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    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

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Alcohol Tolerance Poll

The Alcohol Tolerance Poll

  • My tolerance of alcohol shifted after I got ME/CFS

    Votes: 195 45.5%
  • My tolerance of alcohol did not shift after I got ME/CFS

    Votes: 41 9.6%
  • After ME/CFS I don't do well with even small amounts of alcohol

    Votes: 267 62.2%
  • After ME/CFS I do OK with small amounts of alcohol but can't tolerate moderate to large amounts

    Votes: 71 16.6%
  • LOL I can actually drink more alcohol now without it effecting me!

    Votes: 21 4.9%

  • Total voters
    429

gregh286

Senior Member
Messages
976
Location
Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
I`m talking about alcohol abuse, which it is after a certain treshold is reached.

I abuse alcohol regularly according to the UK government.
More than 2 pints a day daily is abuse.
I couldn't give one @@@@ .....ending up an alcoholic is last of my problems when dealing with ME every day everything else pales in comparison.
 

Marky90

Science breeds knowledge, opinion breeds ignorance
Messages
1,253
I abuse alcohol regularly according to the UK government.
More than 2 pints a day daily is abuse.
I couldn't give one @@@@ .....ending up an alcoholic is last of my problems when dealing with ME every day everything else pales in comparison.

Well each to their own i guess..
 

*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
I abuse alcohol regularly according to the UK government.
More than 2 pints a day daily is abuse.
I couldn't give one @@@@ .....ending up an alcoholic is last of my problems when dealing with ME every day everything else pales in comparison.

I feel that way, was enjoying drinks during the American football season. Would wake up feeling ok the day after, and not needing much, if any sleep meds the nights I drank :)

GG
 

helperofearth123

Senior Member
Messages
202
It's hard to tell how much is dangerous. I mean I'd never have enough to have danger of liver failure, I'm more concerned about it causing various types of cancer, with the more drunk the higher the likelihood (just google alcohol and cancer for a bunch of studies). But those studies are done over the "long term" and it doesn't seem to specify anywhere how long "long long" term actually is.

I mean if I drank 3-4 beers on average a day for say 2 years and then was cured by rituximab and stopped drinking, would that mean I had increased my cancer risk or would I have to keep drinking for another 10 years for cancer risk to go up? I'm 28 btw and had a 5 year break from drinking due to intolerance, after a few years of heavy drinking in my youth. Trying to figure out how much I can have safely to ease the CFS.
 

Marky90

Science breeds knowledge, opinion breeds ignorance
Messages
1,253
It's hard to tell how much is dangerous. I mean I'd never have enough to have danger of liver failure, I'm more concerned about it causing various types of cancer, with the more drunk the higher the likelihood (just google alcohol and cancer for a bunch of studies). But those studies are done over the "long term" and it doesn't seem to specify anywhere how long "long long" term actually is.

I mean if I drank 3-4 beers on average a day for say 2 years and then was cured by rituximab and stopped drinking, would that mean I had increased my cancer risk or would I have to keep drinking for another 10 years for cancer risk to go up? I'm 28 btw and had a 5 year break from drinking due to intolerance, after a few years of heavy drinking in my youth. Trying to figure out how much I can have safely to ease the CFS.

Problem is, your risk is not dependent solely on drinking too much. Theres genetics, randomics (^^) etc. However, the higher above the recommended u stay, for most people: the higher risk. That is for sure. If you stop, some alcohol related cancer risks will decrease, but for some the damage may already be done - I would think.

Honestly, other illnesses is the last thing on my mind. It`s not healthy thinking about, and this is coming from a previous episodic hypochondriac. I`m not saying you are, by the way! Personally i get drunk once a week, and sometimes two times every second week. That works for me. If I don`t get drunk i might spread the drinks over the week. I mainly drink to get more energy for music production and socializing.
 
Messages
236
Location
Medford NJ
It helps give me a temporary boost. I am 52 and drink about 3 drinks a week. Alcoholism runs in my family but I do not show any signs.

If I drink too much I just get sick not drunk. Too old and sick already. When I was at my sickest I had an aversion to alcohol( did not drink for 3 years) but as I have improved I do enjoy a drink now and then.
Frankly I felt like Greg at times especially when my illness was at its worst a few years ago. . I would rather have been an alcoholic , I would have fun drinking with my buddies then my insurance would pay for a month in a treatment facility where people would take care of me. With Cfs you just suffer alone. We should have a place where we can go and rest and be taken care of without feeling like a burden to family once in a while anyway.
 

humanrising

Senior Member
Messages
155
I want to cry a little when I watch someone take a sip of bourbon out of a nice rock glass on TV. I live in wine country, loved my glass after a 12 hour day serving beautiful food and wine at an event.

My intolerance was like the rest of my symptoms, gradual. Wine was the first to go.... figured I developed sensitivity to Sulfites. I never had more then a drink or two one or two times a week at most for years but I loved having a good beer, nice wine or bourbon with friends, now can't even swish alcohol in my mouth!
how it gods name can you not even taste it. This illness sucks the smallest joy's clean out of existence.

Wondering has anyone lost the ability to drink but then latter got it back.? I haven't drank in 11 years and my sensitivity has only increased, would love to think that if my health improved maybe the small pleasure and normalcy of having a lovely glass of wine with good food with good friends could happen once again. nice to dream
 
Last edited:
Messages
236
Location
Medford NJ
Same here could not tolerate for about 4-5 years. I am ( dare I say it) recovering a bit and now can tolerate a drink or two at times over the last year or so.
 
