Hey guys, I’m a 25 yo college student. I began to see some signs of PN about a month ago and I am worried sick about it. For about 5 years I have been a relatively heavy binge drinker getting drunk about 2-4 nights a week. About 2 months ago I started drinking heavier all coming to a head on a vacation with some friends where we went hard for a week. After sobering up and getting back to reality I went through a mild withdrawal (first ever) and took a week off to let my body recuperate. Everything seemed to return to normal besides some muscle twitching which I assumed was just a little longer lasting side effect of the withdrawal. I realized I needed a change and cut myself back to one night of drinking per week. I have been sticking to that for the past 4 weeks but have started to notice that my pinky’s are “asleep” when I wake up, like pins and needles for a few seconds (worse after the night of drinks) also my circulation in my hands and feet seems to be worse than it was previously and I have minor issues swallowing after a night of drinking. When I abstain for any period of time the symptoms fade. I’m going to take a whole month off to see what happens. I’d REALLY like to know if anyone knows if it’s possible that this is just a temporary thing that can be solved by abstaining from alcohol for a few months or if it’s always Permanent and will resume if I ever drink again? I’ve started taking a b complex, fish oil, and magnesium as well. None of the symptoms affect my day to day activities (yet) but am wondering if I caught this early enough for complete reversal? Please help, I’ve been reading through this forum for hours and haven’t found a similar case. My doctor is not concerned that it’s alcoholic neuropathy bc I’m only 25.

Good!

This is an excellent idea. It is probably not too late, so if you can do this and your symptoms disappear then you have two choices.

Drink in moderation or just quit altogether.

Alcohol is not required (socially or physically) to enjoy life!

Icehouse,
that is very encouraging to hear! Like I said my doctor has been no help. Like everyone else says when you look at the information online it seems like a life sentence but this forum has gave me a lot of optimism! I’ll keep a close eye on it for the next month and report back

Hello all,

I was wondering if anyone’s ever heard of any cases where there has been complete reversal of alcoholic PN if caught in the very early stages? I’ve only had a few minor symptoms for about a month now and all symptoms fade substantially after about a week of abstinence from drinking. I’m 25, very active, and aside from the PN symptoms I’d consider myself very healthy. Is it possible to completely recover nerve damage if caught early enough to the point where I can drink in moderation with no flare ups or symptoms if I don’t drink for an extended period of time to heal? Icehouse gave me some encouraging news earlier but I’m wondering if anyone else has any input.

It is possible. It happened to me. About 3 weeks after my very first symptoms I completely abstained from alcohol. Now with 2 weeks sober my symptoms seems to have mostly disappeared - though I’m not totally out of the woods.

I will never drink again so I can’t counsel you on continuing moderate drinking. But full recovery is possible with mild, early caught alcoholic neuropathy.

P.S. - also I’ve been on the vitamin program mrsB advises along with a healthier diet.

Just wanted to check in with everyone. I hope everyone is holding up ok under the circumstances. Grateful to be sober, and to be part of a recovery community.

Thanks OAF. 3rd week of lock down, but heads kept high. No urge to drink, 2 more months until 8 years sober. Hope everyone else is OK too.

3166 days sober

Things are still pretty quiet here in the middle of Virginia. We have a stay-at-home order but my job is "essential" so I am still working. Streets are pretty empty, phone calls are up, it's a little harder to find a good lunch with all the restaurants shutdown but we only have a few cases here in town. I'm glad I am building in the country, and the new house should be done by early June!

But, according to the news, it's only going to get worse before it gets better so I am hopeful it will level off soon!

Just a quick note for those of you who’ve developed and kept this thread going over the years; you’ve probably helped countless folks suffering with this who never even post. You’ve done a lot of good.

I’ve read every post. A web search for alcoholic neuropathy brings up this thread and will continue to be a great resource for years to come.

Thank you all.