Lately ive noticed that I cant party like I use to. I use to be able to go out and drink a lot and be fine. But now, for some reason, I get all nervous and shaky when I am about to drink or drinking. I can drink half a beer and I will start feeling nausea. Can somebody please tell me why I get like this now or has anybody ever had this happen to them?
While i had never felt nausea when starting drinking, I do know that drinking a lot can upset your liver, stomach's lining and vital organs. People who develop cirrhosis get very sick, because their liver is not able to detoxify the body like it should, leaving poisonous chemicals in the blood.
As for the nrevousness and shaking, maybe you should get your blood sugar checked. This could be a sign of diabetes or something worse. Alcoholics get shakey and feel that they need to 'calm down' with alcohol, due to physical withdrawal.
If you have been drinking large quantities for a long time, or binge drinking for many years, you may want to get a full physical exam and be honest about your drinking frequency and habits. Alcohol is not good for the body, especially when it is over consumed for a long time. Ittotally disrupts the body's natural balance in many many ways.
Here is an article on alcohol and the body, Hope this helps.
ALCOHOL and the Body by Albert S. Whiting, M.D.
ALCOHOL is the oldest and most widely used drug in the world. Primitive cultures believed alcohol to be a magical, mysterious cure for nearly every ailment. Clinical research has removed the mystery of what happens when a person drinks alcohol. We have learned a great deal about what alcohol is, what it does in the body, and how it affects behavior.
WHAT IT IS
Alcohol belongs to a family of chemicals that contain carbon and hydrogen. The active ingredient in alcoholic beverages is ethyl alcohol, also known as ethanol. It is a colorless and nearly tasteless liquid that is easily and quickly absorbed by the body.
Many people think alcohol is a stimulant, but actually it is a depressant. It slows down the function of all living cells, especially those in the brain. Alcohol belongs to the same group of drugs as anesthetics and tranquilizers.
HOW IT IS ABSORBED
Alcohol does not need to be digested after having been consumed. It moves with tremendous speed through the body, affecting every single tissue and organ. It quickly appears in the bloodstream, and its intoxicating effects are felt within a few minutes.
The body begins immediately to try to get rid of the alcohol. It is absorbed through the stomach or small intestine directly into the bloodstream. It then proceeds to the liver, where it is broken down or metabolized. This nrnrpss takes nlnre in several steDS. but the passes out in the urine), and sugar (which provides energy, or calories).
However, when it is consumed at a faster rate than the body's metabolism can handle (about one 12-ounce can of beer per hour), alcohol accumulates in the bloodstream and is distributed throughout the body. The higher the concentration of alcohol, the greater the disturbance it has on body cells. Severe disruption of function can occur and can cause death. The effects of alcohol on various organs will be discussed in more detail below.
EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL
* ON THE LIVER
Because the liver must perform most of the work of metabolizing alcohol, it bears the brunt of its effects. Even in the moderate drinker, after some years of continuous low-grade dysfunction, the damaged liver cells are gradually replaced by scar tissue. Irreversible scarring and destruction of the liver is known as cirrhosis of the liver.
As the liver becomes damaged, its ability to metabolize alcohol is reduced. The liver begins to accumulate fats, and there is further malfunction. The risk of other diseases such as hepatitis is increased.
* ON THE HEART
There have been reports that one drink a day slightly decreases the risk of heart disease because alcohol affects the way cholesterol is carried in the blood. However, there is a great deal of evidence to show that even a small amount of alcohol can be quite harmful to the heart.
Alcohol has a direct effect on heart muscle cells. It can progressively destroy heart muscle so the heart cannot pump efficiently. Alcohol also starves the heart by decreasing blood flow in the coronary arteries.
Alcohol has an influence on the risk factors for coronary heart disease. Drinkers have an increased rate of hypertension. Fat levels in the blood can be elevated by alcohol. And alcohol contains a great many calories, which can cause obesity and increase chances of heart disease.
Because of its sedative effects, alcohol depresses angina heart pains. If a person exercises after drinking and does not feel this pain, a heart attack may result.
* ON THE BRAIN
The organ most sensitive to alcohol is the brain. Alcohol affects the entire body, but its effects on the functions of the brain are the most noticeable and to the person who is drinking, the most important. People drink alcohol because of the way it makes them feel, ignoring the damaging effects on the brain itself.
The brain reacts to alcohol in stages. The first portion of the brain to be affected is the cerebrum the outermost layer, which is responsiblefor controlling the senses, speech, understanding, and judgment.
Alcohol depresses first the parts of the brain that normally inhibit or control actions and emotions. It appears as if alcohol although it is a depressant is acting as a stimulant because, as these higher centers of the brain are knocked out. the drinker feels liberated from moral and legal restrictions. The loss of these restraints can cause exhilaration and loss of inhibitions.
The alcohol continues to depress brain functions, resulting in slurred speech, unsteady walk, blurry vision, and loss of co-ordination. Drinkers often feel that their manual skills have been improved because their judgment has been impaired, while in reality their reaction times are slowed and their muscle coordination is less efficient.
