Craving a beer...

[namescapesme999]

Having always been a drinker with regular bouts of binging i was diagnosed with early stages of cirrhosis & strongly advised to give up alcohol completely nearly a year ago...so far i have failed on just 3 occaisions in that time but a failure it was never the less...99%percent of the time im ok with everything but the 1% like right now my craving for a beer is driving me mad...when diagnosed i was offered help which i turned down..should i ask for help as this is one of the hardest things i have ever faced...

[grace111]

even if your 99.9% okay the 0.1% will be the part that takes you out to drink again. you CAN NOT beat this disease, if you have it. i do not know what help you were offered but please ask for it again. i have not drank for 28 years and i'v had hep b and hep c. i could not stop drinking on my own, i always found an excuse to drink. i had to have help.even the fear of my health getting worse was not enough to stop me from drinking, i needed help. please do not try to go it alone as you have said you have tried to go it alone and failed. one of those times you might not get the chance again, you have rationalized it already by saying you have failed JUST 3 times.there may be a time when its just to late and you never get the chance again. as this craving can take over your whole life. binge drinking can go to every day drinking as this illness knows no boundaries.

[namescapesme999 in reply to grace111]

Thanks grace111 for your reply.....you are spot on with the next time could be too late...somehow I have to manage 100%...as I have failed trying on my own I shall seek help...it was the liver specialist that asked if I needed help to give up so when I see them again in Sept/Oct I will ask for it...it's an odd thing grace...yesterday I was craving a beer...today I don't want one at any price....

[grace111]

as you say the 1% craving is driving you mad.do you see yourself as having a problem with alcohol?

[namescapesme999 in reply to grace111]

No I never have...the problem was the alcohol caused high blood pressure..the medication caused liver damage then the alcohol made the liver even worse...no doubt alcohol was & always has been the problem...maybe that's where I'm going wrong...accepting I have a problem with alcohol then perhaps I can beat it.....

[grace111 in reply to namescapesme999]

if you''v got a1% craving thats driving you mad. do you not see that as having a problem with alchol.

[LAJ123]

Regardless of the cause of your liver disease you might very suddenly find its far worse than you ever knew. In my case it was sudden and very dramatic. Just one year later I was saved by a liver transplant. This could be you if you don't stop drinking. No transplant centre will even consider you for a transplant if you're still drinking. So get used to the notion that alcohol will kill you and you need to get control of your drinking. There is life after beer but no life after end stage liver disease without a transplant. You choose.

[namescapesme999 in reply to LAJ123]

Thanks LAJ123 for your reply & comments...my fight will continue...a fight I have to win......

[ducati0872]

Hi , I was a heavy drinker for the last 10 years mainly spirits and sometimes up to a bottle a day if not 3 quarters, I had a holiday looming 6 weeks ago and was so nervous about flying i added brandy to my cocktail to calm my nerves. For 3 days all i did was sleep and drink and feel sick on the fourth day i eventually gave in and asked my partner to take me to hospital, evidently i was extremely close to extreme liver failure. I too have had long spells of not drinking but that "doesn't really matter one" always leads to another and another. It sounds like you've done really well, so you need to tell yourself that and ask do i really need one, do something else to take your mind off it and if nothing else there is NO shame in asking for help!

[namescapesme999 in reply to ducati0872]

Thanks ducati0872 for your comments...my resolve is stronger...beat it I will......

[dckimberly]

Hi there! Have you thought about going to a few AA meetings? They can really help.

It sounds like your focused on beer. Try and not sit around and think about it. Get up and do something productive or fun. Change the normal outcome of a craving for your brain by doing something else. Take a walk, write your feelings in a journal. Call your buddy. Go swimming! Cook something different and interesting!

Your lucky not to be addicted physically and have to drink or get really sick.

If you have chirossis already, then surely you realize the terrible outcome. They say one is too many and a thousand never enough.

It's ok to want to drink. Most alcoholics do, and even to miss it. But it's not ok to actually drink.

Think it all the way through. You have a beer, then another, and we can NEVER predict what will happen when we drink. This time you might have one beer, which leads to two years of heavy drinking. Or one drink might lead to three or five and a drunk driving arrest. Or you may have a beer and nothing happens. Then the next time you crave it you will think, hey last time was great, no problems. And THAT beer could really hurt you.

And that's the thing. We don't know for sure, because we are know longer in control. For you, what we do know is that everything you drink, your hurting your liver. You have cirhossis. You should never drink again. Period. You have already hurt your liver because you drank. It's like being a diabetic. No more cakes and ice cream for you!

I'm in recovery myself, and also had a transplant last year. I'm very lucky. Very.

Good luck.

Cheering you on!

[namescapesme999 in reply to dckimberly]

Many thanks dckimberly for your reply & wise words...this is the toughest fight I've ever had but I'm determined to win it....

[Freddie41]

I too have recently been diagnosed with suspected early cirrhosis.

Its been a year this week since I came out of hospital with alcohol hepatitis. Its been a challenging year. My main support has come from the alcohol advisory service within the county I live in (not AA , though their is a local AA group) . They have a group that meet s weekly. I've found strength from other people in a similar situation. Perhaps rather than wait till your next consultant appointment. Ring your gp practice for information on alcohol support local to you. Explore different support networks to find what would work best for you.

4 months after my discharge , I was told I could have an occasional drink and my liver health was good. I drank very minimally , then a MRI 4 months ago for a gall stone in my bile duct identified, liver abnormalities, which the consultant said was cirrhosis. Very little information was given to me about alcohol hepatitis, fatty liver, fibrosis etc at the time of my hospital admission.

I've sinced researched (do not google the unknown ) but through reading the excellent posts on this site, the British liver trust , and NHS websites, and learnt about my diagnosis , learnt the relevance and outcome of my scans and tests, and about liver health and associated conditions.

This knowledge has made me understand the consequences of my previous alcohol consumption and empowered me to be stronger in maintaining abstinence, which can be very difficult ,especially in pressurising social situations.

Seek support, gain some knowledge and have faith in your ability to gain strength to conquer your craving, i wish you all my best wishes .

[namescapesme999 in reply to Freddie41]

Thanks for your reply Freddie41...was good reading your story...makes me realize that it's not just me...your points on pressuring social situations is paramount...it's where I have the most temptations....thanks again.....

[Freddie41 in reply to namescapesme999]

You are welcome. X take care

[White-feather]

Hi.

I would speak, speak and speak again to your Dr. You're fortunate to be told of your early cirrhosis. I didn't have any signs from my body. Please don't go where most of us are now.

Wishing you very best 🐭

X

[namescapesme999 in reply to White-feather]

Hi White-feather nice to hear from you...my cirrhosis was diagnosed only after an enlarged spleen was found whilst looking for a reason for anaemia....my liver is functioning very well 10 months later but just need to finally lay that ghost (alcohol) to rest for good...

[Kristian]

The answer here is easy, if you need help then just ask for it. The docs are aware of your medical diagnosis and will be keen to help if they can.