Sharing a bottle of wine most nights

[RunningCourage]

Sharing a bottle of wine most nights

Wow. Thank you Kaslo. This is good stuff. It's the kind of thing i need to read repeatedly, maybe even daily, to know that what i was doing was so damaging in the long term.

I - and so many i'm sure - can relate to the self-defeating argument we say or have said to ourselves about drinking excessively, "it'll be fine" "i'll stop in time" (a personal favourite of mine) "everyone else is doing it" "i've had a shit day" .... or just simply because it's after 5pm and well, that's drinky-poos time.

Knowing the damage alcohol does as you have explained, will make those arguments a whole lot easier to win over.

:thanks:

[strugling]

Sharing a bottle of wine most nights

Kaslo: thank you for such an informative post. Does your research show that giving up alcohol improves arthritis or does it stop the progression? I didn't realise the link; the other damage, yes, but not arthritis. I could be Rhonda (gulp!) but with bad knees!

[Kradle123]

Sharing a bottle of wine most nights

Tipp my dear friend: I'm so sorry your struggling but thanks again for raising the images again,

I want to drink this weekend. Not sure why except husband gone, Matt making me crazy twins too cute fr words.

Hanging on..:yukko:

[LibraryGirl]

Sharing a bottle of wine most nights

Kaslo;1384165 wrote: Hi Tip, no worries. I bet you turned a few heads on the drive home, lol! What ever it takes. I am really glad I might be the impetus...but its really yourself, and your realization. When you are finally DONE you know. That is all.

I originally cracked open this thread to address the question raised by LibraryGirl. She asks if weight was not the cause of my arthritis. I have to answer this one carefully and I dont want to cause offense, either. LG is correct weight gain is a huge contributing factor to the development of cartilage loss. The question faily put might be if I had been a skinny alkie would I still have developed severe arthritis? The answer is probably yes, as both the alcoholism and the arthritis were inheritied conditions in my case.

However lets not just apply this to Kaslo but to the general population. Weight gain is related to alcohol consumption.

Alcohol alone is a causal factor in cartilage degradation in the absence of weight gain.

Alcoholism is a progressive condition (or disease) and it worsens with time. It leads to inactivity. Alcohol is huge amounts of empty calories, and if you are adding this to a normal or even excessive caloric intake, together with the addiction progression... = weight gain. Many arthritic people find themselves treating themselves with AL as its an effective pain killer. This snowballs the problem of arthritis and AL.

You have to consider your entire health profile. In my case I had an injury early on and was warned I would have terrible arthritis. I was not told that AL abuse would worsen that. I recovered, and then worked in the bush for many years and didnt really develop AL addictive behaviours until I was in my 40s but for ten years or more, I really abused it and myself. and I developed a habit, became more senior in my field (Im a tox person, and a stress ecologist), became less physically active, gained a lot of weight. Lost 30 pounds of it and then Helen died, following knee surgery, massive bleed, then liver failure, and it became clear to me she was a daily wine consumer, she claimed not very much but every day, and we KNOW that it was this that killed her. She had also contributed to her cartilage loss and need for a knee replacement from the constant drinking over a 40 year period.

I saw the writing on the wall.

There are several health indications from over-consumption of alcohol. They are additive over time. If you are a woman, especially a small one, (Tip!) and you have a predisposition to both alcoholism and arthritis, and start down the path of least resistance to overconsumption while telling yourself as only alcoholics will do, that is ok, its good for you, fun, relaxing, yada yada, you are adding up all of the contributing factors to a number of life degrading conditions.

It is no secret. The US health authorities list alcohol over consumption as the third leading cause of death in the US. Third after heart disease and cancer, and they argue that alcohol contributes and is even causitive of both of these front runners.

So my advice to you LG is dont assume that lack of weight gain alone witll prevent you from having arthritis. Weight gain will contribute to it, though.

Lets just assume person EX call her Rhonda drinks wine every second night, 3/4 of a bottle. Its above the limit that over time leads to habit formation style drinking, which leads to binging or steady consumption. If Rhonda is lucky enough to remain a skinny alcoholic thats great, but other fates await her. She is ,in fact statistically and inevitably going to develop a variety of symptoms and its only a matter of time before they start to show up in her health profile, as she ages. The hospitals around the world, palliative care facilities are full of Rhondas. Too bad she kidded herself.

To be fair, we can also play the scenario that Rhonda woke up at the age of 35 or what ever, realized she was going to end up like her sister / mother/ father / aunt, and she did her damdest to cut back to a GLASS OF WINE A WEEK. That would erase all of the progression. Well some of it. And possibly be of benefit, good cholesterol, etc etc. If she was already past the stage where she could totally successfully cut back to one glass a week and never go back into progressive alcoholism, then fair play to her. Have a nice life Rho, you diserve it. However, the odds of that actually happening for most people are very very very low. Once we go through that door of progression, its very hard to get back.

