So, it’s been a rough couple of years. I’ve always drank too much, and when I was caring for my Mom when she was dying in 2017 (living in CO, commuting to Maine) it got bad. Maine winters and stress/grief are a real thing. I reeled it in, but then my arthritis really took hold. We moved to Montana in fall 2018, but my ability to do carpentry was becoming limited. We has planned to build our dream/final house here (and we have), but it took 2 years of angst and then deciding that I in fact could not build it. I contributed all I could, but in the past I was lead on everything. My outlets have always been work and exercise–skiing, MTB, dirtbiking, running. I’ve gradually lost all of that the last 2 years. I’ve become a house-husband and property caretaker, which is fine, but…
I’ve been putting off shoulder replacement for years. It got to the point that I had to pull the trigger this summer. It was incredibly stressful–am I making the right decision, is it going to work, etc. Well, those questions have not been answered 8 weeks after surgery (I know, early). I have to have surgery on the other shoulder Friday to remove a clavicle plate.
Got blood work back today from a week ago showing Aminotransferase (AST) at 58, with the other 2 enzymes normal. I talk to the doc (Naturopath who did my testosterone pellets) tomorrow. I’m at a loss. I can physically quit (no, really)–I did for a week before the shoulder replacement with some irritation, but no physical symptoms. But, god, in this time of covid and Trump I REALLY like having a few drinks. My brain is feverish at best.
TL/DR–what does an AST level of 58 really mean, and how do you quit alcohol when you really like it? (And no, not AA, no higher power for me).
First, my sympathies to you on tough times. Also, I really don’t want to hijack your thread on the first post. So, with that caveat/apology … should you consider consulting someone besides a naturopath to help you through things? I know that conventional MDs are far from perfect, but they have been trained in a more rigorous and science-based curriculum than a naturopath has.
I agree–I go to her because my testosterone level had fallen into the single hundreds and my PCP wasn’t interested. I will involve him (although he’s in his seventies).
And you need to tell your surgeon how much you drink, AND BE HONEST ABOUT IT. It’s an issue they have dealt with many, many times, and believe me, a doctor would much rather order the appropriate medication than deal with a patient in the throes of DTs.
This happened to a relative, now deceased for unrelated reasons, whose “one drink a day” was a drinking-glass full of ice cubes, and vodka.
p.s. An AST of 58 is a bit high, but not critical. If it was in the hundreds or even thousands, then I’d be really terrified.
8 weeks ago I quit for a week because the Surgeon staff was worried about DTs–no issue then (that was 48 hours in the hospital), so while I’ve got issues I’m not actually worried about DTs.
I mentioned this in another thread that I believe you were in as well.
A buddy of mine had a knee (hip?) replacement a few years ago. This guy, at least up until recently, was a full blown alcoholic. When he had his surgery, the doc told him to ‘sneak’* in something to drink. Not a lot, but he was going to be in the hospital for a few days and they wanted him to quietly have a few beers or sips of vodka or something each day to keep the DT’s at bay. The doc explained to him that the hospital where they’re doing the surgery isn’t equipped to handle someone going into detox there so it’s easier if he just makes sure it doesn’t happen.
*I don’t know if the doc actually used words like ‘sneak’ or ‘quietly’ as I think it’s fair to assume the fact that he was doing this was noted somewhere so that any medical staff that interacted with him was aware of it. However, he tells the story in a way reminiscent of the how a friend in high school would tell you that he’s ‘hanging out at John’s house tonight because his mom lets us smoke in the basement’.
Definitely check out local support groups, as well as rehab. Rehab can teach you new habits to develop that will help you. Support groups aren’t all AA; there are others, but even with AA, there are many that don’t push the God angle because they either also don’t believe in the higher power, or in that manner of higher power. The important thing about support groups is that everyone in the support group is dealing with the same angst, same cravings, and similar worries. It can be good to have a place to go where you can let it all out and not be alone.
Back in my hospital-pharmacist days, we had alcoholic beverages in the pharmacy, often intended for this exact purpose. We stored them in the C-II cabinet (same controlled-substance rating as, say, morphine and fentanyl) and the nurses charted them accordingly.
I’ll be honest and say I don’t want to quit–I want to find a healthier alternative. One that gives the same type of mellow buzz. We’ve spent 5000 years looking for that, right?
I remember you saying that. In fact, when I tell his story to other people, I’ve amended that to it. People think, rightly so, that it sounds like a made up story. But when I explain that hospital pharmacist told me they kept liquor on hand for exactly this reason, the story suddenly sounds a whole lot more plausible.
Not sure if this strays onto the wrong side of the board rules, but maybe try something like Delta 8 THC. Last I checked it (and Delta 10) are entirely legal in the US and give a very similar buzz to (regular) marijuana.
Reddit has a few subs for it that would be worth checking out (try searching google for things like ‘reddit d8’ or ‘reddit delta8’). Unless, of course, the mods say it’s okay to discuss it here.
Of course, if the effects of marijuana aren’t for you or you don’t think they’d be an adequate substitute for alcohol, you can ignore this.
So, I came clean to a doc a couple years ago (I’ve shaved the numbers like everyone) because I was in the throes of serious insomnia. His contribution–“Well, maybe this is a reality check for you. Maybe you should face your problem.” Well, first of all I hadn’t slept for a week, and it wasn’t necessarily alcohol related, and besides that, you’re not being helpful?
Yeah, when I was last in the hospital, they asked me how many drinks a week I have. I replied with something like 4-6, but sometimes 8, and asked if that would be a problem with the antibiotics I was on.
They said no, they mostly just want to know whether they should expect withdrawal and should prescribe alcohol to avoid it.
Don’t be blasé about the prospects of experiencing the DTs. They are entirely unpredictable, even for the same person. Your 48 hour experience may not have been long enough for them to start. It usually takes a couple of days, and can be up to a week later before they hit. I weaned myself off a bottle of spirits a day habit but did so by slowly reducing my intake over several weeks. That was maybe 8 years ago.
Have you tried weed? It doesn’t give me the same sort of buzz that drinking does, it’s more mellow and relaxed. If you don’t want to smoke or vape, edibles and tinctures are always an option.
I have several varieties and strengths of MJ flower around because I want different things out of my reality enhancing drugs at different times during the day. I’ll smoke low level THC sativa during the day to keep a nice creative buzz going and then after dinner is cleaned up I’ll break out the high THC sativa for gaming. I finish up with indigo and a glass of milk which puts me to sleep in no time at all. (You might not need the milk, that’s just my habit.)
How much water are you drinking? Your liver needs lots of clean water to help flush out the bad stuff. If you aren’t in the habit of drinking water, you should start doing that no matter what.
I tried them because my roomie had some, and I found that the 15 mg thc/5 mg cbd is a suitable substitute for my opioids that I don’t have to armwrestle the government to actually get. As an experiment, I wanted to see what it would take to get me totally blasted, and I discovered 2 gummies worked [if I wanted to be totally blotto, add a shot of schnapps - but I dislike alcohol because I am diabetic and on assorted drugs that make alcohol a bad idea.]
Perhaps an edible would suffice? And not have the same issues that alcohol has wrt DTs.
I don’t know which enzyme, or what level, but my doctor warned me about my liver enzymes, too. So I did an experiment. I quit drinking whiskey. I still drank all the beer I wanted, and my enzymes came down to a level that satisfied the doctor.
Simply cutting out the hard stuff may be a worthy experiment.