I have been feeling great for the past 2-3 weeks. I am pretty much full strength, a few very minor things lag in vision or moving my head quickly but nothing major at all. To update you about my situation. I am 24 years old, I got a concussion at the beginning of august 2012. I sustained the injury while out drinking with friends. I happened to be on antibiotics at the time and had a few drinks and before I knew it was blacked out very unexpectedly. Im still certain to this day that the antibiotics played a big part in it. Regardless I woke up the next day at a friends house with what I thought was the worst hangover ever.

When I realized it wasnt a hangover i went to the ER a day later to get checked out.. they said I had a concussion and to rest.. a couple months went by and after seeing my PCP and taking some meds, I started to feel like myself again. My PCP told me to go back to regular life, workout out, drinking socialy, playing sports.

So then 2 months goes by and I am doing great, no side effects, had gone out drinking a couple times and didnt feel bad at all.. then the weekend after thanksgiving i went with a few buddies to watch fsu/uf football game. Drank pretty heavily but didn't hit my head or anything. The next day I woke up with symptoms creeping back from my concussion, they came back more and more during the week while i was at work to the point where i was back to square one with all my symptoms.

Since then I have been battling back ever since. I have been going to Physical Therapy weekly and I feel it has helped immensely. My Physical therapist told me its safe to start drinking again, but I am scared to because I don't want all the symptoms to come rushing back. What do you guys think? Anyone with experience? Should I not drink? Will I ever be able to just let loose and have fun and drink again? Any info would help. It's tough being 24 and having no social life.

Don't drink or at least drink sparingly, like one drink. That should be your minimum. After a concussion, you should take it easy. Too much television, computer time, video games, too much drinking, smoking, can bring back a relapse of symptoms.

Physical Therapy is great, I use it for my neuralgia and I also have a neurologist. Take it easy, though I would say for a while. Give your brain a break and get plenty of sleep. Also, its never too late to start a healthy diet plus good brain supplements. Mark in Idaho has a pretty good thread.



Link to Vitamin Regimen:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread181974.html

I know it is tough to not be able to drink at your age. Heck it is tough not to be able to have a glass of wine once in a while at my age. I have had 5 or more concussions and have severe neurological damage so your situation may be different but I cannot drink alcohol at all. I feel like I'm living on my last brain cell and I don't want to put the little bugger out of commission know what I mean? You probably will be able to drink again in the future but I would stay away from it for now. Look what you have to go through just for a few drinks. Not worth it brother.

Brain

What I think: your PT is wrong by saying "it's safe". Alcohol is toxic to your brain. Not just sometimes toxic, but always. How you choose to take risks is your business but it's definitely not "safe".


Anyone with experience: Not exactly, but I used to enjoy wine with my friends and now I know that's just not an option for me, IF I truly want to heal. If I'm ok with hurting myself for temporary pleasure (let's be honest, many, MANY humans are obviously ok with this, thus why smoking, overeating, drug use, are prevalent) then someday perhaps I'll try a glass of wine again. But right now I can't imagine purposely ingesting a toxin that will further disable my brain.


But I loved my brain, it was a fantastic specimen. Other people may not have an issue taking risks with theirs.


Will you ever be able to let loose and have fun and drink? Yes, but not without symptoms and consequences, and that's your choice to make. What are some other reasons you'd like to get better besides being able to socialize? Working out? Playing sports? Focus on those other reasons.


It is tough being 24, in general, I'd assume, because your peers are still hellbent on self destruction and hedonism. Being the sober one may not be fun, but it's the healthier adult choice. Ask yourself if any of them would suffer weeks upon weeks of awful symptoms just to fit in with you for one night? Doubt it.

That was funny brainpatch! I'm picturing that one little brain cell fighting to stay alive lol

I went to my doctor the other day with chest pains and a concussion check in and he said to me.... you don't drink do you... and I said no, nothing at all since the concussion... and he said... good! Don't have even one. No drinking....and I said no worries there because I already feel drunk/hungover and I don't want to add to it!

I want this all to go away and if I'm going to see multiple doctors, take medication, have physiotherapy, see a psychologist, all with the purpose of fighting to get my life back, then the least I can do to help is to eat healthy, take my vitamins and don't drink so my brain has the best shot of repairing itself!

Alcohol is a toxin. It kills brain cells. It is not good for you. If you want to get better give your brain the best chance!

I think its amazing how often this topic comes up and I think its a shame the society thinks alcohol is so important. Don't get me wrong, I've had my share of drinking in the past and thats probably part of why I'm here now... not enough healthy brain cells left!

If you don't feel good when you drink or after then don't drink! I know its harder when you're young but nowhere does it say that young people have to drink alcohol!

Glad to hear you're feeling better!

CC - stepping off her soapbox

How about socializing without the alcohol?
Starr

im in the same boat as you when it comes to drinking i LOVE it. im 27 and would go out every weekend and drink, smoke weed and do cocaine

i got my concussion in Febraury of 2012 from blacking out drinking and hitting my head. when March 2012 came around i felt better and went out and partied so hard which was a huge mistake all my symptoms came back x10 after that night and i literally went all year feeling like **** i just started to feel normal agian like a month or two ago. its now March 2013 and i still cant drink like i used to. im largely better and i think almost healed except visual symptoms

im slowly starting to get back drinking though last weekend was the first time i went to a bar and got buzzed and stopped before i got drunk and its now almost Thursday and i feel fine. before that i have probably only drank 2 beers 3-4 times since March 2012....i used to drink 3 times a week till i was drunk so its def been a change

i think you need to wait at least 1 year after getting a concussion to drink. i didnt drink and it helped a lot. now im slowly getting my tolerance back because now every weekend im gonna drink beers until im buzzed and stop. hopefully by summer i have enough tolerance and im even more healed from the concussion that i can drink with no worries, wake up hungover and not worry about PCS coming back

Please disregard the experiences of claritan. His brain has been challenged by so many mind altering experiences that it can not be considered an example of how the brain responds to alcohol.

As others have posted, we each choose the risks we take. With the brain, risks taken in your 20's will come back to haunt you in your 40's. As Brain Patch says, try to conserve brain cells.

My neurologist told me that my lifetime of concussions, 1 serious, 2 mild and 10 or more very mild have likely left my brain with no ability to overcome physical trauma nor chemical trauma. Alcohol is a severe chemical trauma to the brain, even if it is just a buzz.

My best to you.