View Full Version : Heart damaged by alcohol
Hi all
Been feeling really weird over the past few days - thumping heart and feeling generally numb and unmotivated about everything.
I'm worried that I have damaged my heart through alcohol abuse. I can constantly feel it thumping and it tends to get worse with exertion (eg I was just carving a pumpkin and felt a weird surge in my heart when I was straining with the knife). How easily is the heart damaged by alcohol? Does it take years of heavy abuse or is it pretty resistant?
I had my heart rate / bp taken a few months back and there was no concern really, but I can't help worrying my heart is damaged and diseased as a result of beer.
I switched over from sertraline to paroxetine about a week ago - not sure if this could be to blame for my sudden spike in anxiety.
Thanks in advance
ankietyjoe
26-10-19, 19:26
Are you still drinking?
Yes, a few beers each night :( Believe me, other than Diazapam it's the only thing that puts me in a calm enough state to exist. (And doctor won't give me diazapam.)
nomorepanic
26-10-19, 20:20
I think if you worry about alcohol damaging your heart then you know what you have to do deep down I am afraid.
Shadowhawk
26-10-19, 21:39
I think if you worry about alcohol damaging your heart then you know what you have to do deep down I am afraid.
Sadly , this is the truth. Yes, drinking can cause heart disease (though liver damage is FAR more common).
The good news is, change is possible if you want it bad enough. My weight was killing me (literally, at 35 I already had a diagnosis of hypertensive heart disease) because I let my weight and apnea get out of control. And when I got this news, I put my foot down, and said i am not letting my daughter lose her father.. so I have lost 135lb and my cardiologist no longer needs to see me.
The change is in ALL of us, but only YOU can find that spark of motivation, and sometimes we have to hit rock bottom to realize it. But think about all of the important things in life (family, friends, hobbies, art, etc.), and see if they are worth more to you than that beer you are craving. If they are, then start finding the courage to make the change.
Sadly , this is the truth. Yes, drinking can cause heart disease (though liver damage is FAR more common).
The good news is, change is possible if you want it bad enough. My weight was killing me (literally, at 35 I already had a diagnosis of hypertensive heart disease) because I let my weight and apnea get out of control. And when I got this news, I put my foot down, and said i am not letting my daughter lose her father.. so I have lost 135lb and my cardiologist no longer needs to see me.
The change is in ALL of us, but only YOU can find that spark of motivation, and sometimes we have to hit rock bottom to realize it. But think about all of the important things in life (family, friends, hobbies, art, etc.), and see if they are worth more to you than that beer you are craving. If they are, then start finding the courage to make the change.
That's an awesome change! Congrats on that, and I hope you continue to improve your health! I also agree with all the points made in the other replies.
AMomentofClarity
28-10-19, 21:09
You’re 32. The odds are practically 0 of any heart condition, especially one caused by booze.
ankietyjoe
28-10-19, 23:00
Yes, a few beers each night :( Believe me, other than Diazapam it's the only thing that puts me in a calm enough state to exist. (And doctor won't give me diazapam.)
And as long as you're undertaking this chemical numbing of symptoms, your overall health will only get worse both physically and mentally.
It's very unlikely your heart is damaged right now, but 'a few beers a night' (which is likely to be 5-6 in reality) is going to cause damage long term for sure, 100%. This will happen sooner rather than later.
The key to beating anxiety is to accept it, and let it be. Not dull it with downers or booze. All that does is delay the inevitable.
You have to stop drinking I'm afraid.
