My alcoholism has cured itself. AIBU to worry about HOW I have suddenly become intolerant?

[Tliev]

I have always had a bit of a drink problem. As far back as I can remember I could never touch a drop without getting the urge to carry on until I physically couldn't drink anymore.

At 15 I remember being on the floor of a pub toilet completely intoxicated and the pub landlord trying to get me up and out after hours.

There have been numerous occasions where I have shown myself up in front of family and friends by getting absolutely wrecked and needing help getting up/home.

Last year DH and I went to Leeds to see a band and I drank so much I fell over in the street and couldn't get up. DH and some young medical student was trying to get me up and then I was sick all over myself. I remember hearing the young lad say "has she ever been like this before??" And DH replying " errr yes, unfortunately".

Too many examples to mention.

The worst one being my wedding where I was passed out in bed by 10pm.

Anyway about 6 months ago I sat down to my usual weekly Friday binge, had my first drink and felt sick and dizzy so didn't drink anymore. I remember saying to DH "wow, Friday night and I've had one drink!"

Since then I seem to have developed an intolerance to alcohol completely. Whenever I start, I begin to feel sick and dizzy so stop. Recently we had a BBQ party and everyone was drunk - I tried and physically couldn't do it. Good job really as I ended up having to help two very intoxicated guests.

DH and I went away to York for his birthday last weekend. Normally I'd have a drink before we set off, a drink on arrival at the hotel and at least 2 during our evening meal. This time I didn't start until our evening meal and then could only manage half a pint.

So aibu to worry that something is wrong with my liver? Why would someone suddenly become intolerant to alcohol? On another point - I have been trying to stop drinking for years so surely if it was psychological, it would have happened before now? Why now all of a sudden has my body decided enough is enough?

In one way, I'm delighted that my alcoholism has been stopped without any effort from myself but on the other hand, I'm worrying it's something medical?

These kinds of reactions can be an indication of other health issues, not related to liver. I agree that you definitely need to see your GP to have things ruled out.

Excessive drinking excites and irritates the nervous system. If you drink daily, your body becomes dependent on alcohol over time. When this happens, your central nervous system can no longer adapt easily to the lack of alcohol. If you suddenly stop drinking or significantly reduce the amount of alcohol you drink, it can cause AWS.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define heavy drinking as more than eight drinks per week for women and more than 15 drinks per week for men. The following are the equivalent of one drink:

1.5 ounces of distilled spirits or liquor, including gin, rum, vodka, and whiskey
5 ounces of wine
8 ounces of malt liquor
12 ounces of beer
Binge drinking is the most common form of heavy drinking. For women, it is defined as four or more drinks in one sitting. For men, it is defined as five or more drinks in one sitting.

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is the name for the symptoms that occur when a heavy drinker suddenly stops or significantly reduces their alcohol intake. With AWS, you may experience a combination of physical and emotional symptoms, from mild anxiety and fatigue to nausea. Some symptoms of AWS are as severe as hallucinations and seizures. At its most extreme, AWS can be life-threatening.

I know someone who developed an allergy to alcohol in her mid forties. She wasn't a very heavy drinker but enjoyed drinking socially. A few sips of wine and she feels sick, face swells up and goes red, feels hot. The hardest thing about it is the so called friends who call her boring for not drinking anymore.

FFS, shovetheholly. OP says she's unhappy with her drinking. Gives multiple examples of how it's harmed or upset her. What is vague about that?

And this isn't a thread where someone requests hand-holding and support while they wait for their medical appointment. No medical appointment has been booked. The question is 'aibu to worry that something is wrong with my liver?' The answer, 'no, YABU, given the circumstances you've described -- please get checked out' is perfectly rational. Most posters have stressed that the OP is probably fine. Nobody has said 'you are imminently going to die.'

Just in case people are skipping her without reading your first post, here it is again, because you're trying to come over all commonsense now, but this really set the tone:

OP: I have always had a bit of a drink problem. As far back as I can remember I could never touch a drop without getting the urge to carry on until I physically couldn't drink anymore. [3 specific examples of bad incidents] ['too many other examples to mention'] I have been trying to stop drinking for years. ... AIBU to worry that something is wrong with my liver?

You: But I wouldn't worry too much - you sound quite young? And to be honest, your behaviour really isn't that extreme (except on Mumsnet where someone who has more than one glass of wine is a raging alcoholic).

Yeah. So you've got an axe to grind about past comments you've read on MN about alcohol consumption, and you're not embarrassed to trot them out on a thread started by someone concerned about their drinking issues.

OP I think you should see a doc
I have a couple of friends who frankly I see as alkies
they don't drink every day but binge drink 3 nights a week and when I say binge drink I'm talking 20+ units, their tolerance is something else.

I do keep an eye on them because there is an issue with people suddenly collapsing etc and if you choke on your own vomit (actually I'm emetophobic so I leave before they reach stage!) you could easily die at 22 or whatever. That's not me being judgey, just something I've had to worry about with my mates, so I ask them to text me in the AM as they live alone and they insist on drinking that much so I can't police them.

