So...WHEN I get better / cured (see..I'm being optimistic)
...will I ever be able to drink alcohol again? At the age of 35, I don't need to get "wasted" any more. But I do enjoy my red wine from time to time. it is a hobby of mine with my Wife. We have been to Napa, Sonoma in CA, and the Barossa in Australia. I also like a good beer or two on a Friday.
I'm seeing mixed comments. Some say, once cured, no booze as it affects your immune system. Others, like Six, say it is okay in moderation.
What do people think?
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Once you are in a stable remission, a beer or a glass of wine should be able to be enjoyed with a meal. Others have come back to say it works okay for them as long as their liver is doing okay.
Some who have liver damage (or mitigating issues) have to avoid alcohol as long as the liver is challenged. Liver damage can occur with any chronic infection. That is why treatment - and liver support and protection all along the way - is of utmost importance. That is the primary reason alcohol avoidance is so necessary, too, for concern of the liver.
While the liver has some regenerative capacity, it is not absolute. Hepatitis and cirrhosis can cause permanent scarring. Infections, as well as liver stress, can contribute to these conditions. Hopefully, those can be avoided by excellent care at every turn.
Lyme can also cause diabetes. Alcohol can make that situation much more unstable. Another reason to avoid it until all signs are clear.
Depending on the complexity, treatment for lyme can take one - three years - or longer. Everyday during that time matters tremendously so, for now, I do hope you can enjoy good foods, flavored with spices from around the world and garden herbs galore. Flavor can come in many packages.
Getting to know all the varieties of green teas may not be as enticing as wines but they also offer a certain richness.
As for the relaxation factor, getting all friends and family to learn how to give a good shoulder rub can go a long way.
And - you can still enjoy the environment, the ritual - just adjust some of the details. It's the atmosphere - and, especially the people - that make an occasion so special, really. -
[ 06-02-2010, 05:44 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posted by cactus (Member # 7347) on :
I, too, lament the loss of wine! It has been a hobby here as well, and we tend to plan vacations around it (or did, prior to Lyme).
(Think Europe and friends with wineries... heavenly...)
Everyone is going to be different - but I tend to agree with Six. Moderation is key.
And monitoring yourself for any ill effects.
I have been out of Lyme/co treatment for a year +, but still deal with other issues that came about as a result of Lyme.
For those reasons - I tend to sip wine sparingly, to enjoy it.
For now, that's enough - I don't even make it through a whole glass, but that's okay. It's enough progress for now.
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
As mentioned, I can have a couple drinks here and there.
I'm still toxic, my chiropractor agrees. I do a lot of detoxification still. I don't have any symptoms from it, but I'm trying to take care of it to change the terrain so I don't get sick again.
So, drinking is not something I do very often, but yes, I am able to have a couple glasses of wine with a meal.
Honestly, I don't really care much for it anymore. The feeling that a couple glasses of wine gives feels too much like Lyme did (brain fog and fatigue, minus the pain). But I do like the taste of it so I have it once in a while.
[ 06-03-2010, 05:12 PM: Message edited by: sixgoofykids ]
Posted by jenn (Member # 21687) on :
the last time I herxed I had to be off meds for 2 weeks.....I had my first glass of wine! during those 2 weeks off!! It was HEAVEN....Need another visit! lol
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
I drink a little wine whenever I feel like it. It doesn't cause me any problems.
5 years since I completed lyme treatment.
Posted by Haley (Member # 22008) on :
I'm sure it would be fine when you are off all of the medicine. I lived in France for a long time so I can relate to the wine "hobby"
I have absolutely no desire to drink a glass of wine. I don't know if the desire will return once this treatment is finished (if that ever happens).
Posted by Kastroo (Member # 22825) on :
The first thing I'm planning to do after 1 month will pass from the day I took my last abx is to get wasted to the point of unconsciousness...total mind reset just like in college days
After that I will be hung over for 2-3 days telling myself no more alcohol ever again like I always did...what will come next...will see
Anticipated humiliation day is December 26th 2010...keep your fingers crossed
Posted by bcb1200 (Member # 25745) on :
That's the ticket! Kastroo Posted by Liz D (Member # 16739) on :
OHHHHHHH Kastroo.... I am a life long wino (family in France so you know what that means) so I wish I could join you.
Posted by Ahodge01 (Member # 23569) on :
This thread is making me want to drink haha
Posted by lymeboy (Member # 24769) on :
I miss beer. I feel like I lost my life partner.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- I miss my brain more. I miss a liver that works like needed. Infection's damage has changed so much about my body's ability to function with even basic activity. I miss my life.
If I get even 50% better, I would never want to put that progress in jeopardy. Alcohol is very hard on anyone's liver and brain cells. One or two drinks a week - for a healthy person - may be one thing but it doesn't take much beyond that to kill liver and brain cells that we really need. A damaged liver will be a sentence of deep fatigue and brain fog forever.
If I could just get rid of fatigue and brain fog - get my health back enough to be able to actually go out ever again - I would be simply overjoyed with water, green tea and pomegranate juice as the beverage choices for the rest of my life. -
[ 06-03-2010, 05:30 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posted by Liz D (Member # 16739) on :
as a past wino (see earlier post) it was kinda scarey that my liver is far happier on all the lyme drugs than it was on wine. as proved by regular blood tests. a sobering fact heheh
Posted by JOLA (Member # 23498) on :
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