So that is what I wanted to say, sorry its so long winded. If people are interested I would post the definitive research articles on alcohol contribution to arthritis. Its one of many conditions that alcohol contributes to. Throat cancer, breast cancer, etc etc the list is huge. And weight gain is on that list.

We all do it to ourselves. We are all responsible for ourselves. Its our choice. I chose not to drink.

Love to all on this ethereally beautiful September day in Kasloland.

k
Kaslo, I was actually interested in the edema problem. I am overweight and have that problem too. Thanks for all the info.

I, and others on the mods forum have been successfully moderating our drinking, including one member who has been here for years. I am not so arrogant to say that I have the beast conquered, but I will say that I am actively doing something about it, and I feel good about my progress thus far.

[Kaslo]

Sharing a bottle of wine most nights

Hi Library Girl, sorry I missed that you were interested in periferal edema. Periferal edema is something you might want to run up the old flag pole with your doctor. And be honest with him her about exactly how much you used to drink and what you drink now. If you have edema you possibly might want to get your liver function checked. There are so many things that edema is a sign of, that its worth trying to get at the root, because if you used to abuse alcohol, and you personally should be a fair judge of that, then moderating now for you MAY be closing the barn door after the horse has gone. The weight gain and edema is not a good thing. But hey, exercise in hot weather will also cause some edema in some people, but unfortunately thats not the commonest cause of edema.

I am aware that you believe you have had great success with moderate drinking. Ive been around the site quite a bit, and read a lot over the past year and a half or more. Thats great for you. I think you are somewhat exceptional. Especially if you were at one time developing or had addictive behavious, i.e. obsessing on alcohol, waking up more than once a week feeling the effects of alcohol. Drinking over the unit limit in a week. etc etc. The fact that you post here a lot is an indication that alcohol is on your mind a lot. But maybe you want to prove you can moderate, I dont know. Thats your affair, totally.

However, I would get the edema checked out pdq, as it is linked with alcoholism and liver dysfunction. Im not saying you are doomed or anything, because I am not a doctor, and I dont profess to be, but its something to take seriously.


Kas

[LibraryGirl]

Sharing a bottle of wine most nights

kaslo, I enjoy being part of a community. The fact that I am here and posting is not an indication that I have alcohol on my mind a lot, lol. I have the people that I've met here on my mind a lot, yes.

I have had my edema checked out. In fact I had an MRI and extensive tests done. There was no indication of anything wrong. All I had hoped to find out from you is if you and I shared a weight problem, and you seem to be sensitive about that. I'm sorry.

[Kaslo]

Sharing a bottle of wine most nights

Nope, not sensitive about it. I am not as heavy as I was, but I could stand to lose a few pounds for sure. I am still in not bad shape. Im getting old, THATS a pain in the ass. Im 58 and I still ski, kayak, and work in the field pretty much every summer. Not bad for an old bugger with metal hip joints. I am glad the tests indicate your edema is not linked to any thing sinister. The list of things is considerable.

[Tipplerette]

Sharing a bottle of wine most nights

What a wealth of information. Day three and not being cocky (bad habit of mine) but at this point I am not tempted. i am 55, not overweight and little. So we can double the effects of boozing for me. Anyway, like i said, I have hit the wall with poison. For a change I am putting myself first. I want to live to be an old, fiesty broad; not a semi-invalid.

thanks for all the info.

[Kaslo]

Sharing a bottle of wine most nights

GO TIP! Yay!!! Dont look down, thats all. Or back, and please for heavens sake dont listen to "Pssst. You can drink moderately..." in your head or from anyone else. Or ... "Just one...." because there comes a point in your life when you just have to do what is completely right for yourself.

Kas

[Mick]

Sharing a bottle of wine most nights

Kas .really interesting post..thanks for sharing

[scottish lass]

Sharing a bottle of wine most nights

Wow - thanks for this enlightening sharing of information - I was not aware of teh arthritis connection and have just been diagnosed with arthritis - in finger joints manily just now, but one knee is showing a bit. I am just 50 and not overwieght, and not as active as I should be, but moderately active.
I see the signs of liver damage daily, I work in the world of transplant - and still have not managed to learn from others. I am slowly plodding my way through becoming AF due to MWO and the wealth of both information and support, as I really do know what the future holds for me.
I also have left my husband, have two kids and very little money, and the future looks really sad if I do not get a grip - I also know my future could be good it I do get this all sorted out - I just have to beat the desire for wine, and as I have noone to share it with, I drink the whole bottle myself!
Tipp, I am a couple days behind you, but with yo all the way.
Kaslo, thanks for the wise words.....