Jaundice

Chris,,

Welcome to the Hep forum...and congratulations for listening to your body...stopping drinking is HUGE and important for so many reasons. The liver is amazing and can actually renew itself UNLESS CIRRHOSIS HAS SET IN. Those who go down this path and do not stop often face a grim decline with worse and worse symptoms. I will send a note to a couple of our success stories and hope they will pop in and let you know there can be good days ahead. The path back can take time and relapses, if they happen, will set you back again more quickly that you can imagine.

If, if, if...you should every have serious liver disease, they will want you to demonstrate your commitment to sobriety. If you are in a program, or go to AA, be sure to have the doc or moderator help you keep a calendar or diary of your participation, and keep track of that calendar. My partner was in bad shape with life long alcohol abuse AND had Hep C. He got in a bad way and we almost lost him...especially since the powers would not let him on a transplant list until he was sober 6 months of documented sobriety...what a time that was. But he is many years post TP, post Hep C, and post liver cancer, and post open heart surgery...

And his life is much improved and many years longer than we expected.

Congrats, keep up the good work.

Mama Lama

Christi, Sorry to see you dealing with liver disease. Admitting your a alcoholic is a step in the right direction. It's a step. To gain a mile you'll have to go through serious change. More than words typed via a keyboard. No. I'm not being dramatic. What I say is fact based on years in this forum. Addicts typically lose hope very easily. Again I speak from my own experience. Note: Each of us are different (We dont respond the same to warnings or life in general.)
Where is your threshold of pain? I've seen people I admired and still respect although long past away. My admiration comes from respect. This forum gave me hope and nothing more. I took the good with the bad and hoped someone would understand. Nothing Worthwhile comes without grief. Challenges are before you. Correct what you can or will. My greatest advice is "Dont give up". No technical jargon matters. Search all you wish but depression is what you'll find. based on people that are numbers. Not a human reflection based in reality (We are subject to change). You'll see medical journals/essays that don't take the human factor into account. That factor is the few that strive daily to overcome addiction. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger". Make that a daily mantra.

Ziff