Hello and a question

[Boss.man]

Hello All. I guess I'm here to join you.

It appears whether by aging, or by being a long term chronic drinker, I've acquired an alcohol intolerance. In my research it sounds like my body is less capable of metabolizing alcohol, and/or produces more histamines than normal. This has been a long term transition, as I remember years ago my symptoms were much less acute, but they've been present for as long as decade.

I've had to admit that I'm not only alcohol dependent, I'm allergic to it! My body's managed to end my drinking career by creating it's own version of antibuse. Yay! (NOT)

So as of this weekend, I'm finally up to challenging myself to unlinking alcohol from my life. Something that I've feared for 20 years is suddenly my only option to gain back a normal life. I'll put a longer bio on Michelle's thread.

I've only found bits and pieces about people who change in their level of alcohol intolerance. I found a book that clearly stated it in the bookstore, but I didn't buy it because it was so old (1992). What brought me to it was descriptions of acetaldehyde in the system (hangovers, except that mine last for days), as well as vasomotor rhinitis (chronic nasal congestion).

Has anyone found a web page or resource that discusses people who undergo a metabolic change in their alcohol tolerance?

[Guest]

Hello and a question

Hello and welcome. I dont have an answer to your question but I find it interesting about the rhinitis thing as I suffer badly and often wondered if alcohol was to blame.

[sammys]

Hello and a question

I get stuffed up if I over due it. I have no scientific information for you but I had a friend that used to say that our body chemistries change about every seven years. Oh and welcome lots of help here and good information.

Sammys

[Seacailin]

Hello and a question

:welcome: Hi. Very interesting information. I have had sinus problems all over my life and they do get worse when drinking. Also, I too noticed a change in how much alcohol that I could tolerate. It was completely unpredictable how much AL it would take to get me drunk. It varied greatly. That was one of the scary things about it. I don't really know much about the scientific research that is out there. I always attributed it to the Liver and it's function. I am very interested though. Please educate us as u learn. This is a Great place to be. I wish u well as you begin your journey. I look forward to reading your future posts.

[vera-b]

Hello and a question

Hello and welcome Boss,

This is an extremely interesting topic. I have not read or heard that we chronic drinkers are susceptible to intolerance, though that makes sense in that the body might just get weary having to cleanse itself of alcohol constantly. I, like Sea, thought that had more to do with liver function and the prospect that drinkers are at risk for cirrhosis. Do your symptoms happen regularly after heavy drinking, or are you subjected to them regardless of amount? Are they reversible if you do, in fact, stop drinking? Many of us who have brought the demon under control (at the moment) feel so much better physically. Welcome to MWO, and look forward to getting to know you.

V.

[A Work in Progress]

Hello and a question

Welcome, B.m... Yes many people develop this sort of intolerance as they age... This is a good place to develop a plan for quitting the alcohol, and to get support along the way...

best wishes,

wip

[Boss.man]

Hello and a question

Not sure...

vera-b;375029 wrote: Hello and welcome Boss,

Do your symptoms happen regularly after heavy drinking, or are you subjected to them regardless of amount?

Are they reversible if you do, in fact, stop drinking?

Many of us who have brought the demon under control (at the moment) feel so much better physically.

V.

I don't generally drink heavily (I think...) For the past year, I generally had 4 drinks with 2oz (measured) of hard liquor over a 4 hour period in the evening. I'm a sipper. Sometimes I lose track, or get on some political blog and get into the energy bunny phase of BAC. That gives me problems the next day. But recently I've been able to cut down to just 2 drinks in the evening (4oz total over 4 hours) and I'm still having problems with long-term headaches, lack of energy, and mood difficulties.

They key is that two years ago, I could drink much more, and much faster, and show none of these side effects. Looking back, I'm thinking my symptoms changed my habits bit by bit, as I found ways to avoid hangovers (like measuring and timing my drinks).

I figure it will take at least a week, and maybe several to see if these problems go away as my body detoxifies. You may know this better than I. I think it will take longest for my mood sensors to get back in line, but I'm happy for the hint to use Valerian, which I'm very familiar with, and also Kudzu, which I'm trying for the first time.

I'm happy for this web page resource to help me right now. We'll see if I can detox enough to give a full report. ODAT

[iAmBecoming]

Hello and a question

My sister is in her mid-late 30s and over the past couple of years she's developed some sort of intolerance. She gets rather blitzed off of what would make most people buzzed. She also ends up with 3 day hangovers. Needless to say she doesn't drink much anymore.

[Boss.man]

Hello and a question

What's working for me now

Is to extend my research. I find it interesting to see how really complex alcohol metabolization issues are, even as I'm working through my own body's adjustment to being AF (Day 3).

Very little yet on Acquired Alcohol Intolerance. A tantalizing reference here:

"Perhaps the most pertinent are acquired alcohol intolerance syndromes. These can be found in patients with Hodgkin’s disease or other malignancies, in hypereosinophilia syndrome, mastocytosis, after splenectomy and with specific drug use (e.g., chlorpropamide, tolbutamide, disulfiram and cephalosporins).

http://kcl.ac.uk/content/1/c6/01/47/68/PDF-123.pdf

A more involved term HYPOADRENOCORTICISM appears to apply more to dogs. But is described here:

Alcoholism: The Cause & the Cure ... - Google Book Search

I ordered this book.



