Alcohol : How Badly Can It Affect Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Sufferers?

The wonders of alcohol.

The achilles heel for many people. The 'norm' for some others. And poison if you have CFS/PVFS/M.E....

I remember when I first got Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome/CFS back in 1995, I thought that having a drink or two wouldn't affect me any differently to my PRE-CFS days.

Unfortunately I didn't realise what I was doing to myself.I didn't know how badly alcohol can affect the severity of CFS...

Nowadays I don't touch alcohol at all, and haven't done so for a few years now. I'd rather see at least a few hours in the day instead of being bedridden for weeks on end because of one alcoholic drink!

Because when you have CFS/M.E., you might as well be pouring arsenic down your throat...

------SIDE NOTE-------
Okay - so that comparison might be a little 'dramatic', but you get what I mean right?
------SIDE NOTE-------

You see when you have CFS/M.E., you are likely to develop **alcohol intolerance**...

The smallest alcoholic drink - even a tiny bit, can send you into a relapse - as I learnt the hard way many years ago.

Having an alcoholic drink now and again was enough to tip the severity of my CFS over the edge and put me in bed indefinitely.

When a **normal** person gets drunk they may feel a bit bad for a day or so, after which, they're back to 'normal', bouncing back and raring to go.

But when a person with M.E./CFS gets drunk - or even has just one drink, they're likely to feel like 'death warmed up' for what seems like an eternity!!!

Personally, I don't actually like alcohol much so I don't miss it. But even if I did, I have realised that alcohol no longer makes me feel the way it used to before I had CFS...

Drinking alcohol now feels like I'm feeding myself poison, and my body reacts accordingly - i.e. a relapse - and I suffer the consequences for a long, long time afterwards.

Unfortunately, us CFS sufferers are just not strong enough to resist the poisons of alcohol. So it's unfortunately a case of accepting it, or getting much, much worse.

As Dr Shepherd writes in his book 'Living With M.E.':

"Some people who previously enjoyed and tolerated regular consumption of alcohol without any adverse effects, now find that even small amounts make them extremely unwell."
-- p214, Dr Shepherd, 'Living With M.E.' --

So if you have M.E./CFS, it is likely that you may have developed an intolerance to alcohol.

And that's not forgetting that alcohol also affects the effects of antidepressants (often prescribed to CFS sufferers to treat their fatigue and to help sufferers sleep)! So if you're taking antidepressants, it's definitely something to bear in mind.

Having CFS/FM can be a very lonely and devastating experience and depression can be a very real and serious symptom for many CFS/FM sufferers.

So the last thing you need is to take substances that make you feel worse.

And guess what?

Yep, you've guess it, alcohol is also a depressant. So it's not a great thing to drink if you're depressed! And according to Dr Shepherd, many sufferers sadly do turn to alcohol...

But alcohol is no answer.

Apart from probably making you feel depressed, you could also develop an alcohol dependency!

What's more, if you **are** alcohol intolerant, then it would make it much harder for yourself to recover from M.E./CFS (pretty much impossible even), while you keep putting alcohol in your body.

And here's some more 'food for thought'...

When you think about how badly a CFS sufferer can be affected by **one** alcoholic drink, then how badly could alcohol be affecting you if you're drinking more???

So there you go - a whole list of reasons why you might think twice about drinking anything remotely alcoholic while you have CFS/M.E.

While you may no longer be alcohol intolerant once you have recovered from CFS/M.E., it may well be a major culprit for preventing you from **recovering** from your CFS/M.E while you still have it.

I didn't know about the possible effects of alcohol when I first had CFS/M.E...

... and I suffered the consequences. My M.E./CFS got worse. A lot worse. And I was only having a couple of drinks now and again!

So I hope this article arms you with enough info for you to make an educated decision about alcohol either way.

You never know - it may well make the difference...

===========================================================

** Reprinting of the article above is welcome! **

The article above may be freely reproduced provided that: (1) you include the following resource box; and (2) you only mail to a 100% opt-in list.

Here's the resource box to use if reprinting the article above:

------

Claire Williams is editor of sleepydust.net ...

Helping You To Deal With Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, M.E. and Fibromyalgia

"From Solving Your Money Worries To Recovering From Your Condition"

http://www.sleepydust.net

To subscribe to the newsletter in which this article was published, please go to:

http://www.sleepydust.net/ezine

------

Supervisor Offers Alternative Site For 2 New Schools
Washington Post, United States - 1 hour ago
By Erica Garman Living in LoCo is Erica Garman's blog devoted to all things interesting in Loudoun County. You can find it athttp://www.loudounextra.com. ...
Planning For Route 234 Extension To Dulles Riding Rocky Road WTOP
all 2 news articles

Not 'third front', just electoral alternative: Karat
Times of India, India - 11 hours ago
NEW DELHI: In what is the first clear signal that coming together of Left, BSP, TDP and others is not the 'third alternative' based on common programmes and ...

Alternative health centre accused of 'brainwashing’
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - 11 hours ago
An alternative healing centre based in London has been accused of “brainwashing” one of its clients into making donations totalling hundreds of thousands of ...

Bob Barr a real alternative
Sun-Sentinel.com, FL - 45 minutes ago
I am fed up with the onslaught of negative TV ads polluting the airways over the past few days. I expect we will see even more between now and Nov. 4. ...

Washington Post
Gujarat warming up to concept of alternative power
Expressindia.com, India - 10 hours ago
With proposals of a 100 mw solar power plant by Euro Ceramics Ltd. and the world’s largest 5000 mw solar power project by the Clinton Foundation under ...
Thinking About Renewable Energy New York Times
all 6 news articles

President advises farmers to find alternative sources of income
Hindu, India - 20 hours ago
"Farmers' suicide in the country is a matter of serious concern and it is not a solution to the problem, therefore they should opt for alternative sources ...

TAKE 2: An alternative look at the day in sports
Columbia Daily Tribune, MO - 18 hours ago
Chances are, you’re more excited about the prospect of bratwurst and Bud Light than what you’re going to watch after the tailgate party tonight. ...

Mellow, sun-drenched, and discreet, Corsica provides an ...
TheChronicleHerald.ca, Canada - 21 hours ago
For the mellower segment of the boldface crowd, southern Corsica has lately emerged as a discreet alternative to the South of France. ...

Mediocre job performance is better than the alternative
The Gazette (Montreal), Canada - 23 hours ago
Canada's job market is in mediocre shape, we discovered yesterday, and when you look at the alternative, this is wonderful news. For the past few weeks, ...

AFP
Blair 'only alternative to Brown'
The Press Association - 23 hours ago
Tony Blair is the only alternative leader who would dramatically improve Labour's electoral prospects if Gordon Brown was removed as Prime Minister, ...
‘Only alternative to Brown is Blair’ Howrah News Service
Brown's sinking, but where are the alternatives? Spectator.co.uk (subscription)
Only Blair could save Labour now Independent
all 273 news articles

Wind Chimes and more...

Windchimes for great gifts!

Natural Remedies For Treating a Cold