Messages
236
Location
Medford NJ
Ps Quemist. I get the same looks sometimes. I enjoy a drink. I have never abused alcohol , but I enjoy it

I want to embrace life with as much gusto as possible. While out in Death Valley I drank a White Russian every night by the campfire and enjoyed socializing, something I could not do much at all for about 4 years.

I just went to bed at 8:30 every night .

I am in a semi remission state right now but after 7 years of this, if I can have a little fun without crashing badly I will.

Humanrising, you very eloquently wrote
About the joy of wine and living.
Here's to all of you at Phoenix Rising, although I did not post much before this site helped me keep my sanity. Cheers!
 
Messages
64
Location
Germany
When I'm in a bad state I can't tolerate alcohol at all. I think I had my worst crash after I drank a little bit of wine. I couldn't move. Another time I had like 1/4 glass of wine I thought I was coming down with a very very bad cold.

But right now I can tolerate more alcohol than ever and it doesn't affect me much the next day. But generally I never ever got hangovers before cfs... only the two I just mentioned.
 
Messages
3
In 2014 I got 'mild' ME/CFS and my hangovers were a lot worse - as a student I didn't consider cutting it out and didn't realise there was a huge underlying problem. Carried on with my life making no changes just coping at 70% energy then caught another virus in February this year which left me bedbound - six months later I'm finding I can't even be near anyone drinking alcohol even if I'm not drinking because I get a worsening of my symptoms???? In bed exhausted, brain fog etc. Does anyone experience this and is it the fumes from the alcohol??? Gutted as socialising ocassionally has been keeping me sane. Any advice or explanation would be amazing, my knowledge of science is non-existent.
 

blueberry

Senior Member
Messages
103
Location
west yorkshire
In my first bout of this illness I soon noticed that I lost the ability to get merry with alcohol. It just totally stopped working for me. I'd had a very good tolerance of it all my adult life, but that was just very strange. I had pancreatitis with no identifiable cause a couple of years ago, and since then I've been quite careful......no booze at all for a year, now I have a couple of G&T's once a week or so. I enjoy them and I really need my little treats at the moment!
 
Messages
91
Stupidly I had a few glasses of wine on Saturday night and I've crashed into mental fog and fatigue, albeit not as bad as previous crashes... no pins and needles. I have exams soon and I can't believe I've been so stupid to risk my health for a glass of wine !!
 
Messages
53
Ugh. I haven't drank in 10 years due to the intolerance, been sick 14 so I'll try to remember how it goes:

Alcohol tolerance prior to onset was not great but I still engaged in social drinking pretty much every weekend or therabouts. It never agreed with me enough to drink alone, or I probably would have.

Post onset:
--Less alcohol tolerance. Fewer drinks to be drunk.
--Headache starts not long after drinking vs the next day
--Next day worst headaches ever, achy muscles, severe dry mouth, bad nasal congestion, electric shock sensation in extremities, hot flashes, anxiety?, 2-3 day recovery time.
--Note: Even though alcohol made me much sicker, I do not remember vomiting more. I would have thought with those extreme post drinking 'hangover' symptoms more vomiting would have been in order. Perhaps the blood alcohol level does not get high enough due to the exaggerated symptoms which result in maybe not drinking as much quantity? I honestly do not know what triggers the vomiting in alcohol intoxication.
 
Messages
88
The vasodilator effects of alcohol is what does me in. Last time i drank, I collapsed and my friends had great joy dragging me around by the arms lol. It enhances the POTS symptoms and is not enjoyable at all!
 

Wolfcub

Senior Member
Messages
7,089
Location
SW UK
I have issues with alcohol and also caffeine (coffee) Both of which I like in moderation. When I say moderation I mean 2 cups max. coffee a day and about 2 drinks a day.

But since March I have strange unpredictable results. Some days I am fine with both substances. Some days they actually help me when I am not feeling too great. And some days I have a slightly toxic reaction. That is I feel the effects of both WAY too strongly even after a tiny amount.

I can never tell what "day" it's going to be until I drink whatever it is!
 

Wolfcub

Senior Member
Messages
7,089
Location
SW UK
In 2014 I got 'mild' ME/CFS and my hangovers were a lot worse - as a student I didn't consider cutting it out and didn't realise there was a huge underlying problem. Carried on with my life making no changes just coping at 70% energy then caught another virus in February this year which left me bedbound - six months later I'm finding I can't even be near anyone drinking alcohol even if I'm not drinking because I get a worsening of my symptoms???? In bed exhausted, brain fog etc. Does anyone experience this and is it the fumes from the alcohol??? Gutted as socialising ocassionally has been keeping me sane. Any advice or explanation would be amazing, my knowledge of science is non-existent.
I'm wondering if you are sensing the "energy" of your friends when they have been drinking (rather than the fumes as such)?
When people have been drinking they can get rather hyper-active, noisy, louder than normal, full of energy....etc.
Maybe it's a reaction to the stimulus?
I know there are many times that would exhaust me and make me feel worse.

But of course there is such a thing as multiple chemical sensitivity, and those who have it are very sensitive to even a whiff of whatever sets it off....perfume, etc So maybe it could be the smell?