The Physical Signs...How did you know you were in trouble?

[byebyebridgetjones]

I remember when I first gave up abusing alcohol (the first time) I became obsessed with the physical symptoms that I was experiencing and wondering if they were all associated with my burgeoning predilection for vodka.
I was worried about them, but not worried enough to stop drinking. Not for a long time. Much better to obsessively comb Google hoping to dispel all of my (well-placed) fears. To this day I have still not confessed to the medical establishment, especially since I have worked within it. How amusing that might have been for some of my colleagues!

Anyway, digressing as usual.

As a part of my Emergency Craving Pack TM I thought I might make a list of the physical signs and symptoms that should have scared me off abusing the bevvies, but didn’t.

Enjoy the smorgasbord!

• Pain/pressure upper right abdominal quadrant (liver enlargement ya think? Nah!)
• Easy bruising and slow bruise resolution
• Dry, itchy skin
• Rash in corner of mouth (presumably related to nutrient deficiency)
• Blood blisters in mouth
• Distended/bloated abdomen
• Constant nausea and dehydration
• Gastro-intestinal tract…erm….issues….
• Exhaustion
• Sleep disturbance
• Lack of concentration
• Weight gain
• Emotional lability

Who says alcoholism is not attractive?

I still admit to a morbid curiosity about this, and if you do too, please add your own litany of attractive physical signs below!

Hopefully we will capture some new members and lurkers who think there is not much to worry about – and couldn’t be more mistaken.

[Jude58]

Re: The Physical Signs...How did you know you were in trouble?

Finding new and mysterious bruises in the morning, and wondering where they came from. :buried:

[Guitarista]

Re: The Physical Signs...How did you know you were in trouble?

Why don't you start a Netflix series on this. It'd slot perfectly between 'Cold cases of missing pets of meth lab proprietors circa 1990's Sydney' and the gardening show.

Physical health - Sometimes i'd feel a sharpish pain either side of my lower back. Probably kidneys. My liver was also as hard as a rock when a doc checked it once years ago. None of these signals bothered me in the slightest at the time. Swollen tummy. lost this completely when i stopped drinking. Red veins appearing on my face. Disappeared/drastically reduced after stopping and staying stopped. Tense, tight, shoulders slightly drooped in a defensive posture.

Mental health - Depressive, negative, 'woe is me' daily outlook. The occassional high from some idea, plan that i never followed through on, or a cool movie or music. Anxious, edgy, fearful, hopeless, hapless. Unhappy. Discontent. Numb. Empty. A shell of the man that once was or could be.

[available]

Re: The Physical Signs...How did you know you were in trouble?

Oh the memories. Thanks Bridge for starting this, a trip down memory lane reinforces how i never want to feel again.

Anxiety
depression
sores that would not heal (due to a low immune system) but now repaired after 4 years
hand tremors which i associated with anxiety not by any means due to drinking
gums that were swollen and bled constantly
a rash above my lip that would not go away (gone now) and they did find a skin cancer when the rash finally went.
the bruises from running into things and not remembering
Lack of appetite due to embibing
the burst blood vessels in my face (now gone)
Kidney and liver pain (liver fine and dandy, kidneys not so much)
being bloated
very bad bowel habits
dehydration daily
lack of motivation
Memory issues especially the blackouts while drinking
constantly feeling stressed
lack of self esteem
a dead look in my eyes each and every day

I thought i had the world in the palm of my hands when i drank but looking back at all al gave me, it didnt give, it took and took and took.

[satz123]

Re: The Physical Signs...How did you know you were in trouble?

[MENTION=9170]byebyebridgetjones[/MENTION] here's my list - it's not pretty. Some have decided to stay permanently.

• An itchy bum from alcohol converting to too much sugar & causing candida type symptoms.
• Development of baggage under my eyes that I think were directly linked to alcohol & crappy sleep.
• Dry dehydrated skin starting to fall in folds on my arms - due to bad muscle tone.
• Bloated belly
• Bloated neck
• Tremor in right hand that my DD always commented on :egad:

At the moment I have many of your symptoms Bridge and I am putting them down to eating junk. The main ones are :

• Easy bruising and slow bruise resolution
• Dry, itchy skin
• Rash in corner of mouth (presumably related to nutrient deficiency)

Bridge do you have any idea what deficiency is causes the cracked mouth ?

[abcowboy]

I didn't really have much physical pain, or noticeable physical changes but I certainly displayed some of the things others mentioned above and can add a couple more..

- uncontrollable night sweats always around 3am
- poor bladder control

[JackieM]

Re: The Physical Signs...How did you know you were in trouble?

Panic attacks. Pretty much every day after drinking heavily I would either have massive anxiety or a full blown panic attack. Heart pounding, shaking, feeling like I couldn't breathe, sweating/freezing, numbness, uncontrollable thoughts....there were many times I was sure I was going to die. Sometimes the anxiety would hit around 3 a.m. I would lay in bed for hours trying to go back to sleep but my racing heart and racing thoughts wouldn't allow it.
I was also 30-40 pounds overweight. I looked and felt like absolute s**t.

[Mr Vervill]

Re: The Physical Signs...How did you know you were in trouble?

All of the above, except for the rashes and blood blisters.
I'll add;
Heart palpitations, they got pretty bad at times. Did I have them checked out? NO.
Coughin up tons of phlegm in the morning (gross I know)
sneezing fits after 5-6 (or more) drinks
sweating like crazy, usually starting about 3am, but also upon waking, if I got back to sleep at 3am. The sheets would be wet.
yeah, don't miss all that!

[NoSugar]

Re: The Physical Signs...How did you know you were in trouble?

Yeah, the night sweating that wasn't menopause...
Dead eyes
Red tongue from red wine
Bloated abdomen

but none of that compared to the complete psychological distress!

[satz123]

Re: The Physical Signs...How did you know you were in trouble?

Coughin up tons of phlegm in the morning (gross I know)

But @MrVervill it was ALL gross - that's the point of this list. To be honest now - cos we were not for years.
I'm sure we could all give lurid details of other bodily functions that refused to cooperate

[byebyebridgetjones]

Re: The Physical Signs...How did you know you were in trouble?

Bridge do you have any idea what deficiency is causes the cracked mouth ?

Vitamin B helped. As alkys we will always run the risk of B1 deficiency (Thiamine) I had a bit of luck with a mega B and a general supplement.
*Not Drinking* is the best strategy :exclaim: and you've got that down. So may be worth a trip to the skin specialist to exclude other causes like contact dermatitis and allergy.

[byebyebridgetjones]

Re: The Physical Signs...How did you know you were in trouble?

It's all a great look, isn't it? I can't work out why I'm single. I mean, who wouldn't want to live with that?
I'd hate anyone to forget the blotchy skin, baggy and red eyes, premature aging and belching. Tres chic!

[Guitarista]

Re: The Physical Signs...How did you know you were in trouble?

Tres chic indeed Jonesy. I was the tortured artiste. I think i got more torture than i bargained for!

[Slo]

Re: The Physical Signs...How did you know you were in trouble?

I put on a lot of pounds with my beer habit, but this week was forced to go buy new clothes to finish out the summer season, as the bottoms I have are just falling right off. Now that ought to be motivation enough to stay the AF path!

I hated all the sweating too, and the snoring.

[JackieM]

Re: The Physical Signs...How did you know you were in trouble?

Hmmm...somehow these descriptions are not matching up with the ads for alcohol I have seen. Isn't this drug supposed to make you fun, sophisticated, social and attractive?
I have been in bars where teams of bikini clad women came in promoting certain alcohol brands. None of them were bloated, bruised or had bags under their eyes.
Maybe I was just drinking the wrong thing...