How does alcoholism kill people

[Ryan0594]

I might guess that alcoholism ruins your life before it finally kills you.

You are absolutely correct

 

[Toto'sDad]

I know 100% of what you mean. When you’re a few drinks in ramping up and you hit that premium mental state. For me, music sounded 20x better - going straight to my feelings and bypassing the normal filtering. It was brief on my way to getting drunk but it was like nirvana. Some historical author called it “liquid sunshine”. I’ve stopped drinking but completely related to this.

Whiskey to me was like a long-lost love of mine, it seemed so right at times, but there was always a price to pay.

 

[Donnie55]

In a slow and almost covert way.

 

[Fenderbaum]

Can study the last days and hours of Townes Van Zandt. The man litterally sucumbed to alcoholism. Hank Williams ended the same way.

 

[Toto'sDad]

Jack Daniels used to talk to me. I'd tell him, Jack I'm done with you. Jack would start wheedling, look TD, I came all the way down here to the bar, can't we just hang out and talk this over? Jack: Tell you what TD, just have a couple, three at the most, and if you don't like my being here, I'll leave. Of course, that smooth talkin' devil always talked me into hanging with him the rest of the evening. I'll tell you though, when the stuff hits the fan, he takes off in a hurry, and doesn't look back.

 

[keithb7]

I have a life long buddy that I worry about. We’ve been friends since we were 15. His wife and kids are all like family to us. We all grew up together.

I am a bit concerned about his consumption. Its quite a bit from what I can tell. I suspect the real truth about daily consumption is hidden. I have not and likely never will confront him about it. Over the past 5 or so years I have been limiting our exposure to it. Ultimately meaning our friendship is fading.

I have noticed his shaking hands develop over the past couple years. I think I see alot more “hands in his pockets”. Possibly hiding the shaking hands. I catch it when he is eating. I see signs. I am saddened by it. I fear if I say anything things won’t end well. I hope I never get the bad news about his developing related health issues. Yet I fear it is only a matter of time.

 

[ChicknPickn]

Stomach hemorrhages are often the last blow. You bleed out from the mouth. Often when you hear that a doctor has warned that the next binge will be fatal, it’s because a hemorrhage is imminent. The warning comes weeks before with bleeding from the nose and mouth, often during sleep.

 

[bluesfordan]

lost the bass player of my one and only band to congestive heart failure brought on by his drinking. He was only 38 years old.

 

[goonie]

My brother drank himself to death in his 40s. At the end his skin was Simpsons yellow from the jaundice.

 

[Lone_Poor_Boy]

I might guess that alcoholism ruins your life before it finally kills you.

On point. But it's probably better stated that alcoholism ruins the life of all around you before the alcoholic even notices.

Not 'ruin', necessarily, in every case. But maybe, less than it could have been.

The only one having fun with a drunk is the drunk or another drunk.

 

[Lone_Poor_Boy]

My brother drank himself to death in his 40s. At the end his skin was Simpsons yellow from the jaundice.

Damn, at 40? And I've read of it but I've never seen jaundice in a person. Was it really that pronounced?

 

[peteb]

I'm curious how people die from alcoholism.

great question.

thank you for sharing your experience and I wish you and your family and friends good health.

I am on the spectrum.

I drink alcohol every day.



how much is too much?
there are people who drink huge amounts.


moderation is key.


my friend days a standard physical will check your liver. They can see the problem.


there are guidances.


I don’t drink before four o’clock. Unless there is an important football game.

I only drink beer.

i limit my intake to six beerz a day.

I have not missed a day of work in 18 years.


I May not last a real long time but as Neil put it Rust Never Sleeps.

 

[Big_Bend]

Thank you for sharing this!!! I just watched the whole video, all 2 hours. It was incredibly informative.

And thanks everybody for all the wonderful replies in this thread! My heart goes out to all those here who have lost loved ones, family and friends to alcohol.. especially those here who have lost more than one family or friend, or lost those who were still so young. Such tragedy on an epic scale.

And always great to hear from those who fought back and have been sober for a long time, your inspiration is very much appreciated! Thanks for sharing your stories too.

As mentioned my ex-friend Phil is a lost cause and will die soon. I do have another good guitar friend Mark who was a lifelong alcoholic, but he's been sober now for 6 years. I hope he never goes back to drinking cause he'll probably quickly die if he does.

Take care ya'll... And good luck to everyone facing their burdens.

 

[Big_Bend]

Can study the last days and hours of Townes Van Zandt. The man litterally sucumbed to alcoholism. Hank Williams ended the same way.

I just read up on both of these musicians.. so incredibly sad!! I had no idea Hank Williams was only 29 when he died of alcoholism, and his hit Your Cheating Heart was released after he died.

Terribly tragic.

 

[rz350]

Liver failure? maybe, my doc keeps testing my liver...

Funny thing is, I've really only been drinking for 16 years, I'm 58 years old.

I'll either stop or die, we'll see which message is stronger.

P.S. I don't drink when I'm more than 1320 feet from my home, so vehicles don't play into this equation.

 

[Cosmic Cowboy]

Slowly at first, then very quickly.

Never want to tell an alcoholic they need to quit drinking. They cannot. Very dangerous in fact. More about trying to get control of their consumption...and over time phase it out.

Also hallucinogens help. They connect you with the divine which makes you intolerant to alcohol at a pace that is safe.

