Drinking Alcohol Everyday For 30 Years & How I Quit!

Drinking alcohol every day for 30 years causes:

• Excessive weight gain
• Tiredness
• Sleep apnea
• Insomnia
• Lack of Sexual drive
• Mood Swings
• Tingling sensations in ankles, feet, and hands
• Swollen ankles
• Lots of mood swings
• Irritability
• Physically unfitness.

Some – not a lot of chronic alcoholics have far better physical health for their age than the general population.

• In fact, the few ones that managed to stay healthy after quitting had one or all of these going for them:
• They engage in manual labor or walk a lot. These burn up energy and lots of fat.
• Their DNA played a big role. With many being very strong or fit in their youth.
• They currently have a co-dependent spouse or parent, who makes them eat healthily and makes them do some basic care of themselves when not on a binge.

Now, the secret to these types of alcoholics staying healthy despite, drinking gallons of poisonous substances are:

• They get sufficient nutrition in form of greens, veggies, good meals, and lots of water.
• They don’t undergo lots of stress. When their stress begins to shoot through the roof, they go and get drunk
• They avoid responsibility and worry
• Physical activity helps them metabolize the alcohol faster

One interesting thing I have found out is that – alcohol disinhibits behavior. In other words, they do whatever their body wants them to do.

They will get up and walk around when they need some exercise. They will express emotions that might otherwise be suppressed.

They will release their own stress by taking it out on any poor sucker who tries to initiate a conversation with them.

So, although alcoholism will kill them in the end if they don’t quit or moderate their drinking, it could take longer than 30 years for the health issues to turn up.

My neighbor’s grandpa smokes cigarettes for close to 90 years and yet did not suffer any lung ailments or any diseases at all.

In fact, the last action he carried out before closing his eyes to sleep was to smoke a cigarette at age 120.

His advice over the years:

• Be home on time to have dinner before 8 pm
• Do physical labor on a daily basis no matter how short they are
• Eat healthily at home i.e. home-cooked meal
• Go out to meet people. Talk to them and laugh a lot
• Don’t stay idle in one place for a long time
• Never eat fast food and processed food in general.
• Never stress too much.

My opinion is in addition to all the above Genes play an important role in longevity and good physical health.

How does an Alcoholic Not Have Any Major Health Issues After 30 Years Of Alcoholism?

It’s either one or two things – Luck or Genes, in my opinion.

Fact is, no one ever knows how badly an addiction will affect their health until they stop.

It is sad to say that there are lots of us who are affected after just a few years while some get affected at the end of their days and the rest never even show any sign of diseases or illness before death.

It is almost impossible to pinpoint the effects since everyone is different and what affects one person does not affect another.

Alcohol can affect both organs in the body and the way the brain functions. In some cases, it even stops the brain from functioning.

It can also affect a person’s social being. So, when we look at the effects of alcohol the obvious assumption is the physical effects on the body as in the liver and beer belly etc. but we need to pay attention to the not-so-obvious like the behavior, or mental stability. I hope this helps.

How does a Recovering Alcoholic Get His Life in Order After Drinking For 30+ Years?

Truth is, it takes one day at a time.

Your life did not get so messed up, overnight. So, it won’t get better, overnight either.

What happens, though, is that one day you’ll look back and see the progress made and realize that every step of the journey was absolutely worth it.

Here’s a real-life experience:

Hi, my name is James Andrew and this is what I’m doing or what happened to me:

I hit rock bottom, no partner, homeless, broke, and no possible contact with almost everyone I knew.

I did two stints in rehab, and with over 30 years of hardcore drinking, literally, no one or even myself believed that I could get back to just living modestly.

So, I was desperate for a solution and did this:

I visited an old schoolmate of mine and begged for rehabilitation, a genuine last attempt at redemption. Because it didn’t matter now if I drink or I do not, I was beginning to die slowly on the inside.

I went from 90 kg to 60 kg in the span of 366 days of being homeless and so much more.

He agreed. He put me up in NGO after requesting his relative for my rehabilitation for a period of 6 months.

I got my health in order, my mental health on the other hand was still dwindling but after numerous counseling from the NGO coordinator, I had some sense of comfort, peace, and acceptance of my state of affairs.

I began doing menial jobs within the premises, running errands for people in return for a tip. I drew caricatures of people and they would pay me.

While this was going on, my public speaking skills and genuine interactions with people kept me going and I was determined now more than ever to get better.

The place I worked was in the orphanage and there were little kids all around spreading joy and happiness. I would listen to their issues and interact with other volunteers. These conversations made me think my problem is small.

I started taking part in leadership programs and took time to exercise physically. I would wake up early and run around and, in the evening, once I’m free, I still run around.

I started getting the cobwebs out of my vision and began to understand my self-worth, by listening and understanding, rather than stating and contemplating.

Once five months passed, I started to reach out to some old contacts in my line of work. Most of them had seen my worse – my alcoholic state and didn’t want to take another chance.

Meanwhile, I still had the security of continuing the rest of my life at the NGO, but my ego wouldn’t let me. I knew I could get back and be better.

Now, there were moments of despair and self-doubt, as I had some of my own burning aspirations, which were coolly washed away by the spirits. I wanted to do more; I kept the focus. The sequence of living in the rehab, had taught me lots of things, which were embedded substantially, subconsciously, I began living, as simple as possible, with a meager amount for another two months.

I still felt sad since I still clanged on to unreasonable expectations, as my friends and family members would at least come to my rescue or even pay me a visit.

But I never gave up. In fact, the disappointments made me even stronger. My counselor and the kids I had always spoken to became my strongest supporters.

I slowly began to experience independence. Yes, small baby steps at first but now I’m growing.

People should understand, that all addicts should, while we attend a AA meeting or we get rehabilitated, work towards getting rid of addiction. But apart from what I discovered, it was all, places, people, things.

I had to get rid of dependency. Maybe it was there from childhood, alcohol just made me confident for some time. But inwardly I was a coward.

I summoned courage and got in contact with a long-known business contact, after 7 months. They had started a new branch in another city and needed a pair of extra hands.

At this point, I was praying not just for a job but a roof too. I murmured “Now, I have a chance to get back to my feet, finally”

I proposed this to the coordinator of the NGO, and he was happy and supported the move, positively. In short, I had a warm send-off, I was provided with a bagful of clothes and some little money to carry on with my appointment.

It’s been 10 years now, and I’m back to normal, slowly fitting in the society, and began reaching out to my family and meeting them often. They all seem proud of me and I, of me.

I still attend meetings with the AA community once in a while to encourage others to fight the same battle I have overcomes. I know this type of empathy or sympathy cannot be returned in any form, I’m just passing on, through whatever I can.

Remember, you can quit now and be a hero for yourself. You need guts, faith, and hope. Let my story motivate you today.

If I can walk homeless, fifteen kilometers for a glass of alcohol then I sure can travel more, with genuine honest intention. Choose wisely, you’ve got talents!

Quit that addiction and you will overcome it. Just like I did.

Can our Liver Still Recover After 30 Years Of Alcoholism?

In most cases, yes.

Some alcohol-related liver damage can be reversed if you quit drinking alcohol early enough in the disease process.

Healing can start as early as a couple of days to weeks after you stop drinking but if the damage is severe, healing can take 4 months plus.

It depends on how much you consume. Since it has been 30 yrs you should take a break of 3 months-6 months. Hope it helps!!!!!