Gave Up Drinking - Now I Cannot Drink At All!

[KunMatt]

So, briefly, I quit drinking at New Year's and didn't have a single drink for more than 3 months. Since that I have had a handful of nights where I have had a couple of pints of beer with dinner and I get a horrific hangover now where before I used to drink 8 pints every single day and have barely a headache.

I've tried San Miguel Light, Heineken, Chang Export and Singha and each of them have levelled me the next day just after a couple of small bottles.

I had 1x 500ml can of Chang Export mixed with Sprite last night at 8pm and started to get a headache an hour later. Its now midday and my head is banging and I'm still nauseous.

What has happened to me?? I thought the layoff and cut down would repair my body and lessen any hangover, not make it worse. I'm 35, normal weight and I go to the gym occasionally to run 10km.

Any thoughts?

[spw888]

Yep, that's an easy one - stay off it. Same happened to me, I stopped for 3 months early this year, then had a few beers one night and suffered the whole of the next day, haven't bothered drinking since. Doesn't mean I don't go out and enjoy myself at times, I just don't bother drinking alcohol any more - I really just can't be bothered with it. I'm 54, I also do fitness training and running every week, and also try to watch what I eat to keep the weight down.

[peanut]

What happened? Your body was used to the alcohol and now it's not anymore because you've been off it for a while. Seems pretty obvious to me?

I guess if you start drinking more and more you will just get used to it again (although I'm not sure why you would want that...!)

[Dararasmi]

Sounds like quite the blessing. Consider yourself lucky.

[asdecas]

Why pressure your body into drinking if it clearly does not want it? Alcohol, like almost everything, is a poison if taken in sufficient doses. You don't say how much you used to drink, but the fact that you suffered no overt symptoms when drinking too much before does emphatically NOT necessarily mean it was not damaging your body. Having de-conditioned your body with a layoff of three months you should not now expect to resume where you left off without reaction.

If I were you my first step would be to have a complete physical to see if anything is causing your body's reaction to moderate levels of alcohol. Incidentally there are plenty of people, some Asians in particular, who have an allergic reaction to ingesting any alcohol. If the physical proves you are OK, and you really insist that you need to drink again, (and this is a course I do NOT necessarily recommend) reacclimatise yourself in small steps.

[Tolley]

I think it is normal for someone who drinks occasionally.

I have the same problem once every couple of weeks I have a couple of beers and end up with a headache.

I go better if I have a vodka soda. Don't seem to get a headache or hangover after one or two of those but the beer gets me everytime.

[KunMatt]

What happened? Your body was used to the alcohol and now it's not anymore because you've been off it for a while. Seems pretty obvious to me?

I guess if you start drinking more and more you will just get used to it again (although I'm not sure why you would want that...!)

I don't think this is a tolerance problem, when I was a teenager I never got hangovers. It's now 5pm and I'm still ill from just 1 can of beer I drank 21 hours ago, this is more like an allergy to beer or alcohol I've developed since quitting regular drinking.

[captspectre]

Yep, that's an easy one - stay off it. Same happened to me, I stopped for 3 months early this year, then had a few beers one night and suffered the whole of the next day, haven't bothered drinking since. Doesn't mean I don't go out and enjoy myself at times, I just don't bother drinking alcohol any more - I really just can't be bothered with it. I'm 54, I also do fitness training and running every week, and also try to watch what I eat to keep the weight down.

not to worry until your pecker stops working!

[KunMatt]

Why pressure your body into drinking if it clearly does not want it? Alcohol, like almost everything, is a poison if taken in sufficient doses. You don't say how much you used to drink, but the fact that you suffered no overt symptoms when drinking too much before does emphatically NOT necessarily mean it was not damaging your body. Having de-conditioned your body with a layoff of three months you should not now expect to resume where you left off without reaction.

If I were you my first step would be to have a complete physical to see if anything is causing your body's reaction to moderate levels of alcohol. Incidentally there are plenty of people, some Asians in particular, who have an allergic reaction to ingesting any alcohol. If the physical proves you are OK, and you really insist that you need to drink again, (and this is a course I do NOT necessarily recommend) reacclimatise yourself in small steps.

I don't think that drinking a couple of beers a week could be any more moderate. I guess the point is that after a few clean months I expected my body to be more healthy than it was before and my liver to be able to handle 1 beer without making me sick for a day.