More interesting from the same book:

“Long-term problem drinkers usually experience insomnia initially when they stop drinking. This is because in the absence of alcohol, blood sugar will plummet for the first few days to a week until it stabilizes. This prompts cortisol release throughout the day which will linger in the system and make it hard to fall asleep at night. […] Since serotonin is the precursor for melatonin (induces sleep), serotonin precursors must be supplemented in the diet to prompt serotonin > melatonin release. Once blood sugar stabilizes and serotonin is made available, cortisol resets into the natural circadian rhythm, and a good night’s rest can be achieved.”



Looking up Blood Sugar I find it is more complex than I thought:

“It is usually a surprise to realize how little glucose is actually maintained in the blood and body fluids. The control mechanism works on very small quantities. In a healthy adult male of 75 kg (165.35 lb) with a blood volume of 5 litres (1.32 gal), a blood glucose level of 100 mg/dl or 5.5 mmol/l corresponds to about 5 g (0.2 oz or 0.002 gal, 1/500 of the total) of glucose in the blood and approximately 45 g (1? ounces)[citation needed] in the total body water (which obviously includes more than merely blood and will be usually about 60% of the total body weight in men). A more familiar comparison may help – 5 grams of glucose is about equivalent to a commercial sugar packet.”

Blood sugar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Translation: At any time, your body has 1 “sugar packet” of glucose in your blood, and 9 “sugar packets” of glucose dissolved in liquid in the remainder of your tissues.

So to raise glucose has nothing to do with “sugar packets” and everything to do with getting your pancreas and liver working together to regulate your glucose level to the right spot.

No wonder everyone gets desperate on day two. One's body is sugar crashed, your melatonin is gone which causes you to have negative moods, depression, sadness, need. And all it takes is 2oz of alcohol, and your blood sugar and serotonin will be "substituted" to the right level in 30 minutes. But without the alcohol, according to this article it will take six days for your body to regain balance.

Several articles warn that wine contains fructose, a single sugar, and that nearly all mixers contain corn-syrup, a complex carbohydrate, so drinking commonly causes a "sugar high" like kids get from pop, without any regard to alcohol content.



Looking up “serotonin precursors”:

5-Hydroxytryptophan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I found a pill called 5-HTP-TR, up to 300mg per day. This is supposed to help restore serotonin in my system, after it has been "messed with" by my ex-friend.

Looking up Melatonin, it looks like 3mg per day:

Melatonin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Took both last night, and got a good nights sleep! Yay.

However I nearly lost it at the end of day two. Not really cravings, but just a feeling of emptiness that only my ex-friend could fulfill. But I worked hard on vitamins and eating healthy grains and stuff, and today I'm feeling a lot more balanced. I think the "six day" reference above was for when you aren't working on it. I think as I know more what to look for, like my internal "energy level" I can find ways to ameliorate some of the symptoms.


Next problem: Cravings.

Reading about Serotonin today. Alcohol messes with it in multiple ways. Raising the level while in the system, but longer term blocking the receptors. The net result is the emotional section of the brain gets totally messed on it.

http://www.currentseparations.com/is...-1/cs18-1d.pdf

The 5-HTP pills appear to be the best solution to jump starting serotonin levels. The MWO Topomax solution is also involved with serotonin. From my skimming, I find the dosage and the effects to very similar to Zoloft which I took some years ago although apparently the mechanisms through which they operate are quite different.

Topiramate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sertraline - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'm definitely going to spend tomorrow studying serotonin and how to regulate it. It looks like if I know enough, I can overcome anxiety and even "mood enhance" using diet and suppliments, without needing to rely on my ex-friend.



My sinuses seem dryer today. Not fixed yet, but 50% fixed. I’m thinking there is a true connection between histamines and alcohol for some people

"Alcohol and histamine
Alcohol consumption can provide histamine, trigger its release, and prevent a histamine breakdown. Histamine and alcohol share the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme during the metabolism stage."

Allergies and Histamine

In addition, several other articles I found indicate that you can have low level allergies to yeast in wine, wheat in booze made from wheat, and of course, beer. As a test it suggest switching to pure vodka to insure that you aren't intolerant to any ingredient in your favorite drink.

[lunasoft]

Hello and a question

Great info bossman

I also have these effects. Not only I'm addicted to alcohol but to Afrin because it relieves the congestion. I have been a long time drinker, but let me tell you my progression. I started off loving bourbon and cognac. Then my body told me you can't drink this anymore, it would just not tolerate it. Then I thought I would go to beer because I love the taste and the buzz is good and I could control it easier. Then one day, I had a beer, my stomache bloated up, my nose was all clogged and my throat closed up. My body again telling me that you can't drink beer anymore it just would not tolerate it. So in my stubborness I had to find a new drink. OHHHHHH the vodka tonic with lime. A great buzz didn't need much to get the feeling and tasted great, plus my body let me enjoy it. So now all I can drink is vodka, nothing else my body will not let me have anything else to drink for a buzz. This is why i'm here. But back to your theory, I belive alcohol can change your body and your symptoms. I for one am having the worst phlem of my life without a vodka buzz. When I have a drink it goes away. This is how powerful this stuff is on the brain. I feel you brother on the anxiety and the 4 day hangovers but I have been curing it with a drink here and there to deal. I too need to bite the bulliet and suffer a couple days. But a word of caution. My wife is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine and she has told me quiting cold turkey could be fatal. Some of here patients have had seizures, leathal blood pressure increases and severe depression. So I'm trying to slow down and hopefully I can get back to normal:thanks: