How long can you survive drinking so much?

Question

My husband on his days off drinks a pint of whiskey and 6 beers a total of 4 pints and 22 beers a week.And has been diognosed with emphasema too .He is 47 .He is big in stature.The drinking is knock down and drag out like the the people tht are so chronic.How long does he have at this pace of at least 20yrs?

Answer 1

My mom died of liver cirrhosis at age 62 and she didn't drink nearly as much as your husband. It's an ugly and painful way to go. I know because I cared for her the last 6 months of her life.

Have him get his liver tested. If there's damage in the early stage and he quits completely, he will have a chance of recovery. If it's end-state, then life expectancy is 0-2 years, unless he can get a transplant. If he has emphysema, I don't even know whether they'll do a transplant. That is something you have to discuss with the physician. But first thing is to get his liver tested and find out exactly what his condition is.

If he doesn't quit smoking and drinking now, you'll be very lucky to get 20 years out of him.. very lucky.

Answer 2

When my wife was drinking I was desperately searching for the right circumstance, or thing to say that would help her to realize that it was time for her to seek treatment. I suspect that this is the real reason you have asked your question. My wife went into treatment after 10 yrs of drinking a pint of Vodka every night, & has been sober now for a full year (thank God). For those 10 yrs I decided that if she was going to be out of control, then as her life partner it was my duty to step in & take up the slack, & try to do everything I could to control her drinking for her. I succeeded in nothing except to drive both myself & her crazy. I went on a mission to learn the magic way that would stop her drinking but soon learned that the only person that could do that was her & her alone. She didn't like the idea of getting help for her problem one bit & didn't agree to go until I told her that I refused to live another day with a drunk, & our marriage was over unless she checked into a treatment centre ASAP. My decision to end my marriage if she didn't stop drinking was real, not an idle threat & she knew it. Fortunately she embraced the idea to stay sober after entering treatment, & that is what has led to her success. If you are living with a drunk & he is affecting your life & the lives of your family, 1st my heart goes out to you, 2nd I recommend a book that may be helpfull. (Co-Dependant No More, by Melodie Beatty) You won't be able to help your husband until you start taking care of yourself. I wish you all the best.