I would go to the doctor and say "I can't drink any booze, can you do a liver function test". no one is going to laugh at you and you could do with a test. It might just be something random, I can't drink wine for some reason, though oddly spirits are fine. I used to have the odd glass but now half a glass makes me feel unwell. Weird.

It's actually hard to damage your liver, about 1 in 10 very heavy drinkers get cirrhosis and that's usually after heavy drinking for ten years or more

That is absolute bollocks. Some people are much more susceptible to alcoholic liver disease than others - probably for genetic reasons. I am a GP and have had patients whose livers have miraculously survived years of heavy alcohol abuse but others who have developed cirrhosis despite never being daily dependent drinkers.

There is some complete codswallop on this thread.

OP, see your GP, be honest about your intake and get your liver function checked. Hopefully your liver is fine but you are at risk of liver damage from your binge drinking and don't let any of the bullshitters on this thread tell you otherwise.

I'm NOT minimising - I have said in every single post on this thread that she needs to book an appointment with her GP.

What I'm saying is that it's wrong to diagnose her with liver failure based on the information she has supplied.

See your gp for piece of mind, hopefully it is just psychological

It could be organ failure. Alcoholism doesn't cure itself, it kills you - you will die if you don't stop. You are an alcoholic, the only way to cure your addiction, is to admit you have a problem, stop drinking and ask for help from professionals such as your GP. There are no winners in addiction except the brewery companies and the people who financially benefit from other people's consumption.

Also, my attitude is based on the fact that the OP says, quite clearly, in her post that she hasn't drunk much at all for 6 months. I interpreted her own words as saying that she was abusing alcohol binge drinking before that point, but is anything but a daily user now - in fact, she hasn't had a big session in months. It's all there in the first post.

Still needs to see a GP, though. Just to emphasise that: OP see a GP.

Heavy drinking is not more than 8 drinks a week for women! The government guidelines are 14 drinks for God's sake. What are you talking about?!

DO NOT LISTEN TO THOSE SAYING IT'S LIVER FAILURE. Unless you have been throwing up, your skin is yellow, your limbs are inflamed, you are bruised, have stomach pains and joint pain. Its not that! I wouldn't worry.

Oh fuck me. More misinformation!

DO NOT LISTEN TO THOSE SAYING IT'S LIVER FAILURE. Unless you have been throwing up, your skin is yellow, your limbs are inflamed, you are bruised, have stomach pains and joint pain. Its not that!

More bollocks. Those are symptoms of end-stage liver failure. Most people with liver failure have no symptoms at all.

titsy - from the OP's post, over the last 6 months her alcohol consumption on a drinking night is now one drink:

'Anyway about 6 months ago I sat down to my usual weekly Friday binge, had my first drink and felt sick and dizzy so didn't drink anymore. I remember saying to DH "wow, Friday night and I've had one drink!"

Recently we had a BBQ party and everyone was drunk - I tried and physically couldn't do it. Good job really as I ended up having to help two very intoxicated guests.

DH and I went away to York for his birthday last weekend... I didn't start until our evening meal and then could only manage half a pint."

Oops, posted too soon. Therefore is it not reasonable to conclude

• she is not physiologically alcohol dependent right now, nor drinking every day
• she has already stopped binge drinking

I think OP has been scared off her own thread now. Let's just hope she makes that appointment, for her own sanity if nothing else.

But to emphasise: SEE A GP, OP. GET IT CHECKED OUT JUST FOR PEACE OF MIND!

OP, listen to shinynewusername

GP or not (it's the internet), she makes perfect sense.

Your husband's not slipping you Disulfiram on the sly, is he?
That is exactly what I thought as well!!!

I'm afraid JK is correct - for an alcoholic to stop drinking can be dangerous
When people go into police custody and they are asked whether they have any addiction issues the main concerns that the police have is for those who are alcohol-dependant.

Whereas those who are addicted to heroin may go into withdrawal and feel awful, physically withdrawal is unlikely to do them any harm whereas suddenly withdrawing from alcohol can be very dangerous.

Hi OP, lots of different points of view on here so I'll add mine .... unlikely to be liver failure but seeing your GP would definitely be a good thing. I'm a recovering alcoholic and we get all sorts in AA: the binge drinkers who are concerned that, as they don't have a "stop" button, they will just get worse and worse and will end up 24/7 drinking, all the way to the park bench, homeless and to the "wet brain" (brain damaged) alcoholics. There's a vast spectrum but the only requirement for AA is a desire to stop drinking.

Regarding withdrawal symptoms and DTs - I have had both and very weird and unpleasant they are too. DTs (which in my case led to a seizure which could have killed me) apparently only affect a small percentage of pretty hardened alcoholics although whether you are affected or not is a) impossible to say and b) not entirely related to how much you drink. I read George Best's autobiography and he mentions that he never experienced them and I thought "blimey, I am worse than George Best!" It's just cautionary advice not to go from daily drinking to absolutely nothing in one fell swoop, but to cut down - half the day before's drinking - or go to your GP for Diazepam to wean you off (this is not to you, OP, as you don't sound in danger of this at all).

Maybe your body has just had enough. Stranger things have happened. Get yourself checked out and then just be really, really grateful!