Cigarettes and alcohol.

[Joflump]

A close friend of mine has recently had to cut right down on his alcohol consumption due to health problems which started in December.He was drinking up to 50 pints of lager/cider per week and has reduced this to well under 20 pints. He has also stopped his 40 a day cigarette habit. Over the last few weeks we have noticed that when he does drink he behaves quite oddly and comes out with some very random ramblings! He is not acting in a drunken manner as it can happen some hours after only a couple of pints, he also talks in his sleep now. Obviously he has undergone some pretty major lifestyle changes and he has been off work since before xmas and is bored out of his mind!! He is taking medication for high cholesterol.
Can stopping smoking and cutting back on heavy drinking cause these problems?

[4getmenot]

Well most famous alcoholics seem to have got like this after giving up. Look at Ozzie Osbourne and his rambling on. And also Barrymore mumbles quite alot now. Has he been to AA at all, maybe they can help.

[Dkeyse]

Of course it can! The most important point here is the amount you eat, and the intake of vitamins! It is all very well to stuff drink down yourself, but you need to eat as well, especially fruit and vegetables! When you get up in the morning a large glass of tomato or fruit juice will see off a lot of the toxins of the night before. Also take a multivitamin supplement available from your pharmacist! As far as smoking is concerned-enough said!

[Drisgirl]

I agree it was a bit excessive but nothing to what some drink.Some could blooter that in a couple of days.I think your pal just needs to get back into a routine again - having the craic with pals etc.He sounds like he is bored out of his skull.

Best of luck to him.He's done well.

[Dkeyse]

Try www.lipitov.com re cholesterol

[mullein3]

get him to check his b12 levels the doctor will do a blood test..if he doesnt get this checked he could become very ill...in the meantime get him to take some b12 and b complex tablets the highest strength he can get...alchol can deplete b12 in the body and cause very seriouse mental health and nerve damage..a lack of b12 can also result in death and it takes a long time for that to happen but the person will suffer a great deal while it is happening..b12 is stored in the liver and as the liver filters alchol it can also destroy the b12..this is not a joke its very seriouse and make him do something...

[WendyS]

If your friend is experiencing these "rambling" problems I suggest he takes it very seriously indeed, and reduces his alcohol intake from 20 pints a week to zero. I don't know how long he was drinking at his previous intake but he could well have caused permanent serious damage to his liver - and his brain ! If he cares to check any website about the symptoms of cirrhosis, and late stage cirrhosis, he will realise that he has some serious health problems to confront and deal with. If you are a good friend, I can only urge you to encourage him to join Alcoholics Anonymous where he will get the moral support he needs to change his habits. Also, if he is off work, encourage him to get down to his library and check the books, DVD's and videos there to pass the time, and also to start taking some gentle but regular exercise like walking. Also, he needs to start eating healthily and respect his body. It is the only one he has and he may not get a second chance. Meanwhile, his metabolism is probably in a total state of confusion and struggling to adapt to all the toxins which have been pumped into it and his liver is possibly too damaged to deal with the relatively high alcohol intake still being passed through it.