Can’t drink Alcohol anymore ☹️

[Ben666]

Hi since my Accident In 2018 I’ve not be able to drink Alcohol. I tried a shandy bass and I had 1/4 of a little tin and started to feel drunk the room started to feel fuzzy does anyone else have this issue

Thanks Ben

[AndrewT]

Dean Ben666,

This could, very well, be a 'Side Effect' of certain medication(s). It might be, worth your while, Speaking to your Doctors..... Or, just don't, 'Drink'🥴

I think, if I were you, I'd speech to 'Someone' first😊.

Good Luck

AndrewT

[RogerCMerriman]

For myself I stopped drinking, it was partly that since I was so exhausted and lightheaded (still am!) that the idea of drinking didn’t appeal.

I haven’t tested exhaustively but judging by my responses when I have accidentally taken ie booze in cakes and what not, I’m hyper sensitive and it’s not much fun to be honest.

I believe that being more sensitive can be one side effect of a brain injury.

[sospan]

Alcohol affects the messaging between the Neurons in the brain. For people without a head injury it can cause you to lose your balance, affect your speech, memory etc.

With an head injury impairment the brain is already working overtime to process the messages as best it can, When you put even a limited amount of alcohol or indeed things like caffeine can throw things out of kilter quite quickly.

Alcohol has some drastic side effects even on some surprising medications. Whilst it is generally safe to take paracetemol after you have had a drink, you must not take co-codamol (oaracetemol & codeine) for a minimum of 16 hours after a drink !

So these days, i rarely drink even though some days I could really do with a nice cold one !

[Hidden]

Embrace teetotalism! Your brain has too much to cope with already, its an opportunity to drop unhealthy practices.

[Kirk5w7]

Yes Ben I have the same problem.

I can manage 2 if i am eating but not social drinking.

Its no bad thing really think of the savings. And no hangovers.

My rehab consultant told me “absolutely no alcohol, youve lost enough brain cells “

Alcohol kills brain cells.

Its not the same if you are in a social gathering but maybe you can work round it

Janet

[FlowerPower62]

This something I keep forgetting to ask for my husband when we have appointments! They have never said whether he can or can't, and he has continued to drink. But I'm not sure he should! I meant to ask Cat, as I saw she mentioned something once, but forgot. Being able to have a drink together has always been a big part our lives, rightly or wrongly.

[Braindeadhead]

The quick answer is yes.

I do not take any medications for my BI and haven't had a change in other meds so I know it isn't that. I've since found out from a Headway information sheet on the subject, and confirmed by my OT when I asked, it is not recommended for people with a brain injury. This is because it affects the neurons and can increase the effect of alcohol, even a small amount of alcohol can have the same effect as a larger volume pre brain injury. No one told me and I couldn't understand why half a glass of wine had been making me so dizzy that I couldn't walk and also made me vomit even though I didn't feel drunk. And other times I would feel excessively drunk after only having a tiny amount of alcohol. I enjoy social drinking and really didn't want to spend an evening drinking water, fruit juices etc, so have been experimenting with non alcoholic or almost alcohol free wines, fizzy wines, beers, lager and cider. I've found some lovely drinks and also some not so lovely. Hope this helps.

[paxo05]

Hi .

As others have said could be medication or a combination of meds and bi.

Personally was told to be careful about alcohol after my rta.

Thought they were refering to meds. So whilst on holiday decided to ease up on med and have a drink. I was in pain prior to having a drink because of stopping med.

Well I wish I hadn't bothered. Managed a glass of sangria ( we had gone to Spain) then can't remember much of the following two days.

Was told I had tried to get onto a table whilst singing then had to be carried back to hotel.

If it hadn't been for video evidence I would have never believed this. For one I had just managed to walk properly and I can't sing at all.

It was only on my return home my consultant explained that with a bi that alcohol was not a good idea. The effects of one drink could be equal to six or seven drinks.

I wish this had been explained to me earlier. That was nearly 18 years ago and have not had a drink since.

If I am honest it is not something I miss anymore. There is more to life and I don't miss the hangover as well.

Pax

[Ben666]

Thanks for the reply’s unfortunately since my accident I don’t really go out and socialise anymore pubs are too noisy and I can’t seem to cope. I now have to go out to quiet places because I can’t have to much Back ground noise or too many people talking my brain can’t cope with it all gets a bit overwhelming. The only meds I am on is naproxen for the headaches.

