Alcohol did you give up?

Kombigirl

Hi everyone,
Tomorrow I meet my specialists and get my formal diagnosis. At this stage all I know is I have BC with lymph node involvement.
Anyway I'm a every night red wine drinker and I am getting a lot of messages from certain people to say I must give it up now.
At the moment my stress levels are too high to contemplate giving up.
I may reconsider after tomorrow.
My question is did you give up alcohol when you were diagnosed?
If so what are your thoughts?

melclarity

Hey @Kombigirl well it's a very common question and from my perspective there's no need to give it up unless you want to. They have listed the risk factors of different things but honestly, there is NO LINK between any particular food drink or anything else. I was told this when I did a rehab program by a Team of people including a OT, Psychologist, Dietician at the Epworth Hospital, who said, they are all minority studies and they only recommend not having it as they do for all other illnesses. 

So Ive been on this path for 6yrs, worst luck! and Ive had a recurrence 2yrs ago, and NO it wasnt to do with my diet or anything else. I have a social drink now so not alot but because Chemo killed my taste for it LOL. I still enjoy a wine whenever I want and I love chocolate too, lol. I do exercise but only as I can as its been a long road to recovery from treatment. I feel pretty good considering

So change up what makes you feel good only, not for any other reason, most friends/family mean well but they only regurgitate what they hear. It doesnt discriminate and incredibly healthy people get Breast Cancer that have never had a drink in their life, so its a personal choice. Do whats right for you but dont get hung up on it.  

Good luck with your results, at least you will have some direction, knowledge is power and helps so much!

Hugs Melinda xo

Afraser

It gave me up, chemo first of all altered my taste buds so wine tasted awful, then the 2nd chemo cocktail killed off my taste buds altogether so not really much point. 6 months without alcohol altered both my taste for it and my frequency (my taste buds did come back!). Most medicos will warn against alcohol except in small quantities with lots of alcohol free days, as a given, not just anti cancer. Those who have given up drinking will remind you alcohol is a known carcinogenic. The general view is that too much of a good thing is a bad thing - fat, alcohol, salt, processed meats etc. I drink a glass or two occasionally, but I feel better, have lost weight and am generally fitter on a reduced intake. Understand how you feel at the minute but see how you go. If you have chemo and lose the taste for a glass of the red, cutting back can be easier than you think. Best wishes for tomorrow.

Harlee

I'm also one who now drinks alcohol very rarely - probably once or twice a month. 
After chemo I found that wine tasted revolting. 4 years later I still can't drink red wine. White wine - meh! Tastes like it's off so what's the point?
I do like half a glass of champagne however - so it's not all bad news. I think it's the bubbles?? as I now prefer to drink sparkling water rather than still too. Mixed drinks are way too strong but occasionally I will have a quarter strength G&T or maybe a very weak Mojito. 
I honestly don't miss it and I really can't afford the calories so I'm sort of pleased I don't like it anymore.
The main thing is not to stress about it. See how it goes - if you're concerned about the recurrence risk then try to cut down a bit. If your glass of wine relaxes you - then go ahead and ENJOY it. 

primek

I used to have a glass of red a night. On my first chemo I couldn't drink the 1st 2 weeks then have a 1 ir 2 glasses the 3rd. On the 2nd regime it burned so I stopped. I do drink a couple of glasses a week if in the mood now but do find it knocks me about these days. Really I've read the studies which are vague, just stick to the current recommendations...2 max a night and 2 days alcohol free a week for women. Kath x

Zoffiel

No. I didn't and I won't. Could that contribute to my disease, possibly. It sure as shit puts kilos on my arse that I could do without. So be it.

Alcohol is a grade 1 carcinogen. As are processed meats. What does that mean? 

It means that that there have been sufficient studies conducted to establish a direct correlation between grade 1 carcinogens and some cancers. They increase your risk or, in some cases like asbestos and tobacco smoke, have been found to actively cause the disease. If you want to go further and look at exactly what those studies regarding alcohol entail, you will see that they go well beyond what would be considered normal consumption. When it comes to alcohol, it seems that our bodies can confuse alcohol and estrogen and that some cells that feed off estrogen will also 'eat' metabolized alcohol. Not good news for those with hormone receptive cancers.

This stuff is exhausting.

