I have a friend who drinks a considerable amount, bottle of vodka a day typically. He has developed pancreatitis and was hospitalised for roughly a week before discharging himself and going home to resume his drinking. I have spoken to him and asked if he should be drinking with pancreatitis and he said the doctor said it is ok. I have read up and know this is not the case and im worried about what further damage he can do. Hes in a lot of pain and cannot see that its the drink causing that (or doesn't want to), ive been through a lot myself, have cirrhosis and was very unwell, ive managed to stop drinking (4 years now) and just dont want to see him go through any suffering with his condition. I suspect if i tell him to stop drinking he will push me away. What could happen if he keeps drinking to this degree with pancreatitis? I understand every case is different but whatever i read strongly advises against drinking.
Thanks
Chris
Written by
Chris-harris
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He won’t continue to drink for long with Pancreatitis that’s for sure. He’ll soon discover he won’t be able, theres a risk of death due to this also. I’m not talking about a gradual decline, one binge could do it. Dangerous territory.
It's really important that he stops drinking alcohol immediately, since drinking will continue to inflame and scar the pancreas which will cause him a lot of pain.
Hi Chris, It was so very hard to read your post because that was me. My first bout was 14 years ago. It was very hard for me to stop drinking. Even after a dozen hospitalizations and everything else that goes with it. He needs your friendship. Maybe suggesting that he get some help for the drinking will push him away. However, there is a possibility that he could listen to you. That's a possibility you could hang your hat on. I needed help from a lot of people to stop drinking and it was on and off for many years for me. Each bout of pancreatitis carries a risk of death. I did not care. I now have less than half the pancreatitis I used to have, can't digest food and have continual pain, diabetes and other crappy issues. I do look back now and am grateful for all the people who stuck with me and told me the all the stuff I did not want to hear.
I hope that having cirrhosis myself and going through a tough time that he sees my concern as genuine and lets me try and help, i want to at least try rather than him fall very ill and knowing i didnt do anything about it, thanks for your reply, sounds like you've had a tough time and still are,
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