Some years ago, a friend of mine turned to alcohol in the wake of an emotional break-up. For two years solid he downed 2 large bottles of vodka a day, and subsequently was diagnosed with 'Peripheral-Neuropathy.' (ie it has deadened the nerve-endings in his feet and he can't feel them at all, and this condition is irreversible.)
Oddly enough, his liver-function tests came back as normal!
His GP got him off the vodka and said, 'If you're gonna have a drink, make it a couple of beers as it's less harmful!'
He sees it as a green light to down 6 cans of beer every night which, by my calculation, is around 80 units of alcohol a week.
Can anyone advise me as to what damage he's still doing to his liver/nerve endings? (The vodka thing and liver tests were 6 years ago.) Thank you.
2007-03-11 08:16:44 · 12 answers · asked by JustineTime 4 in Health ➔ Mental Health
From a recovering alcoholics view point the same thing but probably a little slower maybe. Excessive drinking leads to the same thing a dead person in the end.
2007-03-11 08:26:59 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If a person is using alcohol to drown their sorrows or make some depression go away for an hour or two, then they do have a problem.
Drinking alcohol is a 'social' activity - down the pub or bar and not something which people would normally do 'alone'.
The damage your friend is doing to himself is very serious - 80 units per week is about normal but per night is well over the top. Of course, in our British 'booze' culture, we expect people to get 'stoned', especially when they are young. You will notice that this activity takes place in full view of the 'public'. Usually by the time a person turns their attention to life in reality, they cut down on the booze and get married and all the rest. No problem then.
The only help I can suggest is Alcoholics Anonymous - they're in the phone book.
The first thing that must be done is for your friend to come to the acceptance that he does have a booze problem. Nothing much can be done until this stage is reached. There is plenty of help out there.
2007-03-11 08:29:56 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like he has a problem with alcohol. You could maybe broach the subject gently. Tread carefully, the last thing he needs is to feel judged. That would probably cause him to close off from you. Physically, the damage could potentially be huge. Cirrhosis of the liver etc etc. not to mention the damage it'll be doing to him emotionally. He sounds like he's in denial, a difficult situation. Before he can be helped, he has to acknowledge that there's a problem. However, no amount of telling him can force him to realise that. Let him know you're there for him and will support him, and in time, hopefully he will open up. Best of luck x
2007-03-11 12:27:41 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
2 bottles of vodka to 6 cans of beer is a fantastic improvement, and is a level that is sustainable intefinetly without further damage the his nerves. I used to drink vodka heavily after a break up and found after only week binging I`d lost some feeling and controll of my extremities.
2007-03-11 08:29:28 · answer #4 · answered by amos 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi, Justine
He definitely sounds like an alcoholic. If he doesn't stop he will eventually get cirrhosis of the liver and die, that's sad. Too bad he couldn't get in to Alcoholics Anonymous and get some help. That is really a good group.
2007-03-11 08:37:56 · answer #5 · answered by Debbie L 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i know how you are feeling. before my sister remarried she would go out at the weekends have a few drinks then she would drink a pint or too of water. now she and her husband drink every day she always has excuse if any one mentions that there is a smell of drink off her, she took a whiskey for her very bad cold,that she rubbed alcohol into her hands because of her arthritis.the Truth is she is happy been drunk we asked her if she wanted help she and her husband say that they don't have a problem that we are the ones with the problem.there nothing that you can do for you friend just be there when he needs you.
2007-03-11 08:42:14 · answer #6 · answered by Granny 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your friend obviously has an Alcohol dependency. If the vodka hasn't effected his liver yet, his alcohol intake will eventually ruin his liver. He probably is in denial, but all alcoholic are. The first step to any alcoholics recovery is accepting that they are an alcoholic.
2007-03-11 08:27:26 · answer #7 · answered by alec A 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Get him to try Kudzu extract, it will not stop him completely but it will reduce the quantity he drinks.
Kudzu is a climbing perennial vine, referred to in China as "the drunkenness dispeller", it has been used for centuries in eastern Asia for medicinal and culinary purposes.
Just how Kudzu works is yet to be defined, because the mechanisms for this have not been completely established, but it may have to do with both alcohol metabolism and the reward circuits in the brain.
I know it works, because it stopped me from a thirty year daily binge, that nearly took my life!
Find out more at http://www.kudzu-cure.info
2007-03-12 04:55:10 · answer #8 · answered by kudzu man 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its the same thing with the same outcome. He will die..! Its that simple. I nearly died through drink 8 years ago (pancraeitis) and havent touched a drop since. Yes, looking back I was an alcoholic. But, as with any addiction the person has to want to change. You cant do it for him.
2007-03-11 08:31:50 · answer #9 · answered by Merovingian 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Same Thing.
2007-03-11 08:21:40 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