[marzy31 in reply to Ben666]

Ben have you tried noise cancelling earplugs that go in your ears they are very discreet.

Whe n I go up town I also sometimes wear normal headphones the more obvious the better and listen to music this drowns out everyone and the added advantage is that when paying for stuff I can concentrate and the cashier doesn't ask questions.

Supermarket i use a sunflower lanyard tend to put it in when get to the till and then checkout person doesnt fire questions and shopping at me at hundred miles an hour.

Groups of people chatting in social situations this is tough for me also. I go to headway support group and find this is a brilliant place to get use to the racket Coz I can i could only listen to one person at a time if they talk over each other or go on for too long I lose the gist but I have been going for 3 year plus now and find it easier. If I miss a couple of weeks notice a difference. Also in the begining could only go for a couple of hours as I struggled with the noise and would need a sleep when I got home. Now I can go for 3 hours and just need a rest.

I also watch tv on a night with noise cancelling headphones and sometimes put the subtitles in as well I find it helps me concentrate and take it in better)

oh I and I cant drink alcohol either but its coz of my medication its funny i didnt drink much anyway before but I didnt miss it till they told me I couldn't drink lol. Hope some of this helps 🙂

[Ben666 in reply to marzy31]

Hi Marzy31,

Thank you for the idea about the Headphones I already listen to my music while out with my wife so I can a better way to say escape from all the noise around me and just zone out, I never been to a Headway event. Thank you for the advice about watching TV with Headphones I never realised how much I just miss now being the background noise or talking in the background what made you buy noise cancelling headphones? Once everything is back to normal I am going to get a Sunflower Lanyard I think that is an excellent idea that I never knew about

Thanks

Ben666

[Ben666]

I appreciate everybody’s comments and feedback and advise, this is my first time contacting others with a brain injury and similar issues so this all a bit over whelming

Thanks Ben666

[marzy31]

It feels like I hear everything louder but somehow more on the same level. Noise is very painful more than I care to admit. Too much sound also makes me tired. So noise cancelling sounded appealing. A sound proof room for a couple of hours is more appealing than a weeks holiday somewhere amazing these days. Headways not an event. I go to headway support group though not sit round in a group kind it's more social you go have a cuppa and a chat or do some craft or cook some play cards or dominos or ping pong. Mines one afternoon a week they have them all around uk. It also gives my husband an afternoon off only kidding.

[HungryHufflepuff]

I haven't consumed alcohol for years but don't miss it. I rarely socialize because I can't cope with all the different voices at once but when I do there are so many non alcoholic drinks to choose from that I don't feel I'm missing out and no one notices that I'm not drinking alcohol. At home or with family I drink tonic water (there are some really nice ones) or other soft drinks. Originally I stopped drinking because of the medication but I eventually stopped taking that a while ago but have never felt like trying an alcoholic beverage since.

[walkingtalking2]

I'd second noise cancelling earplugs and I miss alcohol too, I can't drink with my meds as it makes me dizzy, but I'd really like a beer!

[HungryHufflepuff in reply to walkingtalking2]

There are some good zero alcohol beers. Some are really bad but some are really beer-like, and I've been fooled enough to check the label to see that it really is alcohol free. I rarely drink them because they're too beer-like for me 🙄 maybe twice a year.

[walkingtalking2 in reply to HungryHufflepuff]

Thank you, I've never actually tried one, had the feeling I would only be disappointed. Must give some a chance though, not all at once 😌

Do you miss the feeling of having had a drink?

[HungryHufflepuff in reply to walkingtalking2]

I occasionally miss the taste of red wine but not the feeling of having consumed alcohol. Often I feel light headed and far away, and I'm too good at embarrassing myself as it is 😶 Alcohol free drinks have improved over the years but I still find that things that pretend to be something aren't as good as something completely different, so I'd rather have something like Curiosity Cola than a fake beer. However as alcohol free beers go, Becks Blue is pretty good (to me it tastes just like beer) and Adnams do an alcohol free version of Ghost Ship 🍺

[Wazza84]

Hiya Ben666

My head starts to spin after a drink so I’m tea-total these days. It could be due to medication or the fact that my brain just can’t handle it anymore 🤨

[walkingtalking2 in reply to Wazza84]

Hmm, interesting, I had presumed that my dizziness came from the meds I never thought about it being just a result of the BI. I was never told by a doctor thinking about it. I wonder.

[Wazza84 in reply to walkingtalking2]

headway.org.uk/media/2786/b...

Here’s a factsheet on it