My husband has been a drinker averaging 6 cans a night for around 40 years. In Aug 2019 he found himself in hospital with swelling up to his abdomen and extreme coughing and breathlessness. As he hadn't visited a gp for 25 years , you can imagine this was a huge shock. Basically his diagnosis was heart failure ,( baggy heart) EF then was 20%. This isn't helped by a stiffened pericardium possibly asbestos related. Since given Ramipril, digoxin , apixibam, bisoprolol ,bumetanide the EF is now 42% . We are awaiting to see if pericardial surgery is possible?. Since then he has cut out the alcohol which hasn't be easy for any of us. He is now on 1 can a week at the very most,and still craves it, he would not have stopped if this situation hadn't happened. Anybody out there have any thoughts ? thank you
Alcohol and stopping due to HF - British Heart Fou...
Alcohol and stopping due to HF
Hello and welcome to the forum! There are a number of people on the forum who have stopped alcohol and/or smoking full stop after a cardiac event. Your husband has done well and obviously is not addicted. He might be able to have a few extra cans in a few months if he continues to improve. Has he tried the low alcohol or alcohol-free variates?
One friend's arrhythmia is under control now he has excluded caffeine and alcohol, and all medication has been stopped.
Hello thank you for the reply, he has done amazingly well , I am very proud of him, I can understand it must be very difficult, I will try to get alcohol free wine/beer for him. The Dr has given him sertraline to try and lift his mood . Also he isn't suitable for surgery , so this is a big blow. Delighted to hear about your friends good news.
Hello stvalentine-33
Giving up the booze isn't easy. I used to drink quite a lot, but started cutting down when I got to 50 (currently 65). After my heart attack in December 2018 I stopped drinking completely for 6 months and since then have slowly reintroduced alcohol. On Christmas Day, out the whole day, had 2 cans of lager, a glass of wine, then alcohol free wine the rest of the day. Enjoyed myself hugely, even without the "buzz" of alcohol, and woke up the next morning minus a hangover.
Too many people rue the fact that they shouldn't drink the way the used to, they should look at it as - keep drinking, die younger, stop drinking, live longer.
I think we all need to think is it worth it.
Hello thank you for the reply, think the priorities you have now are very good. Today we saw our Dr he said any drink would be toxic to his condition, also said any form of surgery isn't possible ,we will not know why until20/01 when we see our consultant. Feel devastated for him .Don't think he fully understands the implications of having a drink , the Dr said it is his choice but doesn't agree with it.
Sympathies to you both. Try Adnams Ghost Ship, it is almost alcohol free it is very tasty and realistic. tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/p...
Thank you for sending this info , Happy Healthy New Year to you.
6 cans a night for 40 years is heavy drinking. You don't say what has caused his heart failure. There are many causes of cardiomyopathy, but drinking at that level can cause heart failure ( alcohol cardiomyopathy). If that should be the case, becoming teetotal is the only answer, very hard though that is.
It's good that your husband's ejection fraction has improved considerably thanks to the drugs - and very probably thanks also to giving up drinking.
Does he otherwise have a healthy BMI and generally lead a healthy life? A healthy and low-salt diet, and exercise, particularly walking can do a great deal for well-being in heart failure - it helped my husband in managing his severe failure.
There is a lot of good information on living with heart failure on the BHF site.
All the best
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my email. Generally my Husband weighs around 11 1/2 stones, when he bloated up his weight increased by 21/2 stones, now he weighs 11 stones 2 ibs. Still has fluid around ankles, and in stomach cavity. I think the Doctor thought this was due to alcohol , though when they did initial tests , the one they look at for alcohol was too low for a definite diagnosis. He has always been reasonably fit, at the moment he has no appetite whatsoever . Happy Healthy New Year
I've sent you a PM
Thank you so much ,I will reply ,through chat, I presume it will be a pm
As MichaelJH notes a fair few of us kicked smoking because of a cardiac crisis of one sort or another- a quadruple bypass in my case. And I think most of us stopped because the alternative was much more undesirable. Your husband is clearly not addicted which is a plus and there is no kind way of saying that if his life chances are improved by not drinking or barely drinking then choosing to go back to heavy drinking is not a good idea. There is no point in saying it's easy. Hardly a day goes by when I don't wish I could light up a fag -the end of a good meal, animated chatter with chums and so on. But I haven't smoked a single cigarette nor have I been tempted by vaping. Many ex-smokers and all the mending alcoholics I know suggest that it's all or nothing. One can here, one fag there and it slowly turns the clock back. The advantages become apparent in personal well-being- and a fatter wallet and that is the dividend and heck, it's a big dividend.
