulance but mainly due to not wanting to exacerbate any effects from medications. I do enjoy a alcohol free lager and they are certainly better than a a few years ago.

[beach_bum in reply to Ducky2003]

Here is maybe a strange one...am I the only person that cannot drink any alcoholic beverage with food? As in never could. My family and friends always think this odd, but there it is. I can have a few drinks before dinner, but I have to switch to water once it's time to eat. No, idea.why 🙄 It's not odd to me because I've never known any different. And, I cannot have any after a meal. Strange? Or common?

Poll?

[CDreamer in reply to beach_bum]

Mmm. … interesting one as I hadn’t thought. At one time I could drink regardless - until AF - so post AF I think I might share that tendency - drink before eating is ok - during a meal I have been unconsciously a lot more careful - only drink watered down wine.

[beach_bum in reply to CDreamer]

Ya...I..and other just find it odd that I COULD not...not didn't care to or like to. Just could not. To others it would be akin to putting kerosene on a salad, or a tablespoon of dirt into a 20 year old single malt. Just not thinkable. No idea why. And yes, I "get" food pairings, and sounds delicious...just. can't.

[Ducky2003 in reply to beach_bum]

To be fair, I did tend to have water with a meal and a glass beforehand unless it was a pub. 😊

[Slidingdoors99]

Hiay! I can have a couple and am ok, but (as you know) we’re all so very different re the AFib!

[secondtry]

I avoid all alcohol, tonic waters, cold or fizzy drinks. I drink a combination filtered, mains and bottled still water. This regime arises from 7+ years of personal experience, reading posts here and liking a quiet life!

[Kittyca]

I avoid alcohol now but I am not sure that for me it’s a trigger. My trigger is stress. (Anxiety). It’s number one. To get the episode of Afib for certain I need stress+alcohol or stress+excessive exercising or stress+ fizzy drinks. At some point I start thinking that reasonable amount of alcohol helps to relax.

[Snowgirl65]

Good grief, that was my main trigger! I loved my wine, but I haven't had any in 7 years. A tear drop just fell on my keyboard.

[Dennis0576]

I can't drink alcohol at all I've found out after ending up in ED a few times .Last time after half a pint of a nice beer went into a fib for 4 days and had to be cardioversioned .

Very nice nursing staff ,after I thanked them ,one said if you'd like to see us again ,have a drink !

I get by on zero Alcohol beer now ,though I do miss a nice red now and then.

[Mugsy15]

I think alcohol as an AF trigger is a very individual thing, as are so many aspects of the condition.In my case my triggers seem to shift....what may cause arrythmia one day will not the next. What I'm pretty sure of is that two of my fave things in life are consistent triggers; red wine and single malt whisky.

Beer seems to be okay, although if I drink more than 5 pints it sometimes seems to cause lots of ectopics on the following morning. Blonde beers seem to be worse than darker ones, surprisingly.

Is it Sulphite or Tannin levels, other chemicals or perhaps just the greater concentration of alcohol in the shorter drinks? Who knows?

If you, like me, have been a lifelong social drinker with a fantastic group of lifelong friends, you will likely find it very difficult to cut yourself off from that or to continue to socialise but stick to non-alcoholic drinks.

So how to approach the problem?

My advice is to embark on a period of sensible experimentation. Go out less; go out later and go home earlier; stay out of the round so you may drink at your own, much slower pace; carefully count your drinks so you can monitor the affects later. To start with only have a couple of pints.

Keep a diary for a few weeks/months to see if you can identify your triggers. It may be that you will end up with a known quantity and brand of drink that keeps you below your trigger threshold.

If so great, but if, like many on this forum, you find that you need to avoid alcohol altogether, then so be it and you can then make the mental adjustments necessary. At least you'll know!

I know there will be those who read this and tut, thinking ''Just don't drink!'', but when it's been a central part of your social life it's not that simple and I want you to know I understand your pain!