I am just wondering if many alcoholics are understanding or even given incentive to stay sober due to regular healthcare and physicals being guided by good bloodwork and other subjective results(blood pressure, weight, other) ? Also mental health experts that can give excellent guidance, and care?
Seems like AA meetings are very good but should there be more?
I don't know about others, but I had a biopsy done on my liver, high blood pressure, and seizures....all this past year, and I'm 25...disgusting. Don't wait until there's a problem to change. But it does feel good now to come back from the doctor with good results. But there are many people that drink that have no reported health issues. For me, that would have been an incentive to KEEP drinking.
I think that everyone has there own views on therapy and counseling. It helped me a bit. But meetings have been my continuous backbone. Not sure if you have been to one yet, but if not, you will be very suprised. AA meetings give me inspiration in a lot of area of my life, that's the really neat part about them : )
"..there are many people that drink that have no reported health issues."
Hopefully they receive that info from a doc on a regular visit. Otherwise there may be a lot of insidious things going on that you wouldn't know until it is no turning back...
cramcj01, so very glad to hear your positive outcome! Sounds like the meetings are very important to many people. / the spiritual side of things is not to be minimized i know..But think that the physical is going to be key a lot of times to people's getting well in all areas.
An ailing body is probably more often than not linked with the ailing spirit.
cramcj, liver biopsies aren't usually given unless there is an indication of liver disease, speaking from experience. And yes that has been a great incentive for me to stay sober since I found out in '90 at my 1 year sober physical. It's estimated that a double digit percentage of alcoholics and addicts are walking around with liver disease undiagnosed, which is alarming. I continue to be A-symptomactic so it was lucky that I had some blood work done. Drinking on top of a liver disease will take you out sooner or later and usually doesn't take too long.
When I first got sober it was suggested if I could get a physical to do so. Soooo, I had a full body work up. My liver enzymes were so high my doc sent me for a liver biopsy to see if disease was present. Thank God, it wasn't and the over time of abstinence my enzymes went back to normal.
Other issues surrounding alcoholism have presented themselves. I have degenerative disk disease and although my drinking didn't CAUSE it, it definately contributed to speeding up the deterioration. I also am border line diabetic.
The BB tells us if we need outside help, to go and get it! Some issues, physical and mental are way beyond what an AA meeting can help with.
((hugs))
Jen
__________________
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... It's about learning to dance in the rain.
I think that even if you aren't an alcoholic, at the minimum annual health check ups are essential. But when we have a lot of alcohol in the regular blood stream we can count on having extra things to be watching for.
Too much of anything is not good. Too much coffee/ caffeinated things will cause a lot of ongoing probs if done over a long period of time.
There are a lot of fantastic and not expensive things to supplement the diet with to help curb some problems and make for better bloodwork and reduce the effects of all the bad things we did to ourselves and over time..
Was reading about how to reduce the triglyceride levels which are prelude to heart disease, strokes, and diabetes...
*fish oil, salmon seems to be very good (Omega 3 fatty acids) editing in* flaxseed oil is another Omega 3 fatty acids supplement *garlic *cinnamon *artichoke extract
There have been studies done and showed marked improvement and not over a very long time to reduce harmful triglyceride levels. Which in time will help to create that adult onset diabetes. And of course there is the medications a doc may prescribe.
Alcoholics tend to be overweight sometimes but it is all on empty calories so that vitamins and minerals and a good diet are important. We may actually be suffering from anorexia as well as the alcohol.(and be fat)
Exercise seems to be helpful to get rid of some of the bad effects of alcohol induced problems we suffer.
Another professional to learn from could be a registered dietician. Registered is different than someone that gives themselves the credentials.
Maybe I read that wrong??? I was just saying that there are people that get physicals that show no health problems. That doesn't mean that we are not alcoholic. Not at all discouraging check-ups. I was thinking on the other side I guess. Sorry.