Ankiety Joe, that's not a helpful response and is a scare mongering post. If the original poster is having issues with self medicating, which I do too, stating oh yes you'll '100%' be ill in the future isn't going to help and already anxious mind, nor does it solve anything. Alcopop, I have spoken to my doctor about drinking to help anxiety, she told me to just gradually reduce my intake and start some medication to help with anxiety problems. She also said it would take years and years of abuse to have real medical problems from drinking. So, we do need to be wary and reduce our intake, but no, I don't believe you'll be damaging your heart with what you're doing. Just try cut it down a little if you can, realistic goals. 'Stop drinking, I'm afraid' is one of the silliest things I've read on here. Who needs rehabs, psychologists, alcoholics anonymous when we have anxiety Joe 😂
ankietyjoe
31-10-19, 12:45
Ankiety Joe, that's not a helpful response and is a scare mongering post. If the original poster is having issues with self medicating, which I do too, stating oh yes you'll '100%' be ill in the future isn't going to help and already anxious mind, nor does it solve anything. Alcopop, I have spoken to my doctor about drinking to help anxiety, she told me to just gradually reduce my intake and start some medication to help with anxiety problems. She also said it would take years and years of abuse to have real medical problems from drinking. So, we do need to be wary and reduce our intake, but no, I don't believe you'll be damaging your heart with what you're doing. Just try cut it down a little if you can, realistic goals. 'Stop drinking, I'm afraid' is one of the silliest things I've read on here. Who needs rehabs, psychologists, alcoholics anonymous when we have anxiety Joe
I tell you what, you deal with things your way, I'll deal with them in my way ok?
The reason you are triggered by it is because you also self medicate. I used to self medicate too, but when I realised it was doing me more harm than good I stopped.
The funny thing is that your Doctor is also telling you to stop, but that's ok? I'm telling you to stop, and I'm being unrealistic?
Just do what you want, keep drinking, delay the inevitable. It's really up to you isn't it?
Sooner rather than later means 5-10 years. If you drink a lot every day for 5-10 years, your risk of liver disease is very high, and that's only the liver. When you drink every day you are also damaging almost every other part of your body. Your body will prioritise the processing of the toxin before anything else, because it has to.
So yeah, stop drinking. In whatever time frame suits you best.
I wasn't triggered, and yes I obviously understand the risks of drinking. People do things to help sometimes, smoking, drinking, whatever, it's not the end of the world. If he'd said he was chugging a litre of vod a day obviously that's cause for intervention.
My doctor specifically said not to stop drinking point blank, actually, that's the point I'm making. She said cut down, which I did, and will continue to do, as stopping cold turkey is not a good idea, which is what you suggested. My issue was you saying 100% you will be ill. You don't know that. I know people who smoked like chimneys and died of old age, and people who never smoked and got cancer, as an example. You can't say 100% anything, so why scare someone when they're here for support 💁🏼*♀️
ankietyjoe
31-10-19, 18:50
The only reason for a Doctor to suggest you don't just stop is if you are an engrained, fully fledged alcoholic. On the other hand, I did not suggest stopping cold turkey either, I just said stop.
Suggesting that drinking or smoking (whatever) helps is a misnomer. It may alleviate some symptoms for a little while, but it's doing the opposite of helping. You are not only just delaying the inevitable, but you are making your anxiety worse long term, and making it harder to deal with long term.
The thing to understand about alcohol is that it's a toxic, addictive drug. It just happens to be legal. A lot of new studies show there is no safe limit, every time you drink you do damage. This makes sense as (again) you are drinking a toxin.
The argument that 'you know' smokers that have lived to an old age is often rolled out in these cases, but isn't an argument at all. It's like saying you can run across a busy road with your eyes shut and might not get hit.
And as for causing more anxiety by being blunt about alcohol, well good. That's what anxiety is there for, to make us avoid danger. Anxiety isn't a problem, an anxiety disorder is a problem, and if you become anxious at the reality of daily heavy drinking then good news, your fight or flight system is doing it's job.
For crying aloud. At no point has anyone suggested I am an alcoholic, particularly not my doctor. She said it as a means of reducing the habit, as I had lengthy conversations with her about the fact I do not drink at all if I have work, but can fall into bad routines if I have free days and binge drink. Do you honestly think anything you have said in your daft posts about drinking and smoking and whatever the hell people indulge in for escapism is helpful? Obviously, obviously we know that, that it is counterproductive. Sometimes though, that's not how it goes and people fall into traps. As a self proclaimed ex self medicator I am astounded at your lack of insight, my god.
