I'm going to quote this specifically, because in a way it is a huge misunderstanding that has caused a lot of unneeded grief over the years to millions of people.

He or she will be right in one way: there will be damage, and that damage will never heal.

The word they forget to add: COMPLETELY.

If this thread shows anything at all, it is that - although yes, there will also be some damage left that will not go away - you can do a lot of things to improve it massively.

If I think back of the pain, fear, debilitation, humiliation I felt at the moment I heard that exact same message (he didn't even say it directly to me, but to a student/assistant standing next to him, as if I was an idiot who wouldn't understand anyway), and then where I am today, and what I was able to achieve, I'd want to go back to the guy and smack him in the face. (well, OK, just shout at him then, it's just a matter of speaking on how angry this makes me in hindsight ).

One of the goals I set myself when I got involved in this non-profit addict support group is to convince the neurologists that they need to adapt their message. People simply get crushed by it. If they are still drinking, they will go "what's the point of even getting sober if I'm always going to feel this pain or can't even walk?" And if they are sober, they might wonder if just starting again to forget the debilitating pain isn't a better option.

Think about it: it's the worst possible way to say to someone they have an illness that can be *managed* - provided that the patient stays off the drink.

There are no miracles, they say. Unless you'd want to call the story of Icehouse one (I'm using him because it speaks most to us: from wheelchair to worrying about having a better balance while hiking or running again). My case isn't all that different: from a debilitating pain and hardly managing to walk 10 meters a day (office to bed to office to bed... and thinking about getting a wheelchair...) to rebuilding a big part of our house, starting a veggie garden, managing the upkeep of the whole house. From being unable to drive at all because I couldn't feel the pedals through my pain, to comfortably drive a group of 3 people to Paris & back in one day (730km).

(I even got a speeding ticket darn it! 143 where 130 was allowed. €45, so it wasn't that bad, but in a way I'm proud of that ticket! )

So... don't let that sentence drag you down. Concentrate on staying sober, be patient, and start doing what many of us did: look at your food, vitamins, PT, optionally medication, and improve step by step. Not everyone will "heal" at the same pace, or even with the same results, but improve you will.

Remember that when you hear the "verdict".