What does dying from alcoholism look like?

[Anonymous]

OP here. Yesterday, MIL's boyfriend received a new liver. He'd recently had surgery for an obstructed intestine and was struggling to recover, which is why I believe they bumped him up on the list.

[Anonymous]

I realize that this is an old thread, but as an alcoholic myself, please people, stop judging! If you were (thankfully) spared from the genetic disposition to become physically dependent on alcohol, good for you. That doesn't mean that all alcoholics should be denied medical care, in whatever form it takes. Even alcoholics have friends and family that love them and want them to stick around. Have some compassion people, you are not perfect either. (Fat? Diabetes, Smoker? Lung Cancer, but you still expect medical help, don't you?)

[Anonymous]

Three years ago my then-BF was told by a doctor to quit drinking THAT DAY or he would eventually die from it. He was still a functional alcoholic then, working and still healthy otherwise. I got him into great inpatient rehab programs, but he would relapse after every release. Today, at age 42, he was placed in hospice care due to end stage liver disease. He is suffering most from the ascites. The fluid was drained yesterday and he could eat some dinner but overnight his belly became horribly distended again. I am grieving for the life he/we could have had if the alcohol had not made him such a horrible person to be around.

[Anonymous]

So sorry, pp.

[Anonymous]

I have no time for alcahilics they always feel sorry for themselves there was a point in time where they had the choice to stop but they didn't because it may have been a bit hard I see them as selfish people who dong give a shit and then when they become sick they want all to help them

[Anonymous]

Sorry for your loss, 23:02.

[Anonymous]

My soon to be ex husband is an alcoholic. I haven't seen him in a while (thank goodness) and my friend said his skin is yellow and his eyes. She said he also has a huge stomach and skinny legs and arms. It is sad to watch such a wonderful man turn into a mean, nasty drunk. I wonder how much longer he has to live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My soon to be ex husband is an alcoholic. I haven't seen him in a while (thank goodness) and my friend said his skin is yellow and his eyes. She said he also has a huge stomach and skinny legs and arms. It is sad to watch such a wonderful man turn into a mean, nasty drunk. I wonder how much longer he has to live.

If you don't mind sharing, how much does your ex drink on a daily/weekly basis? I'm curious to know how much (or how little) alcohol produces this kind of result.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I realize that this is an old thread, but as an alcoholic myself, please people, stop judging! If you were (thankfully) spared from the genetic disposition to become physically dependent on alcohol, good for you. That doesn't mean that all alcoholics should be denied medical care, in whatever form it takes. Even alcoholics have friends and family that love them and want them to stick around. Have some compassion people, you are not perfect either. (Fat? Diabetes, Smoker? Lung Cancer, but you still expect medical help, don't you?)

serious question....could those that have genetic dispositions to become physically addicted to alcohol switch to pot?

I.e. everytime an alcoholic wants to have a drink, if they had a massive joint or smoked a bowl and were stoned all the time instead of having alcohol?

Is the drive towards alcoholism the hunger for alcohol or any 'escapist substance'.

if it is the latter, being stoned 24/7 never killed someone's liver. perhaps it would be a better alternative to switch an alcoholic over to?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I realize that this is an old thread, but as an alcoholic myself, please people, stop judging! If you were (thankfully) spared from the genetic disposition to become physically dependent on alcohol, good for you. That doesn't mean that all alcoholics should be denied medical care, in whatever form it takes. Even alcoholics have friends and family that love them and want them to stick around. Have some compassion people, you are not perfect either. (Fat? Diabetes, Smoker? Lung Cancer, but you still expect medical help, don't you?)

serious question....could those that have genetic dispositions to become physically addicted to alcohol switch to pot?

I.e. everytime an alcoholic wants to have a drink, if they had a massive joint or smoked a bowl and were stoned all the time instead of having alcohol?

Is the drive towards alcoholism the hunger for alcohol or any 'escapist substance'.

if it is the latter, being stoned 24/7 never killed someone's liver. perhaps it would be a better alternative to switch an alcoholic over to?

I guess you have to ask yourself whether it is better to kill your brain cells or your liver cells.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My soon to be ex husband is an alcoholic. I haven't seen him in a while (thank goodness) and my friend said his skin is yellow and his eyes. She said he also has a huge stomach and skinny legs and arms. It is sad to watch such a wonderful man turn into a mean, nasty drunk. I wonder how much longer he has to live.

