Like the title says. I sustained a mild concussion 7 months ago during a HS event and have yet to fully heal. I would say I am certainly better than I was, say, 3-4 months ago, but I still experience symptoms a lot. Mostly heavy fog, but if I use screens to long I still get a pretty bad headache.

Now, I stupidly, stupidly didn't even take a second to consider the affects of alcohol on head injury recovery. I can't believe how dumb I am for not looking into it before I drank any alcohol. And I didn't even just do it once, I've done it 5 times since the injury. Never black out drunk, at least. I was only what you could consider "very drunk" 1-2 of those times.

But now I've been reading all about how alcohol is a HUGE no-no for concussions and I am really scared to tell the truth. I've even read some sources that say alcohol may cause concussions to never heal completely. That scares the hell out of me, I can't imagine living the rest of my life like this.

Is it really that bad? Will the consumption of alcohol 5 times over a 7 month period be enough to permanently detail head injury recovery? It's only my second concussion.

Don't drink excessively (or at all) and stop worrying about it. Worrying does hinder recovery and you can do something about it -- you can stop doing it. There's nothing you can do to change the past. It's probably not as serious as you think it is, either.

GoldPostal,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

I have never read that alcohol can make concussion symptoms permanent. It can definitely delay recovery.

What is a HS event. Does HS mean High School ?

If that is so, my biggest concern for you is the long term effect of alcohol on a teens maturing brain regardless of whether you suffer a concussion. There is ample research into the effect getting drunk, especially 'very drunk,' during the teen years has on future brain function.

Only you will know if alcohol made things worse for you. I've known some people with PCS who have drank with no problems, and others (like me) that it completely destroyed even after one drink.

I personally don't recommend drinking while in recovery. I think minimizing things that will negatively effect your brain is your best bet. You can start by reducing stress and anxiety caused by wondering if you've caused permanent damage. Stress and anxiety are your worst enemy.

If I told you that I doubt you've caused any permanent damage by drinking, will you go out and drink again?

I wouldn't do it...and no, you didn't cause any permanent damage or inhibit your ability to recover.

I am new to this group please excuse me. I found the group when searching for brain stem compression symptoms. I have Chiari Type 1 Malformation. When I saw your post, your symptoms seem to be similar to those experienced by persons with Chiari. I just wanted to see if you have heard of it or if you have had a brain or cervical MRI that might show it? Chiari can be induced by trauma such as yours. Mine was made worse from whiplash twice.

I think I successfully attached a photo showing my Chiari brain compared to normal brain. Chiari is a herniation of the tonsils of the cerebellum into the spinal column, which can cause brain stem compression & spinal cord compression as well besides the fact that it can cause a blockage of your cerebrospinal fluid. This disorder often is overlooked and gets misdiagnosed. Mine showed up on a 1994 MRI, I was never told. I discovered on my own just this August when looking over a 2006 MRI... If this could be the cause of your issues I just wanted to help. Regardless I hope you are doing better.

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Alcohol absolutely makes you feel worse, and can make your symptoms temporarily worse, but I don't believe it causes anything permanent (other than, you know, the fact that excessively consuming alcohol in general is not good for your brain, concussion or not.)

I have drank too much on several (stupid) occasions during my recovery, and each time it has been terrible for my mood swings, brain fogginess, etc in the short term. However, I'm always able to recover after resting, eating healthy, getting enough sleep, etc. for a few days to a week afterward. I really would recommend either cutting out alcohol completely or keeping it to one drink every once in a while, because you'll feel better if you do. I know it's hard when you have friends that drink a lot, though, coming from personal experience.

I noticed in the early stages of my recovery (0-9 months) that alcohol had a pretty negative impact on me, and therefore consumed it rarely. Now at 23 months, it doesn't have as negative an impact on me but I still, for the most part, avoid it.

I am experiencing something very similar, and doctors haven't come across this enough. I hit my head in April, it was a mild concussion. I felt better after about 10 days and drank very heavily. I then felt pretty crappy for maybe 3 weeks, After I thought I had almost (not fully) recovered, I drank another beer and felt miserable again. Each time after consuming alcohol I felt like a 1000 times worse than I did when I initially hit my head. I felt better again after about 4 weeks, and again drank maybe half a corona. That was the biggest mistake. I constantly feel nauseous and completely unable to formulate thoughts. Its been about 6 months now since the initial hit, and almost two months since the last time I drank. My symptoms haven't gotten better. I know to a large extent I brought this upon myself, but really need some hope. It's so overwhelming everyday to just think about the recovery process, and how far away I feel from the person I used to be. Extremely scared. Please help.

I should mention I have been to two neurologists and MRI and other tests were normal.

I drank one cider about 8 months after my first concussion and had a migraine/nausea the next day. This was also a very anxious time for me as I was graduating college and having to deal with my divorced parents spend time with each other across the country in my presence.

Three months after that I could drink without any issues. After my second concussion I was able to drink just a month after recovery without any issues. Don't forget that alcohol can make you feel pretty terrible even when you don't have a concussion.

For what it's worth, in the rugby culture at my school, kids will get concussed during a game and not know it, drink heavily later that night, feel terrible for a few weeks/months, and end up recovering just fine in the long run.

I definitely don't recommend going through that, but I wouldn't be so anxious about alcohol destroying your chance of recovery. As everyone else recommends, avoid alcohol for now. Maybe try one beer once you've felt better for a few months and see.

The specialists routinely say No alcohol. It is a neuro-toxin. For those who can tolerate it without it causing any symptoms, some suggest a single serving is OK. They justify this as a trade-off between the negative and toxic issues of alcohol against the need to have a relaxed evening. The de-stressing that can come from a single serving is considered an acceptable trade-off.