I would, but its been fairly well documented in the last 5 pages...I kinda hijacked this thread on page one I think

But, without tooting my own horn, I think I am doing pretty damn good considering....

I am still pretty excited I can walk again!!

Read through this whole thread from page 1-6.....it shows the monthly progress in steps....

Hi I'm new to the forum and have took some encouragement from what I have read here.

However I know I'm at the start of a long journey. I was diagnosed with NP two years ago and have tried to ignore it and carried on drinking as before. However I have got to the stage where I wont be able to walk soon if I don't do something!

My symptoms are

Tingling in hands and feet, severe cramp in feet up to waste, cramps and spasm in hands, severe weakness in legs and back, unable to stand any longer than a few minutes some days and muscle wastage in legs.

I have played sport all my life from Rugby to Triathlon but have allowed drink to rob me of all that with my last bike ride being 6 months ago.

I'm 53 years old so would expect to be less active but I have to change to save my life. My brother died at 53 basically from alcohol abuse so I know what's coming.

I stopped drinking 2 days ago and feel better for that but let the battle commence.

Welcome ALee!

I can relate to your story, far more than I care to admit, and we are here to help you through the hardest part of this.

You can do this!

I developed a more than substantial level of Alcohol PN, the culmination of 50 (yes 50! age 16 - 66) years of daily substantial consumption. Unfortunately, I was what I consider to be the worst form of alcoholic, in that I was fully functional--earning constant praise and even advancement at whatever endeavor somebody was able to coax me out of my innate laziness to undertake. I would walk past a project completed 6 months earlier with colleagues who would stop, smile, and say "man, I don't even know how you you even began to figure this one out." I would simply smile and give a theatrical shrug, all the time acknowledging to myself not a hint of memory about any involvement at all in it.

It was largely because of this that I found no reason to live in denial. I was making a sufficient living to cover financial obligations and attending to my family's needs and comforts, so I was drinking this constant volume simply because that's what I enjoyed. No other reason. However when the gradual, but constant debilitating and degenerative affects became unbearable, and my GP and friend of 25 years finally put it to me after years of repeated attempts at my quitting, he finally laid it on the line.

"Continue as you are going at your age and I guarantee your death within 2 years. I am not going to advise you further, nor will you ask me for additional treatment in this matter as it is your decision alone. I'm writing you a prescription for a 10 day regimen of Librium to avoid cold-turkey seizures. Take it and stop immediately or die."

Well, that was roughly 7 - 8 months ago, and the glass of fresh squeezed OJ with the healthy splash of vodka accompaniment I'd consumed right BEFORE I drove to that particular appointment, suddenly became the final drink of my life.

Over the years I've taken many occasional cold-turkey clean-out month or 2 breaks and the first few days to a week can be pretty rough--then gradually less severe as the days go by. I never "back-slid" as I'd always intended to resume consumption after the brief hiatus. There was never any cutting-back, as that involved too much inner conflict. It was either drink or not, period.

I'll share this will all out there contemplating quitting cold-turkey: The aid of Librium makes all the difference in the world as to the shakes, the urges,the re-establishment of restful sleep patterns, etc. Take that to the bank from a man of more than a little experience.

Now comes the reason for my posting this as a reply to the above by mrsD. I am 66 years old and in my life I never have had a "sweet tooth", but though there has been NOT A SINGLE craving for a drink, there developed an immediate insatiable one for sweets--particularly chocolate! In fact it was 12:30 PM when I read mrsD's warning while polishing off my second ice cream cone of the day.

Believe me, mrsD, thanks again for rubbing my nose in what should have been obvious from the onset. We live on the NJ coast and are currently under hurricane watch due to approaching Joaquine and have been bombarded by local media to stock up on essentials in a most timely fashion. So this morning after seeing my 13 year old to the school bus, rushed right over to Foodtown as I am almost out of cones.

Better call Doc for another scripp for Librium.

