Im a 33 year old man, admitted alcoholic who has been struggling with heavy drinking for about 5 years, during the past few months I been dring more (maybe a twelve pack a day) than I know I should,it seems its aging me i.e. hairloss, wrinkles, beer belly, bad vision I was wondering is it the alcohol, I plan to join AA in a couple weeks and hope to stop entirely but I was just wondering has the alcohol taken its effects on my body?, is it reversible?, any M.D's out there???
2007-02-19 06:00:10 · 5 answers · asked by Arizona is Hot 2 in Health ➔ Diet & Fitness
and yes Im concerned about my liver, I believe I have an ulcer related to drinking already and my kidneys hurt in my lower back all the time I know I need to stop.
2007-02-19 06:16:58 · update #1
I'm not an M.D. Just wanted to put that out there, so you are not mislead by my credentials. My credentials are merely experience with alcoholics, a lot of personal reading, and working in the victim services field as an administrator for six years.
Yes, alcoholism can age you. A lot of the symptoms you are describing could easily be caused by alchohol abuse, though not all of them are necessarily from this. The best way to find out is to pay a visit to your doctor, who also can help you get clean. Only a visit to the doctor will be able to negate other causes of these problems. Quitting alchohol, though definitely a good idea regardless, is not going to cancel out hairloss if its Epstein Bahr virus or something.
That said, if it IS the alchohol doing all of this, at the age of 33 it is definitely not too late to reverse most of this. Quit drinking. Join AA. See your doctor. Eat right. Exercise. If you start doing all of this, you'll feel YEARS younger in a matter of months. I would not be surprised if you looked better when you are 40 than you do now.
My father was a serious alcoholic. When he was 35, he looked like he was 25. He was very youthful looking. That was around when his problem started. When he was 45, he looked like he was 60. He was fat. His hair was thin. He had really bad body odor. These things can happen from other causes, to be sure. But studies show that alchohol can be a major factor. Even if it does not hurt you physically, alcohol has its effects. My dad lost everything he held dear to alchohol, even his family. It is best that you quit before you're 40, going on 60... and alone.
It's a hard road to recovery, but it is worth it. You can do it! Good luck.
2007-02-19 06:15:11 · answer #1 · answered by Mr. Taco 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Alcoholism can make a person age faster, but it depends on the person. Some people are destined by their genes to live past the age of 80 regardless of how they take care of themselves. It would be a safe bet to cut back though. Have you seen the child killer John Couey, from florida? When I first saw him I thought he was 67 or so. Turns out his only 46. Years of drinking, smoking, and living a homeless life has worn down the loser.
2007-02-19 06:13:08 · answer #2 · answered by Ken 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
chronic alcohol consumption will basically lower the manufacturing of the good hormones that your body produces like testosterone and growth hormone. so yes it very well can cause a person to age at a faster rate
2007-02-19 06:14:33 · answer #3 · answered by lv_consultant 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It can make your head and face look bloated (Ted Kennedy) and you can get large red veins in your nose (Ted Kennedy).
2007-02-19 06:08:52 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