Health effects of chronic drinking ?

[Anonymous]

My XH is what I consider to be a heavy drinker. He has had a full bottle of wine himself every night of the year for the last 15 yrs. He has gained weight, looks tired, but that seems to be it. He’s 51. It’s gotta catch up with him, right? Both his parents died of cancer - his dad in his 60s and mom in her early 70s. I worry for his health, but there doesn’t seem to be anything that will stop him (for now). Thoughts? I also worry for our kids, the example he’s setting & the possible genetic link.

[Anonymous]

Has he had a physical? I bet that shows up in liver function for sure, which would show up in blood work from an annual physical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has he had a physical? I bet that shows up in liver function for sure, which would show up in blood work from an annual physical.

He may be a year or two behind on annual exams but all previous ones have looked fine. His BP is good, I think liver was OK too. I’m just stunned at what a beating the body can take.

[Anonymous]

My DH is a pretty heavy drinker. I think it must be bad for him too. But his physicals are pretty good. His blood is normal, he exercises and his doctor says he's in pretty good shape. Not sure if it will catch up with him or not - I wish he would slow it down but he his health is good and pretty much all his other relationships and job are going well so not much to say.

[Anonymous]

Alcohol is a toxin. Too much is bad for longterm health. Limiting alcohol consumption to zero is unlikely for most adults due to cultural expectations but probably best for health.

[Anonymous]

Drinking, even moderately, was shown to have a detrimental effect on one's health. Nobody can predict how your DH will fare but if he's tired and bloated now it won't get better unless he cuts down.

Do your DC spend a lot of time with him? Does his drinking affect their relationship?

[Anonymous]

Depending on his size and the amount of alcohol in the wine, it may not catch up to him. If his bloodwork is fine, it's probably fine (after 15 yearsl. A lot of people in the wine industry drink this amount each day with no ill effect outside of the excess calories.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has he had a physical? I bet that shows up in liver function for sure, which would show up in blood work from an annual physical.

He may be a year or two behind on annual exams but all previous ones have looked fine. His BP is good, I think liver was OK too. I’m just stunned at what a beating the body can take.

How do you know what your XH’s labs are or how recent they are? Weird.

[Anonymous]

It's usually about 20 years of drinking at this rate when health effects start kicking in. (Believe it or not, a bottle of wine a night is mid-level "heavy drinking.")

[Anonymous]

I know someone like this…it was fine until he turned 70 and ended up needing a double bypass after he collapsed one day…now he has two glasses a day and it looks like he’ll live a little while longer.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like my dad. But cancer did eventually catch with him. He died at age 61.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has he had a physical? I bet that shows up in liver function for sure, which would show up in blood work from an annual physical.

He may be a year or two behind on annual exams but all previous ones have looked fine. His BP is good, I think liver was OK too. I’m just stunned at what a beating the body can take.

How do you know what your XH’s labs are or how recent they are? Weird.

Uh, b/c we’re only very recently divorced & also still very amicable?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depending on his size and the amount of alcohol in the wine, it may not catch up to him. If his bloodwork is fine, it's probably fine (after 15 yearsl. A lot of people in the wine industry drink this amount each day with no ill effect outside of the excess calories.

Yeah, this is what I’m thinking too I guess. He never appears intoxicated. I mean, I know it’s not good for him, (and I think he acknowledges it too) but there is zero indication he has any intention of slowing down. He also has high cholesterol & reflux (for which he’s medicated). It’s just sad.

[Anonymous]

Chronic heavy drinking has negative health effects. No doubt.

But it is all about risk factors. I mean, at its peak in the 1950s, nearly half of Americans smoked. Not all of them, or even most of them, died or will die of lung cancer. In fact, only 10-20% of smokers get lung cancer. Same goes with drinking and other unhealthy behaviors....

Now, I wouldn't want to engage in an activity that gave me a 10% chance of lung cancer. To be sure. But odds are that you won't get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's usually about 20 years of drinking at this rate when health effects start kicking in. (Believe it or not, a bottle of wine a night is mid-level "heavy drinking.")

+1. Towards the end of my destructive drinking journey I was up to 2 bottles of wine a night (or the equivalent in vodka) for a period of several years. It never showed up in my bloodwork. A bottle a night was a good buzz and I was pretty functional when I was drinking at that rate.