Featherweight (TW: booze)

[Paul Calf]

Beware of fatty liver diagnoses. I had a scan a couple of years ago and was referred for an MRI purely by chance as I was in Manchester and was suddenly crippled with stomach pain. Turns out my gallbladder had packed up and that was showing up on the liver tests.

I'm amazed that people think six pints of piss is a small amount. You would be carrying me home after that.

[Fr.Bigley]

Beware of fatty live4r diagnoses. I had a scan a couple of years ago and was referred for an MRI purely by chance as I was in Manchester and was suddenly crippled with stomach pain. Turns out my gallbladder had packed up and that was showing up on the liver tests.

I'm amazed that people think six pints of piss is a small amount. You would be carrying me home after that.

shitting gallstones...zehr unpleasant

[Barry Admin]

Keep it up, old darling.  I've said it many times but gave up forever, couple of years ago now, I never feel like my legs are snapped candles, never wake with the black dog of self hate sat heavy and panting its stinking breath on my heart.  Wake feeling rosy and fresh as a babe.  Saves me money, keeps me strong, mind and body.  One of the sanest choices I ever made and I've made some crackers.

Drinking, especially in cultures where drinking in quantity is applauded - imagine doing that to people with food, who, maybe had eating disorders - drinking has small upsides, I say that as a person who really appreciates whiskey and wine, and truly abysmal destructive downsides.  It's an obvious decision.

👆👆👆 This 👆👆👆

Can't believe I'm still off it after... 4 or 5 years now, I guess. I did lapse back into smoking last year through the stresses of the pandemic, which is dumb in a lot of ways, but I've basically not left the flat for over a year, so do really enjoy going outside for a smoke with Jelly. But I'm trying to give up again, even though.its really the only release I have. Need to start walking and cycling again instead, but that's hardly relaxing these days when you ha e to be so hyper-vigilant.

My mate is getting a...I can't remember right now, either a liver or kidney transplant, within the next year. He's an ex heroin addict and has been secretly drinking a lot.  So now all the physical problems and constant tiredness etc have caught up with him, and he's terrified of having to cut down and then quit.

Unfortunately, for some, complete abstinence is the only way forward. Good luck with whatever you decide to do next, flote.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I'm amazed that people think six pints of piss is a small amount

The opening post described 5-6 pints as a 'relatively small amount to knock me sideways', additions which make a meaningful difference.

Time is also the key thing here. 5 or 6 in an evening would be a fair amount to put away in a few hours, however 5 or 6 spaced out from lunch to midnight shouldn't be knocking a regular drinker sideways.

Also yes, abuse of alcohol is harmful to health.

[Paul Calf]

shitting gallstones...zehr unpleasant

Yeah, didn't realise I'd had gallstones for about 35 years. I almost lost consciousness from the pain of passing a stone.

[drummersaredeaf]

Yeah, I went in with pains right side and had ultrasound both sides (I think). The pain was gallstones they said. Gallbladder is small and twatty though isn't it? If you can do without it, why would it suddenly batter me with hangovers?

My liver numbers were high, though they came down within about two weeks to the normal range. I could believe it was fatty because I eat mostly well but also binge on filth once or twice a week too. I am a bit overweight, but not so much that you would know until I whipped my top off[nb]New PHWOAR thread asap pls[/nb].

[thugler]

Definitely have felt more of a lightweight this year, but i think mainly due to quitting and cutting down a lot. Also age seems to have made hangovers come a day late and are basically triggers for anxiety rather than making me sick. I am just about starting to get past this and have been drinking at more of a middle ground rate and finding it less debilitating afterwards

[TrenterPercenter]

Btw just to point out you can actually reverse fatty liver disease in 2 weeks by staying off the booze (and fizzy drinks which are just as bad if not worse).  I didn't even believe this was possible but it is (it's on the NHS website).  So having a break from the falling down juice is always a good idea every now and again.

I've never be someone to just give things up completely; I'd much rather master the addiction; I can easily go weeks or months without booze or fags and then smash a fantastic amount of them both in a day or two days.  All or nothing I suppose; it is an incredibly rare occurrence for me to sit and have a glass of wine or a beer on an evening (which seems to be what most normal people do).

[JaDanketies]

In December of last year I got a high ALT reading on a blood test, which is an indicator of fatty liver. I then abstained from drink, ate healthy and exercised from January 3rd or thereabouts, and then on January 22nd I had a follow-up blood test and my ALT was normal.

[Glebe]

Not a big drinker and bit of a wimpy sod but I've packed away a fair bit of booze over the years.

[flotemysost]

Cheers all for the replies.

Yep, I didn't phrase it very clearly, but 5-6 pints definitely isn't "a small amount" BUT it's probably not an amount you'd expect an adult to get completely blackout/memory loss hammered on, when spaced out over an afternoon/evening and/or with food, in a social setting, with other people of a roughly similar age (I'm 32, fwiw) who might be significantly merry by the end of it but aren't affected to such an extreme.

I'm not an alcoholic, and it's definitely not that this is a drop in my usual intake - there are often more days per week when I don't drink at all than when I do, or if I do then it'll just be one small beer/a glass of wine or whiskey with dinner or something, so that's not the problem. As mentioned, I grew up around the "swigging neat vodka at 6:30AM" brand of alcholism so I'm pretty wary of and sensitive to the signs of being addicted - although arguably, you can of course be unhealthily reliant on drink specifically within social situations, which I think I definitely have been at times (as have lots of us, I'm sure).

It's just weird and worrying that occasionally, only sometimes, I get completely knocked sideways or out of it when I'm drinking with people, there doesn't seem to be any logic to it - but I think probably pacing, drinking water and eating enough are key. Probs just a combination of getting old, and getting in my own head a bit when the booze (which is of course, as mentioned, a depressant) kicks in. Cutting back is never bad advice though, and you're right Trenter, the liver is pretty amazing at Lazarus-like recovery from the abuse we hurl at it, when it's given a bit of a break.

Solidarity to anyone in recovery here, keep at it, I am so so fucking grateful every day that the aforementioned person in my family is still here and sober.