Next. the drinker experiences various exaggerations of the emotions that can range from violence and aggressiveness to tearfulness and withdrawal. If a person continues to drink, the body protects itself from further damage by falling asleep or "passing out".
Alcohol destroys brain cells which, unlike the blood cells it also destroys, are irreplaceable. Alcohol ir.roairs the memory as well as the ability to learn new things.
* ON THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
Alcohol has absolutely no nutritive value other than calories, called "empty calories" because of the body's inability to store them. In fact, alcohol could be called an anti-nutrient because it actually increases the need for other nutrients.
Because alcohol supplies calories, alcoholic drinks can be very fattening. Alcohol is absorbed so quickly that its energy is available almost immediately. This energy is burned first, so the body fuel that would normally be used for energy is instead stored as fat.
The gastrointestinal system is irritated and damaged by alcohol. Thus it is less able to absorb nutrients, which can lead to malnutrition.
* ON THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, it is distributed throughout both her body and the body of her unborn child. The developing baby is very sensitive to toxic substances, and alcohol can cause irreparable damage.
Alcohol interferes with the flow of oxygen to the fetus. This can result in smaller babies, birth defects, and even miscarriage.
The set of defects caused by drinking alcohol while pregnant is called fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). This includes a range of disabilities involving facial deformities, limb and cardiovascular defects and impaired intellectual and motor development.
FAS, retarded growth, and behavioral difficulties are seen in the children of women who have consumed as little as a drink or two per day. Women who go on binges and drink excessively on occasion run the greatest risk of having brain-impaired babies.
The evidence is overwhelmingly conclusive that the only safe policy is complete abstention from alcohol during pregnancy. It has been shown that alcohol is harmful to the human system. The only wise response is to avoid its use as a beverage.
ALCOHOL TOLERANCE
Regular drinking increases a person's tolerance for alcohol. More is needed to feel the same effects the single drink which once produced a feeling of relaxation is soon increased to two, and so on. The slide from drinking for pleasure to dependence is gradual.
The body tries to adapt to chronic alcohol use the liver attempts to metabolize the alcohol more quickly, the cells work harder to get rid of it, and the drinker's behavior adapts to disguise impaired abilities. But after a while the body can no longe maintain equilibrium, and many organs become dysfunctional and permanently damaged.
IN CONCLUSION
Alcohol is not an antidote for snake bite. It does not prevent colds. It is of no value in treating frostbite. It does not relieve fatigue or shock. It does not enhance sexual performance it may release inhibitions, but it impairs the follow-through. As a drug, its sedative value is offset by the toxic effect it has on the brain, heart, liver, and gastrointestinal tract. Medically speaking, there is no possible benefit which can be derived from the use of alcohol internally.
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~~"It's hard to be hateful when you're grateful."~~
Welcome. that's some good information that JoniJoni posted. I never experienced the naseau either when beginning to drink, but I do think that drinking has a detrimental affect on the blood sugar. I have a mild case of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and drinking diet coke causes me to get the shakes. Nothing that you posted sounds like alcoholism except your concern about not being able to drink. The disease is probably more mental than physical. It continues on years after the physical aspect is arrested due to continued sobriety. That said, you may very well be an alcoholic, just not a chronic one. However, you never know when the disease will progress and it is progressive. There is also no good reason to drink at all. And there are 100's of reasons not to. If you are an alcoholic and you continue to drink regularly, you are at great risk at losing a lot of things that you presently take for granted and it will be far more difficult to get sober later. I hope this helps.
Hi Mike, Welcome to MIP. Hmmm?........Joni pretty much covered it all so my response is pretty much all of the above. It didn't take "hold" of me in that I never have felt the compulsion to drink or the "need". From the other side of the fence so to speak. I can tell you that is has caused serious damage to AH. (He denies that it is responsible for many of his problems both physically and some of the morally wrong characteristics. Heart attack, labored breathing, weight gain, high blood pressure, erectile disfunction ,and the list goes on. Yet he refuses to make the correlation between the two and continues to drink, as many do. He is not the only one, just the one that I had opportunity to witness damage done up close and personal. There are always little warnings signs along the way. Ignoring them they become stronger as time goes on. Heeding these warning signs now may avert more serious problems in the long run. Best wishes, Wanda
I have never had this particular problem. Joni has provided some good info....... maybe this will help to.
It's from GoAskAlice.com
Dear Alice, I have never had a problem with alcohol tolerances in the past. I could drink at least four or five drinks and be fine that night and the next morning. Now, I find myself getting violently sick after drinking just one or two. Even after a glass of wine I want to puke it up. Is there something physically wrong with me? I know the obvious solution is to stop drinking entirely. But, I shouldn't be this sick after drinking just one drink. Have you ever heard of this before? Can you help me figure out the problem?
Dear Reader, It's common for a person to develop a new resistance or allergy to a specific food or drink, and as you mentioned, your body seems to be changing. Processing alcohol is complicated. Many biological, psychological, and social factors influence how you feel when you drink alcohol. How you feel is described in terms of tolerance.