I'm glad I have some compassion for people with said issues involving alcohol than your farcical and frankly insulting posts telling people to just get over it and stop. Do you understand mental health? Do you understand what you're saying? Did you Google your factoid about fight or flight? Ancient news for most of us here. Sounds like you just speel things off for effect.
The heart isn’t the main concern when it comes to alcohol abuse, although obviously if you’re drinking to extremes for lengthy periods then it has the potential to damage pretty much any organ.
At 32 you’d be hard pushed to have at this point caused any damage, but if you feel that you’re drinking more than you should it may be time to cut down.
I agree that worrying about your alcohol consumption isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it shows that you still have a form of control over it.
MyNameIsTerry
01-11-19, 02:08
I think leaving alcoholism aside it's best to consider that drinking alcohol is normal in life. When it is used to self medicate in an anxiety disorder you may be able to retrain yourself back to normal usage i.e. it is no longer a crutch. There are many crutches that are normal behaviours that have become obsessive because they are used to ward off anxiety, mitigate it or act as a compulsion in some other way.
Adaptove strategy is important, avoidance is leaving a fear behind. I say the same with Google because ideally you want to be able to Google a health concern and react the same way as a non HAer.
You’re 32. The odds are practically 0 of any heart condition, especially one caused by booze.
I'm sorry, I know this is an anxiety forum and we encourage each other and try to reassure but this is just not true. Perhaps the part about damage to the heart from alcohol at the age of 32 being unlikely but the "0 chance of having a heart condition" is not true. I am 37 and was diagnosed with heart arrythmia's at 20. Some people are born with heart conditions and some people do acquire varying types of heart disease at 32 and younger. Perhaps not likely and probably not a heart attack but to say someone has 0 chance of any type of heart condition at 32 is wrong.
I'm not trying to feed anyone's anxiety or trigger anyone but I wouldn't want someone having symptoms of a heart condition to read that and think well I am only 32 or well I'm younger then 32 and so it cant be heart related. There is always a possibility no matter how small it is.
Totally agree Terry. It is normal in life, a big part of my social life is seeing friends and having a few drinks. It can spiral which I admit has happened to me, a tactic to reduce anxiety, which I am aware isn't helpful longterm and have reduced my intake. Anxiety Joe has gone from someone using alcohol intermittently, albeit as a crutch through bad times to an 'engrained, fully fledged alcoholic' 😂, again with the extremes.
Careful1, I think Terry was meaning specific to alcohol, at that age its probably unlikely to have serious affects on the heart, not that people of that age will never have heart defects in general maybe? Definitely agree always get checked out just to be safe though X
Shadowhawk
02-11-19, 18:05
Careful1, I think Terry was meaning specific to alcohol, at that age its probably unlikely to have serious affects on the heart, not that people of that age will never have heart defects in general maybe? Definitely agree always get checked out just to be safe though X
So, while 30 might be young for alcohol damage, I had shared my previous story as an honest statement that 30s is not too young for lifestyle to damage the heart. In my case, my weight an apnea hurt me.. I know it was that since I never drink or smoke.
That said, our bodies are more resilient than we give credit for, and lifestyle changes can make a huge impact in our health. If you ARE damaging yourself from drinking, now is the time to make the change, before things get worse. While I am an example that damage at young age can happen, I am also an example that you can effect a change too. The first step though is acknowledging that you want to make the change.. and then going for it.
Shadowhawk that's mint that you have been able to change your lifestyle for the better, great to hear! It's only been the past year really for me that I've let the wheels fall off, I don't really know why. I was in the gym 4+ days a week plus playing netball before this happened.
I keep waiting for that day when you wake up and say today is the day! Totally unrealistic, I just need to bite the bullet as you did but it's so hard. X
There have been some good comments on this post, and I want to add to it merely because at the age of 21 I was diagnosed as an alcoholic, by my doctor, and Alcohol Misuse Disorder is listed on my personal medical file.
