New job and drinking

Deleted member 170540

Bluelight Crew
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Ok, a couple of months ago I made a thread where I told that after years of unemployment I'm getting a new job in June, and I was worried that I can't handle having a regular daily schedule after years of just laying on the couch and watching tv all day... I got some really good advice here, btw.

The work started about three weeks ago and getting used to it wasn't as difficult as I thought, especially because I have to be at work only about 5 hours a day(a lot of the theoretical work can be done at home). I'm working at the industrial physics department of my university, we're currently studying the process of absorption of liquid microdrops(printer ink etc.) in paper. The purpose of the research is related to the development of a faster inkjet printer.

The real problem is that after the work begun, my alcohol consumption kind of went totally out of control(I've been a heavy drinker for over a year). For the first two weeks of work, I drank about 20 beers every night and had a bit of a hangover at work(they didn't seem to notice it yet). On some days I also took some codeine, nutmeg or other easily available OTC shit to boost the alcohol. After the first week of drinking I developed some unpleasant symptoms: a bad acid reflux in my esophagus, a red itchy rash on my upper thighs, a total erectile dysfunction and heavy sweating at night and after even minimal physical exercise.

After the two weeks of drinking, the acid reflux got so bad that I was unable to drink any more beer and I had to stop. Got some withdrawal symptoms after stopping(shakes etc...) that lasted for two days. The acid reflux and other side-effects went away after two sober days. After that I've been drinking "only" 4 to 8 beers a day.

I was also sent to a liver function test after I told my psychiatrist that I have problems with drinking... She looked really sad after seeing the test results: my Gamma-GT (gamma-glutamyltransferase) value was 150 (it's at most 80 in a healthy non-alcoholic male) and the mean volume of my red blood cells was also abnormal because of heavy drinking. The doctor told me that I absolutely have to stop drinking and gave me the address and phone number of local AA.

I'm not sure if I should be really worried yet, I've heard that some really bad alcoholics(who drink a liter of booze a day for months at a time) can have a Gamma-gt value of over 1000(!).

Have any of you been in a similar liver function test? Also, should I go to AA meetings or try to quit drinking on my own?
 
I'm not sure what Gamma-GT values are cause for concern but if your doctor is telling you that yours are more than almost double those of somebody who does not drink heavily then at the very least it is something to look into.

The approach you take is up to you. You can always just go stop by a meeting and see if it is something that you will find helpful; there's no forced commitment. There are also other support groups available such as Rational Recovery (abstinence) or Moderation Management (moderation).

And cutting down from 20 to 4-8 is already a bit step so good job with that :)
 
I just decided to stop drinking cold turkey a week ago. I went to the Dr. after 72 hrs my last drink looking for some benzos. At that point my withdrawls were HORRIBLE (same stuff, feeling uncomfortable in my own skin, wanting to get out, couldn't look anyone in the eye (anxiety), heavy sweating, erectile dysfunction...very scary!, shaking, wanting alcohol to feel normal). Well...the doctor said he couldnt and wouldnt prescribe me any! He recommend/ forced me to go detox at the hospital! Reluctantly, I went!!! BEST decision I've made in a while!!!

If youre drinking that much...I would not stop cold turkey...DO NOT JUST STOP! I felt like a seizure would occur at any moment. Around the 72 hour mark...is one of the worst feelings a person can ever go through! Get help through doctors in a hospital it will make your withdrawls A LOT EASIER!! I cant imagine just stopping with out any sort of help. i.e professional help. Remember alcohol is a drug too. Me, being a proud Polish heavy drinker has fucked with my pride with alcohol. But I feel so good NOT drinking...not going to buy alcohol at the store at all times of the day and being in a drunk stupor all the time!

Try it. Good luck man! I too was unemployed for a while and got a kick ass job and started to drink daily! It sucks! PM me.

DONT BE SCARED LOOKING FOR HELP! You've got one life to live...enjoy it! Much better drugs out there anyway!
 
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