Alcohol tolerance means that after a period of ongoing drinking, on future occasions, consumption of the same amount of alcohol produces a lesser effect of intoxication, or that increased amounts of alcohol are needed to produce the same effect. Scientists refer to tolerance in two categories functional and metabolic. Functional tolerance is when brain functions adapt to compensate for the physiological and behavioral effects of alcohol. For instance, heavy drinkers have functional tolerance when they show few signs of intoxication, even though they're at an elevated blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level. Metabolic tolerance, which has to do with specific enzymes, is the rate at which the body processes and eliminates alcohol.
In your body, alcohol is absorbed primarily from the stomach and small intestine. About 10 percent is eliminated through the kidneys, lungs, and sweat glands, but the rest is metabolized in the liver by an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH). If not enough ADH is produced in the liver, the body will not be able to metabolize alcohol. A second enzyme, aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), also plays a role in metabolism, and is missing in up to 50 percent of Asian people. The lack of ALDH is often associated with the facial flushing that occurs in many Asians, as well as Native Americans and Inuits, when they drink. So people with less ALDH will often flush, sweat, and/or become ill after drinking small amounts of alcohol. Recent studies suggest women have fewer alcohol metabolizing enzymes than men. The fact that women typically have more body fat also causes them to metabolize alcohol differently. This means that a woman will have a higher blood alcohol concentration level than a man, even after consuming the same amount of alcohol, which explains why women seem to be able to tolerate less alcohol than men.
Other than metabolism, why else might you feel uncomfortable or sick after one drink?
An irritated stomach Alcohol directly irritates the esophagus, stomach, and intestines, causing inflammation of the stomach lining. Alcohol increases the production of gastric (stomach) acid, and can also cause a build up of triglycerides (fat compounds and free fatty acids) in liver cells. Any of these factors can result in nausea or vomiting.
Sulfites in wine You mention wine. All wines contain small amounts of sulfites. Sulfites are a natural by-product of the fermentation process that turn grapes and grape juice into wine. Winemakers add additional sulfites to wine to make the wine "last longer" meaning sulfur acts as a preservative, helping to prevent organisms, such as bacteria, from growing in the wine. Sulfites are also present in a variety of processed and cooked foods. Sulfite sensitivities and allergies can be a challenge for anyone affected who drinks wine. Depending on whether or not someone has a sensitivity versus an allergy to sulfites, symptoms include hives, breathing difficulties, even anaphylactic shock, which is life-threatening. If you think you are allergic, you can find wine without sulfites.
Congeners Most alcohol contains smaller amounts of other biologically active compounds, known as congeners, which contribute to the taste, smell, and look of a beverage. Drinks containing more pure alcohol, such as gin and vodka, have fewer congeners than drinks with less pure alcohol, such as red wine and whiskey. Congeners play a role in producing a hangover, so in the case of congeners, "more is less" when it comes to negative physiological effects. Other factors that influence tolerance and metabolism include:
Genetics Studies suggest genetic factors are associated with a person's sensitivity to the effects of alcohol, so it's important to know your family history.
Medication Alcohol can be harmful, even in small amounts, when consumed in conjunction with medications and/or other drugs (including nicotine). To learn more about the interaction of alcohol and medications, check out, "Harmful Interactions: Mixing Alcohol with Medicines," published by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
An empty stomach Eating a substantial meal before drinking alcohol will slow the absorption process. If you are drinking alcohol on an empty stomach, that may increase your chances of feeling unwell.
Age Usually, it takes fewer drinks to become intoxicated as we get older, because as we age, we process alcohol more slowly. Certain health conditions, such as high blood pressure, ulcers, sleep apnea, and severe acid reflux, require abstinence from alcohol altogether. To give you an example of why health status plays such a major role in alcohol tolerance, consider pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is a disease that occurs when the pancreas, an organ behind the stomach, becomes inflamed. Pancreatitis can be acute or chronic, caused by a history of drinking alcohol, go undiagnosed, and if not diagnosed and treated, can cause major complications. This health condition causes acute nausea, and treatment includes total abstinence from alcohol.
Considering the myriad of possibilities behind your sudden nausea and lowered tolerance for alcohol, visiting your health care provider will provide more insight, as well as a diagnosis, into your situation.
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Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... It's about learning to dance in the rain.
Welcome to mip! Hope the above answered somr questions for you... Maybe your body/mind is trying to tell you something. Stick around, you might find out more about yourself than you thought! L
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"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. "
"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. "
Welcome to MIP, Mike. I hope you'll find some use & consolation in the knowledge around alcohol above. I think I quit just before any of all that detrimental stuff happened for me but with the way I drank I have no doubt it was in the post. I found it pretty difficult to stay stopped when I gave it up too. Abstinence is necessary for me as I had a mental obsession with the stuff & once I took that first drink I was away with the next & the one after that & then the others until I was last one standing. I never had a polite drink & an early night. If you feel you would like some help & support in stopping drinking too as you've already acknowledged it's not going to get better for you then you're in the right place. I hope your desire not to drink grows & helps you prepare for a new life. It certainly does get better after alcohol. Yours in hope & prayers, Danielle x
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Progress not perfection.. & Practice makes Progress!
Uhhhh, No!!!!!!