I have read on Google about other people who were heavy drinkers not being able to handle small amounts of alcohol after quitting cold turkey like I did, unfortunately they are all just found on forums like my thread here with no conclusive answer what or why.

Edited May 23, 2013 by KunMatt

[bri1guy]

If you want to start drinking again without the hangovers you have to start drinking what you use to drink before & take a break & drink more again before you get the hangover, basically keep drunk for a few days.. Start with bloodly marys and vodka orange juice in the morning & always keep alcohol in your blood so you wont get a hangover.. Wake up in the middle of the night & have a shot of vodka in my Gatorade too, as some friends put it, U need blood in your alcohol system...

[gerryBScot]

Vodka and clear spirits are generally acknowledged to cause minimal hangovers because they contain less additives and colouring agents. People often believe that the Scots must be big whisky drinkers because it grows there; we are big drinkers ( in my case "was"!) but the most popular spirit sold in Scotland is vodka and has been for years; goes down great, mixed with the "other national drink", Irn Bru. Couldn't confirm about hangovers, suffice to say I haven't had one for almost 10 years......

[Nam Plah]

Same here, off of it for more than a year.

From what I understand beer is heavily adulterated with additional chemicals (anti-foaming agents, preservatives, emulsifiers, etc...) plus the yeast may be an allergen to some people while neutral grain spirits are "cleaner".

A doctor once told a friend of mine to stick to top-shelf spirits and lay off beer altogether.

[gamini]

You probably have got pancreatitis. The symptoms suggest it.

[atyclb]

Your body did improve because alcohol stimulates the enzyme system of the liver to degrade/metabolize alcohol at a higher level. During your prior regular drinking the liver was in overdrive. Your liver downgraded itself to baseline/normal status. Typically 3 months is the time-frame for clearing of mentation and re-adjustment of the body to non alcohol physiology. That is why drinking a little now has a big effect.

Edited May 23, 2013 by atyclb

[impulse]

If you subscribe to one theory (I do), alcoholism is a progressive disease that continues to progress even after a person quits drinking.

So if I were to start drinking again after 24 years without, my body would pick up as if I had been drinking those 24 years, and not as a 24 year old that never did drink.

That's not to claim you are an alcoholic, because only you can figure that one out. And it's just a theory that's accepted by the largest group of people who have successfully quit drinking and stayed quit.

[BlackJack]

stress is the number one killer in the world

drinking lowers stress

your honor i rest my case

[carib102]

Hangovers are also greatly influenced by hydration levels. In a tropical climate like Thailand this can be exacerbated greatly. Drink plenty of water...think 12 oz of water for every 12 oz of beer. Or switch to whiskey and water or put lots of ice in your beer. All of these can help in the hangover department. Of course with your past history it is possible that your body is just damaged beyond repair. A liver enzyme test might be in order to determine the extent of the damage. There are alternatives to drinking too

[Card]

The reason for your 'problem' is not the alcohol but its main metabolite acetaldehyde. Alcohol is converted into acetaldehyde by the enzyme acetaldehyde dehydrogenase in the liver and it is this acetaldehyde that causes most of the symptoms of hangovers. It is very toxic, more so than alcohol, and it is further converted by acetaldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme into acetic acid which is Ok. Heavy drinkers have a lot of Acetaldehyde dehydrogenase so metabolize acetaldehyde more quickly than light drinkers, who have less of the enzyme, so there is less buildup of acetaldehyde and fewer hangover symptoms. Your hangover symptomes are healthy - it's the people who can consume large amounts of alcohol with no hangovers who will have underlying problems.

[maybefitz]

If you subscribe to one theory (I do), alcoholism is a progressive disease that continues to progress even after a person quits drinking.

So if I were to start drinking again after 24 years without, my body would pick up as if I had been drinking those 24 years, and not as a 24 year old that never did drink.

That's not to claim you are an alcoholic, because only you can figure that one out. And it's just a theory that's accepted by the largest group of people who have successfully quit drinking and stayed quit.

I am with Impulse. I stopped drinking at age 30, (nearly 45 years ago), when I dried out in hospital. I found out from a group of similar people that it's the first drink that causes the problem; because pyschologically, I want 'more'. One drink is one too many, and 1,000 not enough. I have now a 12 step program, that is very important to me, so stopping drinking introduced me to a complete re-assessment of what's important in life. The hard reality is, that having stepped over the line from 'social' (whatever that is) to compulsive drinking - there's no way back. One cannot 'unlearn' the process that created the problem drinker. In essence - what have I given up? Just the misery, fear, guilt, shame and resentments of compulsive drinking. I don't want that back, so if it means I don't drink - accept the thing I cannot change. It's as basic at that. Suggest OP makes some effort to meet people who've been there and done that - he'll find he's not alone.

