How bad is alcohol for health? If one stops drinking completely after drinking regularly for some years, what effects will be noticed over what time?

Alcohol causes massive amounts of damage to the central nervous system – from the fingers all the way down to the toes – to the spinal column and into the brain – anything that is part of the nervous system overall, *WILL* be damaged. Not might, not possibly – *WILL* be damaged.

This was found out after B.E.A.C.O.P.P. chemotherapy treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Neuropathy (nerve pain) is prevalent in those that have “used” alcohol.

I’ve been clean and sober for nearly five years – and prior to the chemotherapy, I did have some “niggly” pains here and there – my knees (numbness), my fingers, hands and wrists, sometimes my feet, the balls of my feet, my toes…

All of that has been exacerbated MASSIVELY.

In the discussion(s) with the neurologist, even if I didn’t have the chemo, the neuropathy would increase over time (and usage) – probably no where close to what I have now, but bad enough to be noticed and bad enough for it to impinge upon my “daily life” – and especially in sleeping.

There is the simple fact that some of my pain will never go away. Yes, nerves can regenerate and “heal” – sometimes to a “degree”, but damage that’s already been done – “core damage”, won’t. I eat well, exercise/stretch, take supplements aimed at neurological healing, and maintain a positive attitude…but a fact is a fact, and I have to live with what I have done to my own body – I have to “own” that.

My neurologist has been kind enough to describe other damage – damage to the hippocampus and obviously the cerebral cortex, the spinal cord, the optical cortex, the pituitary gland…and then we’ve got “wet brain” – Korsakoff Syndrome – which is not a pleasant “end” to one’s life (Alcoholic Korsakoff syndrome – Wikipedia)

Credit: Stephen Kuhn