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Safely Reducing Alcohol Consumption

Posted , 4 users are following.

lander
lander

hi - i've been dinking  exactly 1/2 bottle of port every night (starting around 11.45pm) for about 5 years.

i'm 68 & had a recent turp after enduring an indwelling cath for 2 1/2 years.

i want to reduce to 3 nights per week  (fri, sat & sun) because

apart from the expense i feel tired & listless the next day.

however a few friends have told me that the alcohol might be  keeping my blood "thin" & stopping could cause problems

anyone advise? - thanks

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • PaulJTurner1964
    PaulJTurner1964 lander

    Posted

    You don't need alcohol every day to 'thin your blood.' There are some health benefits to very small amounts of alcohol but they are far outweighed by the damaging effects of drinking larger amounts. If you needed a drink daily to keep yourself healthy, there would all sorts of alcohol-containing health products on the market smile

    Your friends are wrong smile If you feel you have any issue with your blood clotting too quicly, you should ask your doctor to do a blood test. He/she would then prescribe something like warfarin to ensure your clotting time is longer.

    The main thing you need to look out for is any withdrawal symptoms like agotation, sweating and shaking. If you get any of those, you need to have a drink and seek medical help in the form of alcohol detox. I don't believe you will need one from half a bottle of port a night but be aware it is a possibility.

    If you DO get withdrawal symptoms, don't try to go cold turkey because it can be dangerous.

  • RHGB
    RHGB lander

    Posted

    Whilst half a bottle of port a night is not a huge amount, not much more than half a bottle of wine (wine, 13.5% AVG and port 20%) it is not necessary to use it as a blood thinner. Go see your GP, he will do a check and advise you. I'm sure even aspirin would probably do the job if necessary.
    • lander
      lander RHGB

      Posted

      thanks for your reply - as i said to paul i've to get a psa test so i'll mention it to the dr.
    • Misssy2
      Misssy2 lander

      Posted

      This was 2 months ago? What did the Dr say?

      ​I think that they would say to take the daily regimin of 1 baby asprin...if you had a blood thickening problem.

      How are you doing?

  • Misssy2
    Misssy2 lander

    Posted

    I still hope you are successful at getting to only drinking 3 nights a week.  It would definetly be healthier.  There is some guideline on what is safe for a person to drink and you are exceeding that guideline because I think it is like 2 glasses of wine or beer for a woman and after that....not so safe for us.

    So if your drinking 1/2 bottle a night I would even that out to 4 glasses and if it is every night...I would say you exceed the medical "healthy" guideline.  So if your only doing that 3 nights a week now vs. 7....I imagine you would feel better physically and mentally.

     

  • janice19708
    janice19708 lander

    Posted

    Taking a couple of days off sounds good. Stay busy and enjoy life. Go for walks and be happy.
  • janice19708
    janice19708 lander

    Posted

    You know that's an excuse. Your brain is playing with you .

    Drink one and have a nice dinner. 

    Stay busy with other things.

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