[Mur]

yep you just aint match fit now

[manarak]

2 pints a day is healthy

[Steve1967spurs]

Hi I gave up drinking at the last World Cup... Worst thing ever!

13 weeks later had to have TWO NEW HEART VALVES and a PACE MAKER fitted.

Now medically not allowed to drink at all, at least you have the choice.

Hangovers those were the days.

[koto]

You probably have got pancreatitis. The symptoms suggest it.

Blood test now! possibly hepatitis, your body is talkin to yea, listen to it, we are what we eat, drink, think...

[sunnitimes]

One of the main symptoms of wheat sensitivity is headaches. When MDs are testing for sensitivity to foods, such as wheat (which is in beer) they normally restrict that food group from your diet for at least 6 weeks and then reintroduce a small amount of the food. Your cleaned out system then usually reacts very strongly; which I grant is counter-intututive.

You may be having an allergic reaction to the components of beer (wheat and yeast) as much as to the alcohol. I can assure you an allergic headache can be a real bone crusher and last for days.

Agree with earlier posting that a visit to the MD might be in order; your body is definitely telling you something.

[fvw53]

those symptoms make me think of the my previous addiction to tobacco (two packets of Gitanes a day) : I stopped 25 years ago and now the smoke from somebody else cigarette makes me nearly vomit

[maybefitz]

2 pints a day is healthy

Maybe so; for possibly 95% of the population. However, up to 5% cannot biologically handle alcohol at all - abstinence is the only way. Despite this, behind heart disease and cancer, arguably the 3rd killer on the list is alcoholism, not AIDS, or pulmonary disease or any other ailment. Unfortunately, there is no test for this, apart from the obvious symptoms - only when the sufferer cries 'Help'. Many die before they get there. Alcoholism is no respecter of age, education, job, social standing, sex or any other criteria - it affects across the board. If you want to drink, that's up to you - but if you want to stop and can't - seek help.

[clip]

i used to get hangovers all the time, i was into running then also and my doctor once told me that if im going to drink alcohol to drink plenty of water before and after and it will eliminate your hangovers , sure enough it did , its a matter of being dehydrated which is one of the main causes of hangovers

[terrythai]

Off to the Doc mate for a check-up, something wrong somewhere, off the grog for only 3 months you should be able to have a few beers

without any semblance of a hangover at your age.

[Timwin]

One cannot 'unlearn' the process that created the problem drinker. In essence - what have I given up?

Actually, today you can unlearn that process. It is called the Sinclair method, based on Naltrexone. Similar other methods are currently being introduced. Unlike AA and 12-steps with low 10-15 percent success rate, the SM has about 80-85 percent success rate among alcoholics. Naltrexone is a cheap, generic, patent expired antiopioid. So no expensive rehabs or therapy. It costs something like 150 dollars per month or even less if ordered online.

In a period of six months while drinking it reduces the cravings and euphoric feelings from alcohol basically to zero. Every day you drink, you take one pill in the morning. It does not make you sick and you still will get drunk and stupid but gradually weakens the buzz "I must have this" in the brain caused by alcohol.

Alcohol becomes gradually less and less interesting for an alcoholic. Compared to that, AA is mostly snake oil and rain dancing, invented in the early 20th century. It does not cure the underlying physical addiction in the brain.

[atyclb]

If you subscribe to one theory (I do), alcoholism is a progressive disease that continues to progress even after a person quits drinking.

So if I were to start drinking again after 24 years without, my body would pick up as if I had been drinking those 24 years, and not as a 24 year old that never did drink.

That's not to claim you are an alcoholic, because only you can figure that one out. And it's just a theory that's accepted by the largest group of people who have successfully quit drinking and stayed quit.

That cannot be true unless alcoholism causes other diseases that are progressive like cirrhosis, cardiomyopathy, cancer...

The body including the liver has impressive recovery abilities. When you remove the poison, the body can and does heal itself.

If a an alcoholic sober for 24 years starts drinking the damage will begin again, from scratch. Drinking again does not magically create a scenario in which damage is the same had it been cumulative and never stopped drinking.