Thank you for your reply, at this moment my Husband insists he would never go back to heavy drinking , and feels 1 can would be enough. The Dr said 1 is too much, as you know it is hard to leave a habit behind. Well done in giving up the smoking . Happy Healthy New Year to you
Hi there,
Like your husband I have always enjoyed a drink or five every day. I was recently informed that I needed heart surgery and was told that the first thing that I needed to do was either moderate or quit my drinking. Talk about kicking a man when he's down. Moderation has never been my strong point so I decided to quit and haven't touched a drop in over two months. Can't really see the point of having one can of beer a week and it's all too easy to slip back into old ways if I do. After surgery I will have to spend a lifetime on blood thinners which, I've been told, don't mix well with drinking anyway. Do I miss my booze? Yes, of course I do, but being teetotal isn't so bad when you consider the alternative. It's not for me to say if your husband is an alcoholic but there's a simple way to find out. I would recommend that he commits to going to AA meetings for the next three months. Six cans a night for forty years certainly covers him for a lifetime's subscription if he feels he has a problem. Nobody there will tell him what to do but he may find all of the support that he needs during this difficult time. No promises except for one. If he decides that AA is not for him he can stop going to meetings any time he wants and his misery will be fully refundable. Good luck.
Thank you for your wise words ,it is very good of you to take the time to reply. Happy Healthy New Year . Good luck with the heart surgery
Sorry to hear that. I'm on Ramipril and Bisoprolol but as I don't drink since I became diabetic, I can't help you but hope he gets better real soon.
Thanks for that, wishing you a Happy Healthy New Year
I was never a big drinker but I stopped completely 19 years ago when I had to take opiates which do not mix with alcohol. Do I miss it? Absolutely even after all this time. Not often but times like New Year, I'd love a whiskey to see the year in or when I have a tummy upset. Alcohol free beer is a godsend but if I really get that urge bad I buy a miniature and find just a taste is enough. After my heart attack I stopped smoking for 6 months except for half of one a day. That was my undoing. Even a half pushed me to have another half and another half . I strongly suggest he swaps to alcohol free .
Thank you for taking the time to reply, we will give it a try, times like New year are particularly difficult , Happy New year .
I was diagnosed with heart failure 3 yrs ago with a EF of 17%. It’s taken since then to get to 43%! I did have an ICD pacemaker put in 7 months later. I lost a stone in weight in hospital, which was all fluid in my body.
I didn’t drink much, but the weight has crept on a tad since the diagnosis, but have lost half of it so far. I eat as healthily as possible and apart from special occasions I don’t drink at all.
I was limited to 1 1/2 litres fluid intake a day - which is not very much at all! Also no salt.
I would urge your husband to give up the alcohol, as any fluid collecting in the body is not good at all for anyone with HF. Not easy, but this is a warning and he should take notice.
Has he been allocated a HF nurse? I found mine invaluable and a great help.
Also have you been given the BHF book on HF? (AKA a HF bible!) I gave the link in a previous post and will hunt it out later today and repost here.
Take care and I hope things improve for him.
Fiona
Thank you for your comments, I think he realises alcohol hasnt helped the situation , but after drinking for 40 years it is life changing.
He does have an HF nurse , who he will see on the 20th Jan. Despite apparently having a consultant from his inpatient treatment in August ,we have yet to see him.
Our Dr told us yesterday surgery was risky, but we have no idea why. We were supposed to be receiving a letter from the consultant, but nothing yet. It seems like we are waiting around. Delighted that things are going as well as possible for you .
Let me ask you a question from another viewpoint - I smoke 16 cigarettes for 40 years - does that make me a dependent smoker? What if I smoked 40 cigarettes a day for 16 years? At the end of the day there is little difference to the volumes, I am a dependent smoker - end of story! Furthermore, it would be very difficult to give up because I am addicted to nicotine. Every smoker will tell you the same but when it comes to alcohol intake it appears to carry a far heavier social penalty if one was to say they are dependent on alcohol.