I still binge drink on the weekends, although I'm at much more sensible levels now and more "in line" with UK "culture" (I use that word loosely!) with the intention of someday being alcohol free. I'm sober 5 days of the week, for which I'm glad and proud of myself, considering a bottle a day was the norm for 18 months in 2013/14.
When someone uses alcohol to numb anxiety (as was the case with me) this is generally not considered normal.
It may be normal IF you're going on a date and you have a glass to take the edge off, or some other scenario which doesn't occur very often.
The reason I'm a bit concerned by your post is because you mention you take alcohol every night because you can't get diazepam off your doctor.
I drank a bottle of vodka every night for 18 months and in the end I had to go on Librium (chlordiazepoxide) for a week to prevent withdrawals, along with Diazepam when required for breakthrough anxiety/symptoms.
I'm only 26, but I'll list a few problems alcohol has caused me over the last 5 years, in no particular order:
* Moderate Gastritis on endoscopy (in laymens terms, my stomach was irritated by the alcohol)
* Vomited blood twice (due to stomach ulcer/worsening gastritis) (The first time was unnerving, the second time was scary because there was so much blood)
* Alcohol-induced atrial fibrillation
* It has worsened my GORD (reflux)
* Landed in A&E in 2014 with what I thought was pancreatitis, turned out it was gastritis/ulcer
* Alcohol withdrawal in November 2014 (although my case was mild, it could have been a lot worse)
* Many arguments in my previous relationship
* Gum disease and many fillings required (due to me mixing it with "full fat" Coca Cola)
* Blackouts on nights out - embarrassing stories the next day
* Worsened anxiety
I could go on.
But I will say to you, alcoholism will always get worse. Always. I didn't list the symptoms above in any particular order, but if you find the least serious/scary ones, then look for the most serious/scary ones, and put them in order, thats roughly the order they occurred.
And the scariest symptom I haven't listed? Alcohol will "stop working" eventually. By this, I mean that 3 drinks will no longer take the anxiety away, and even when you increase the amount you drink, you'll find that yes you'll get drunk and blackout, but you won't find the "sweet spot" that alcohol gives you in the beginning. That carefree, happy, "alcohol-will-take-care-of-it" euphoria? That will go away and never come back. Alcohol will stop working, and your hangovers and anxiety the next day will get worse.
I really hope I haven't came across as rude or judgemental, because that's not my intention. I'm simply telling you (and anyone else reading this thread worried about alcohol) the truth, as I've been through the alcoholic crap. And I still fight it every damn weekend. I simply can't have one drink. It's all or nothing.
With regards your question, I assume you're worrying about alcohol induced cardiomyopathy? This sort of worried me when I had my atrial fibrillation episode in 2017. The only good thing about alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy is that it is generally reversible - give up the drink, the cardiomyopathy goes away. But I'm not a doctor so I can't say for sure.
Just please be very careful with the alcohol - and don't go "chasing the dragon".
Good luck and please email me if you want any support etc.
Thanks for sharing RadioGaga. That is a huge achievement 5 days a week free, I have to say I think I would struggle which is bad I know. Definitely agree we should be aware of intake and the risk of becoming immune to those levels and needing more. I find if I'm occupied I am fine without it, it's when I'm sat bored I'll tend to reach for it because that's when my mind starts focusing on health anxiety or my ocd stuff. Just seems easier to have a glass of wine than to ride it out. X
PamelaParker
11-11-19, 07:10
I think you have a health anxiety. What is your age? Does your doctor knows that you drink alcohol? You day starts with Yoga or meditation that can relief you stress and anxiety which definitely yields positive results. If you want to cure from all of this stuff, you can contact with a rehab center. Specialists drug rehab clinics formulate therapeutic inpatient programs, which eventually help in the path to speedy recovery and a life of sobriety. Health anxiety also be treated by counseling. Wish you a speedy recovery and best wishes for the Christmas.
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