Should I have one serving of alcohol?
 

Just wondering - I'm recovering from a TBI and having post-concussion syndrome...I'm about 5 months out from my injury and just wondering if it would be okay to have a beer?

Anyone else having a single serving of alcohol? If so, how often? Once a day? Just on the weekend? How's it effecting your symptoms and recovery?

I'd really like to have a drink right now :)

Thanks in advance.

Personally, my view is: wait until you're symptom-free (or have negligible symptoms) before experimenting with the booze. Alcohol might have some benefits for healthy people, but I think if you're recovering from PCS, better to err on the side of caution. My occupational therapist (who has worked with various people with brain injuries) concurs.

Your brain is in healing mode, and it isn't clear that the "one drink can be part of a healthy diet" dictum applies to people with PCS. If I'm not mistaken, doctors usually suggest that even healthy people who don't drink probably shouldn't start, even if very moderate amounts of alcohol may confer some benefits.

Plus, we now know that PCS can cause or contribute to depression, and alcohol is a depressant. I would stick to the basics: rest, good nutrition, appropriate supplements, activity/exercise that doesn't trigger symptoms. Give your brain the best chance of healing. We still don't fully understand what is happening in the brain during the recovery process. I would mess with this process as little as possible.

Thanks for the response and the advice, it really does make a lot of sense.

That's exactly how I feel and the reason I stopped drinking after I started having these symptoms (I drank every day pre-injury). I want to recover as quickly as possible and I figured alcohol wouldn't do anything but make the healing process longer.

I think the question is, Why do you want to have a drink right now?

What do you think it will accomplish?

I am not trying to be judgmental. I am just asking an honest question.

What would I be trying to accomplish? Nothing productive or important. I just wanted to catch a buzz, that's all. Ever since I was 15, I always had some kind of escape to take the edge off. First it was pot, then cigarettes and then alcohol. I quit smoking pot July of last year, cigarettes in February of this year and now I quit drinking alcohol since my injury. Now I just feel like something is missing, and it kind of adds to the stress.

Having a beer while hanging with the guys was my thing...

The research suggests catching a buzz is counterproductive. If a single serving will create a buzz, I am concerned for your brain's tolerance of alcohol. Research shows that persons who consumed alcohol to excess during adolescence cause the brain to develop a lower tolerance for alcohol in their more mature years.

Consensus for the past year I've seen here is:

One serving should be fine (once in a while), unless you get your tolerance is abnormally low.

One glass of red at dinner.
 

My hubby and I used to travel the winery circuit trails. We were actually coming home from the Traverse City Michigan wine tour festivals when we were hit head-on. (We don't drink while touring, although now I wish I had been.)

I love wine tasting and sharing my wine collection with family and friends. Right from the beginning I addressed this with my neuro. One glass being acceptable to both of us at dinner and at least 8-10 hours after meds.

I usually don't drink a glass everyday, but when I want to try a new wine, I do allow myself one glass. It does relax me, but more important to me, mentally, is that it's one of the last little things I'm keeping for me from my pre-TBI life.