Just by your saying your husband finds cutting down difficult, indicates he is dependent. You have been told twice here that he is not an alcoholic and some have disagreed. Hard as it may be, he is dependent and therefore is. This pussy footing with can return to alcohol is a myth, just as returning to having the odd cigarette - it just does not work and wipes away whatever hard work has been done to kick the habit. Unfortunately I speak from experience however have not had a drink for 26 years nor smoked now for nearly 6. My HA was in May of 17 with blocked arteries due to all that smoking. But since the artery problem has been sorted, I am as good as I have ever been and intend to keep it that way.
The first things to change are the ones in his own hands - drinking, exercise and diet - and to discuss his intentions with his doctor - who appears not to like his drinking, in whatever volume - and when people see that he is trying, they will also try for him since there is no point in flogging an unwilling horse!
Health and life go together and if he loves life and his family he should be able to make the changes that assures everyone of his participation for many years to come, whatever the outcome of the baggy heart - which could probably be improved on without surgery but a healthier lifestyle since the heart is purely a muscle, complicated though it is, it is only a muscle.
No one here can give you a diagnosis but we can hypothesise with experience of life and good old common sense. The rest as they say, is up to your husband - he wont like it but if enough people (with experience) show him the way, perhaps he will begin to see what he stands to loose? Good luck to you and keep strong for him, sounds as if you may have to be his anchor for a while - I know my wife has been for me!
Hi thank you for your advice, you are absolutely right, and well done in your huge achievements. My Husband hasn't had a drink for several weeks now, even though he felt the "need" for 1 can a night .This site has been great , I think for him it has been very helpful to see people in similar situations coping. Now he has decided no drink is the way to help himself, obviously it is difficult, his Dr has prescribed sertraline to aid the anxiety.
I feel hopeful , as I really think thanks to the site , he has seen the wood through the trees.Obviously it will be difficult, but like your Wife I will be right behind him.
I am sure you will be a tower of strength to him - As they say behind every good man is a wonderful lady. Congratulate him for me and good luck - always here to advise
Thank you so much , we will go day by day, hopefully when he is used to all of his tablets, he will feel better about everything. Take care and thank you once again
Hi Stvalentine
I have HF and take all the relevant Medication. One question that appears to be missing is how old is your husband ?? I sometimes think that is a very relevant question when giving up something / anything you enjoy.
Quality of Life is also very important for peoples well being. Don't get me wrong I am not looking for an excuse to say it's fine to carry on, I am not.
I drank pretty heavily when working away from home in foreign countries, and then when working in the Middle East, Non at all !! I have worked with people who would binge for almost 4 weeks and then Nothing at all for the following 4 weeks. I could do it as well and then not miss it. Strange I never thought I was dependant on Alcohol and I don't think I was. Now I like to drink 4 x 500 ml a week in one sitting.
Would you put your hubby down as a Functioning Alcoholic when he drank his 6 cans a day ?? or was it just something he did from habit ?? It's just I think sometimes we need to drill down a little to understand, before we throw out the term Alcoholic or Alcohol Dependant !!
Personal Views and open to Criticism just trying to help.
Regards
Hello he is 65 years old,and prior to this hadn't been to his Drs for 25 years. I never thought of my husband as a functioning alcoholic simply because his whole family are all big drinkers, both of his parents lived well into their 80s.
I think it is purely a habit , for the last two weeks he hasn't had a drink at all , I think he has realised that he needs to stop altogether. We started by cutting down , eventually having 1 can ,after several weeks of reducing . It definitely is very hard for him , his Dr described his drinking as habit , but we want him to feel better eventually...…….. We know there is no cure , but if all the fluid goes from his body ( if possible ) it would be a lot more comfortable for him. Obviously this is life/habit changing so very difficult, but I am hoping eventually the feeling better over rules this. Thank you for your reply, you make a valid point . ps. just asked my Husband he said he considers himself an alcoholic.
Operation cancelled due to irregular heartbeat!
Learning to life with hf 