Same thing for me....for 30+ years I could take or leave sweets \ chocolate but now I crave dark chocolate and frequently find myself at the artisan chocolate shop across the street from my work

My PN is worse today. I have had no pain. I get numbness along the bottom of my feet.

I had 2 wines last night, I only wanted one, my friend ordered the other, I drank it, had one other day when I had 3-4. My body reacted. I can go for weeks without wine, do 2 a week or can drink 1/3 of a bottle. I don't think it matters how much or if one falls into the category of alcoholism. What matters is what this drug does to you.

I feel very encouraged that many have said their symptoms improved with giving up alcohol. Before I read that, my day started crazy. By mistake I made coffee with all caffenated putting me into hyper gear and my blood pressure up. I don't have high blood pressure, just with stimulants. Add on worry about the feet!! I did Reiki on myself, prayers. I was in tears. I really love wine, not to the extent of PN. I know sugar is so bad for you and inflammatory. wine is sugar. I have a cruise coming up, picturing myself drinking pomegrant juice instead of wine. Water with lemon is good.

I am very proud of all of you who have gone sober and are doing such a dynamic job of improving health. I actually don't like the feeling after 1 glass of wine. I am going to give it up. Can't say forever but just for today. Just for today I love to walk, do my food shopping and dance. These little, pretty feet are getting a pedicure tomorrow. Gotta treat these little piggies with love.

Hey everyone,

I have a question to people having the same problem or maybe had the same problem and can give me some advice on what to do.

I've been drinking heavily since I was 16, mostly during the weekends but when I entered college it became a daily habit to go out and drink heavily. I'm talking 15+ drinks every night. Of course I didn't drink everyday but still it was too much. I also didn't eat healthy.. you know the drill, get up drunk get a quick bite from that pizza shop accross the street and off I went.

I'm 24 now, so you can say I've been drinking and living that life for 7 to 8 years. Never felt I was dependent since I could easily give it up for a month or so, when I had to work during the summer.

But I started walking strange, feeling very foggy, it got difficult for me to think clearly, shaking hands and I also started having trouble talking normal, erectile disfunction etc. I felt something was off so I went to visit a neurologist. She told me I probably had neurological damage, had tested my reserves and my small brains got, well, a bit smaller. (size does matter!) She gave me thiamine and vitamin B supplements. But I didn't quit drinking.

After 4 months of taking my supplements, getting physical exercise, eating healthy and drinking less she saw some improvments. But there was still some damage left.

To cut my story short, I'm still taking these supplements for another 6 months and I'm trying not to drink. I'm at 2 weeks now, but I know I will still get drunk from time to time..

Now my question to you guys: At my age and with my record of drinking, can neurological damage completely vanish when I stick to my diet, don't drink and take my supplements. Will I find my stability again when I walk, will I regain some of my brain capacity that was lost and so on?

Share your story or comfort me with your advice

Leompia,

Did any of this thread help you at all? Your symptoms are similar to what I experienced back in 2009 before I drank myself into a wheelchair.

Yes, they did. Especially your story. You should be proud of yourself man, really. But like I said in my post, I had some 6 years of heavy drinking and bad diet. I'm taking my supplements, trying to exercise and not drinking for a month now, and things are getting better already.

I'm 24 years old, so in a way I'm blessed I'm doing this now.

I just wonder if I will recover enough to regain my full intellectual potential. And I wonder if drinking once in a while ( a heavy night out every 2-3 weeks) will harm me?

I saw drinking as something that calmed me and made me loosen up.. I don't necessarily crave for it, but I guess I will miss the going out and go wild part from time to time. Not sure I need to give it up entirely or just moderate my use..

There is a link on this thread to Psychcentral
About a study done on young college age adults
that demonstrates nerve damage even when
Weekend alcohol is consumed.

There are also studies you find on Google that
Show binge drinking is very damaging
in and of itself.