 

[1955]

It plays a dirty, horrible trick on people. It makes them feel for a brief moment that life will get better, that their pain is gone. In reality it makes them more and more unable to handle life every day, because it kills their natural ability to cope with stressors. It actually depresses people more. It makes people lose everyone and everything important to them, and they cannot see it happening, they do not care that it is happening. They can hurt the ones they love the most and scar them for life because of this terrible poison. It makes people monsters, it entices them to make one bad decision after another, until they finally run out of any decisions to make. It makes them stupid, obnoxious, vulgar, and shameless slaves to perverted impulses. It makes people lazy, slovenly, incontinent, incompetent, dishonest, and unpredictable. It ruins people in every way imaginable, not to mention the collateral damage they create in their wake. It makes them see the world with such an embarrassingly narrow lens, that they become a mere shadow of their worst sober day, every day. It kills everything around it. It welcomes injury, crime, and death. I can smell it from ten feet away on the breath of those who think they are fooling those around them.

Almost all avenues of escape are abusable, whether they be excuses, victim mindsets, products. It is so sad to be the poor wretched soul bumbling around in poor-me-baby self-destruction. It is pathetic. It makes people absolutely insufferable. No matter what people say, that they will stop, that they don’t have a problem, that it’s not that bad, it’s all a lie, and it’s not all their fault. That is why it is such a sinister thing. It makes good people forget themselves and become bad people. I have compassion on them because I lived with them. I also know what it’s like to try to forget, but I didn’t like that dark tunnel and how it made everything worse. It is not good to forget. To remember, to see things as they really are is the first step. Only then can people see that they need help, and maybe then they will ask for it. What a terrible thing it is. The other thing you mentioned, I saw it make brilliant artists and musicians into unrecognizable robots in the corner with crayons.

 

[uriah1]

Interesting subject. I don’t know if I’m alcoholic, but possibly. I am almost 71 years old, and never drank alcohol until a couple years ago. My wife was diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s, and as a byproduct, Capgras syndrome. Her cognitive ability has been on a sharp decline, and she doesn’t know who I am after being married for 52 years. I am her primary caregiver, and it takes a huge toll on me. So, to escape some of the pain and depression, I started drinking at night after she goes to bed. I usually drink from about 7:00pm until I go to bed ( or pass out). I do this 4 or 5 nights per week. I drink 100 proof vodka, probably 8 to 12 ounces in a sitting. I’m always at home, and don’t go out. I would never drive. But these few hours of getting wasted allows me to not think about my awful situation. So far I don’t think my health has been impacted. I do get regular checkups. Is there such a thing as “safe drinking”, in a bad situation? I can’t think of good options. I don’t want to do drugs. I read that vodka did the least damage? If you’ve not experienced a spouse with dementia, you may not be able to understand. But is there some pain where alcohol is the best answer?

Sounds like a support group would help. Knowing you are not alone and listening to others dealing with same thing. There are many Wish you luck. Here is just one link https://www.caregiveraction.org/family-caregiver-toolbox

 

[Wheelhouse]

Alcohol kills something like 88,000 people every year. Accidental falls or drownings, car crashes, alcohol poisoning, cirrhosis, other issues. I had a family member drink himself to death. It's crazy how our society just ignores or shrugs it off. Fentanyl? OMG! Guns? Ahh, crisis! But alcohol is takes way more lives.

 

[Frontman]

I'm curious how people die from alcoholism.

A little background.. I had a best friend Phil, we were best friends all throughout high school, he was one of the best man in my wedding back in 1985. He moved to Austin and I've always lived in Houston but we would always get together once or twice a month to play guitars all night long. When he got a Gibson Les Paul I was able to buy him a Marshall Bluesbreaker amp... I mean we were -best- friends.

Then Phil's life totally fell apart. He always drank too much whiskey but it seriously got out of hand. He lost his job.. His wife divorced him. His young daughter didn't want anything to do with him anymore. I tried to help.. I tried to tell him he needed to quit drinking. You can guess the rest.. Phil told me to F-off and I haven't spoken to him in the last 7 or 8 years. This was very hard on me as you can guess. I've only written one song in my life but it was about losing my best friend and wanting to play guitars with him "just one more day".

I was talking to a mutual friend recently and he caught me up. Apparently Phil is now in a hospital in Dallas and he is dying of alcoholism. His brain has quit working, his body is shutting down. Apparently he sometimes calls his ex wife thinking it is 10 years ago and they are still married. It is all incredibly tragic, but at this point I hope Phil passes soon so he is no longer hurting, and he no longer can hurt anyone else.

So I guess my questions are, how is it that alcohol can kill someone? Is there a stage where the damage is so great there is no going back?

From what I understand, and I may be wrong, marijuana doesn't kill people, and if you quit smoking and given enough time, the damage is reversed. Is alcohol so much worse? Does the body actually quit from all the alcohol, or is it the brain that gives up and dies first? And if someone is actually hospitalized from alcoholism, is there no hope left?

Sorry for the downer topic.. It just hit me pretty hard recently when I heard about Phil dying in a hospital... we used to be best friends.

Take care ya'll....

My brother was an alcoholic, he started drinking at a young age, and his alcoholism made life hard for all of us. He attempted to quit numerous times, but always started drinking again. It eventually killed him.

As for marijuana being harmless, and its effects being reversible, that, unfortunately, is not the case. I know a few people suffering from schizophrenia and other mental issues who were/are marijuana smokers.