If you don't mind sharing, how much does your ex drink on a daily/weekly basis? I'm curious to know how much (or how little) alcohol produces this kind of result.

Living with him for so long, I have a pretty good idea of the consumption amount. He drinks until he passes out. It doesn't take too much now because it's in his system continually. He starts out drinking 1st thing in the morning as well. His hands shake uncontrollably if he doesn't drink.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I realize that this is an old thread, but as an alcoholic myself, please people, stop judging! If you were (thankfully) spared from the genetic disposition to become physically dependent on alcohol, good for you. That doesn't mean that all alcoholics should be denied medical care, in whatever form it takes. Even alcoholics have friends and family that love them and want them to stick around. Have some compassion people, you are not perfect either. (Fat? Diabetes, Smoker? Lung Cancer, but you still expect medical help, don't you?)

serious question....could those that have genetic dispositions to become physically addicted to alcohol switch to pot?

I.e. everytime an alcoholic wants to have a drink, if they had a massive joint or smoked a bowl and were stoned all the time instead of having alcohol?

Is the drive towards alcoholism the hunger for alcohol or any 'escapist substance'.

if it is the latter, being stoned 24/7 never killed someone's liver. perhaps it would be a better alternative to switch an alcoholic over to?

I guess you have to ask yourself whether it is better to kill your brain cells or your liver cells.

After living with this alcoholic for years and putting up with the stress, I figure it was up to him to go get help. He refused. He chose
alcohol over the family and was a cruel person to me, his wife, and kind to everyone else. I do believe, however, it does run in families.
My father died of a stroke but went through alcohol withdrawal while in ICU that they had to treat as well. We grew up with booze, drunk family friends and
were given booze when we were young. Everything was centered around alcohol. It was so twisted. I didn't realize it until after some serious counseling.
My question is: Why don't you get help? AA is great and there are some great rehab centers.
Also, there is only a certain extent to which families and friends will tolerate alcoholism. It's a matter of time depending on you, when they will
no longer put up with watching you kill yourself. The main thing I keep thinking is, why did I put up with it and enable him for such a long time? The hardest
thing was not leaving but dealing with it on a daily basis and losing myself in the long run.

[Anonymous]

It looks like me---bloated, but rarely eat...not yellow yet, but not so sure because I won't look in the mirror but to shave maybe twice a week. I want off, but not the pain that goes with it CUZ I KNOW THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY WILL NOT TAPER. The last time I was sober for 1.3 yrs. I'm not so sure I was very sane at all--only dry. Wife's mad cuz I said I wanted go to detox yesterday---said "what am I supposed to do while you're in there"?--(she needs it too).Complicated but all too predictable. detox seems like an escape but I know it's my only hope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: It looks like me---bloated, but rarely eat...not yellow yet, but not so sure because I won't look in the mirror but to shave maybe twice a week. I want off, but not the pain that goes with it CUZ I KNOW THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY WILL NOT TAPER. The last time I was sober for 1.3 yrs. I'm not so sure I was very sane at all--only dry. Wife's mad cuz I said I wanted go to detox yesterday---said "what am I supposed to do while you're in there"?--(she needs it too).Complicated but all too predictable. detox seems like an escape but I know it's my only hope.

Do not blame your alcoholism on your wife. People can only get their hopes up so many times to be met with disappointment. I don't know how many times I thought my dad had quit drinking only to see him start again. He just died last fall at age 57. It was not a pleasant death. He died from swollen veins in his lower esophagus bursting. His failing liver caused them to swell from reduced blood flow. The blood drained into his stomach causing him to vomit. There was blood everywhere. When they found him they said he hadn't tried for his phone, so maybe he didn't know what was happening. It happened during the night so he may not have known he was vomiting blood. We found a glass of vodka by his bed. So unless you want your wife to deal with something like this then get your act in gear and stop using her to make excuses.

[Anonymous]

In the summer of 2010 my uncle died after a long history of alcoholism and he used to do a lot of other drugs too. He basically never woke up from sleeping one night, and was found by his landlord the next day. The autopsy showed a liver 3 times the size of a normal person. Cause of death was determined to be alcohol overdose but I might argue liver disease/cirrhosis was what finally did it.