[seventyeight]

i quit drinking heavily about two months ago, but last night i had quite a few drinks and didn't notice a change in my tolerance level - like i drank what i used to be able to drink.

i guess i had assumed my tolerance would go down after taking an extended break, but i'm wondering if maybe the break wasn't long enough for this to be the case? or does tolerance never really change?

any feedback would be great.

[madisgram]

hi 78, what they tell us is if a person stops drinking if they return to drinking their tolerance and consumption will be the same, if not more, as before. many ppl try to control their drinking when they think they have a problem but in my case anyway it didn't work. controlling it, that is. i've heard others confirm this too. so i feel this concept based on studies is true. hope this helps explain why probably that it happened to you also.
that's why recovering alcoholics, like me, can not ever resume drinking successfully. statistics show that their alcoholism continues even when not drinking so if they pick it back up they will find themselves drinking what they would have if they had never stopped drinking. that's why abstinence for alcoholics is the only good choice. and for me it was the best choice i ever made!

[racee]

when i started drinking again (2 1/2 years off) i would get sick, i have a metabolic intolerence to alcohol now. I lack ALDH enzyme . i get facial flushing, sweating, and get really sick after drinking(even a beer or a shot). where before never used to be that way. in a way it's saved my life...although my addiction side doesn't see it that way

[Leed]

It IS true that regardless of how long you take a "break" when you start up again, your tolerance will be the same or more. It will NOT go down. I don't know why you started again, but this is dangerous ground you're treading on. I've seen too many people buried because of this disease -- I hope you're not one of them. Alcoholism is a progressive disease - but it's one that we can control, with the help of AA, our Higher power, and people like the people here at DS and at the tables. We are never cured, and the disease never gets "better."

I hope you'll go back to sobriety. I wish you the very best. God bless. Hugs, Lee

[seventyeight]

leed, why do you say that it's "dangerous ground" that i'm treading on? you don't even know my situation to make such a remark. you have no idea why i quit drinking, or why i did last night. i was simply asking a question about tolerance, not about how i should handle my own personal drinking habits. maybe you should consider being more supportive when replying to posts, or at least - sticking to the subject at hand.

[Yoda]

If your liver has permanent damage from alcoholism you will not experience a change in tolerance from when you last drank. Really hope that is not it.

[seventyeight]

really yoda? i thought that liver damage caused a "reverse tolerance." can you tell me where you got your info? thanks.

[Yoda]

There is a book about alcoholism that is really good. I can't recall the name right now and I tried to find it on ebay but can't find it. I'll keep looking.

You are right that in end stage liver disease there is 'reverse tolerance' if that is what you want to call it. By then the liver is too damaged to repair itself and can no longer process alcohol and alcohol has stronger effect.

I will PM you the title of the book when I find it.

[seventyeight]

ok, awesome - thank you, yoda!

[madisgram]

Yoda
Re: tolerance questions
If your liver has permanent damage from alcoholism you will not experience a change in tolerance from when you last drank. Really hope that is not it.
ok well i'm a recovering alcoholic. i had/have no liver damage from alcohol abuse ever. matter of fact my enzymes were within normal levels when i got sober altho i was a full blown alcoholic.
so yoda, i'm curious where your info came from. the tolerance that affects one's drinking is caused by drinking, not the liver itself. did i misunderstand your post? idk.

[Skully]

I think it would take longer than 2 months. I know if I quite smoking for a couple months then start again, within no time I am back up to a pack a day. But, the times I actually managed to quite for more than a year, it took me several months to work up to a pack a day again.

[Yoda]

I didn't state that very well. Let me try again. A healthy person can develop tolerance for alcohol and some medications such as codeine. They will require more alcohol/meds to get the same effect they initially experienced. If you stop taking the alcohol/med and are healthy the tolerance will go away. But if you have some damage to the liver you may still have some tolerance. And in severe damage to the liver you will experience intoxication with low amounts because the liver cannot process the alcohol/drug efficiently.

Does that make more sense?

The book that is informative is
Under The Influence: A Guide to the Myths and Realities of Alcoholism by Dr James Milam

on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/Under-Influence-...f#ht_499wt_928

[Omers]

I have never been addicted but due to my genetics (IMO) I have a very high tollerance. In college my friends knew I hardly ever drank and could drink them under the table. Even as young as high school and a whopping 120lbs I could take 2X the codine my father could and he was over 200lb. So some of it may also depend on your natural ability to metabolize alcohol. Dunno... just a thought.

[racee]

arn't you glad we are all not made the same we would have nothing to talk or debate about