So, if you are worried about whether your couple of glasses of plonk are going to do you in, stop drinking. If, like me, you figure the damage is already done or you are willing to take the risk because you enjoy a drink, don't stop.

If avoiding cancer was so bloody easy the people telling you what to do won't ever get the disease. That doesn't seem to be working all that well, as anyone who has behaved themselves all their lives and still ended up ridden with the shit can tell you.

Tell them to piss off. Make up your own mind how you want to live your life, but don't put your head in the sand while you are doing it.

melclarity

@Zoffiel said it beautifully, in a perfect world none of us would get Breast Cancer according to them if we didnt drink alcohol ever  

"If avoiding cancer was so bloody easy the people telling you what to do won't ever get the disease. That doesn't seem to be working all that well, as anyone who has behaved themselves all their lives and still ended up ridden with the shit can tell you."

I don't drink much anymore couple times a month, but when I feel like something I absolutely have it and enjoy it thoroughly!! 

onemargie

Nicely said marg as usual!!!! Hi there I didnt feel like alcohol at all during treatment and as my taste was affected it tasted like shit. So did chocolate which I normally LOVE. But I haven't been a big drInker anyway but now nearly 12 months post I have 1 or 2 over the weekend if I feel like it. If I didn't have to have chemo I still would of enjoyed a drinkypoo for sure. Like they say everything in moderation. Margie x

adean

Lol ladies lm now a one pot screamer and it gives me the worst hot flushes but if l do have a drink l make sure its something l realy love

MKitty68

I rarely drank before and i rarely do now - mostly because i just don't feel like it. When i have there's been no ill effects. Do what feels right for you. 

Jenny66

I am also getting my results tomorrow and at the moment have been having a drink every night, I've found so far that all the nurses and surgeons have been more worried about when I gave up smoking than my one beer a night Jenny x

Deanne

I had actually stopped drinking a few months before diagnosis. About 9 months previous to diagnosis I went through an extremely stressful time. Alcohol became my way of getting through that stress but I knew down deep that handling my stress in this way was not healthy. So I had made the decision to stop drinking and had developed new ways to relax in the months before diagnosis. I was a much happier person for that time.

Then whamo, diagnosis of Stage 3 breast cancer. I did have some moments of guilt about that period of heavier drinking (half bottle of wine every night) but I will never know if that was a factor in my getting breast cancer. But it is certainly a strong motivation to not drink now. I did have a few sips of champagne the Christmas after I finished my year of treatment but it just did not taste good to me. I have not had a drink since and I am now heading towards 5 years since diagnosis.

I think the important thing is not to look back. I can't change the past but I try to make the most of everyday now. Treatment was hard and I now do what I can to minimise the chance of recurrence. Not drinking is just one of those things. On the plus side it is easier to maintain a healthy weight and my arthritis has actually improved even though I am on anti-hormone therapy (which usually gives you more joint pain). 

They cannot tell us exactly how alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer or breast cancer recurrence but for me the research is enough to not risk it. And I really don't think it was doing me any good. My life is definitely better without it. But that is me and my thoughts only. Each of us are different and what is best for me may not be best for everyone.

Wishing you all the best for your treatment. xxx

socoda

Hey @Kombigirl, (love the name) when I was young and stupid I was a huge drinker, now that I'm older and stupid  I rarely drink unless I'm with my younger sister who is the worst most evil influence in the whole UNIVERSE!!! Bwahaahaha. (Not really but it sounds good!) If I want a drink I'll have one. Most of the time I don't but for my little sister's 50th birthday we went to a resort for three days to celebrate and swapped water for rekorderlig ciders OMG - three day headache - doh!!! But it was excellent fun, and that's what its all about LIVING!! Yayyyyyyyyyyy. Wishing you all the best, let us know how you get on and what your treatment plan ends up being. Xx Cath

melclarity

They say drinking alcohol is not good for you PERIOD....nothing to do with Breast Cancer otherwise every single person in the world who ever has a sip would have it. They need something to try and hang this on, because there are NO commonalities at all...even if you look across just this Forum alone let alone the rest of the world. There is NO woman that fits THEIR criteria at all...funny that...

Its all about what makes you feel good in yourself nothing more, my life has changed but the biggest thing had nothing to do with diet, exercise or even alcohol. It has to do with me as a person, finally seeing my own importance and putting me first. I eat well, I exercise and I dont drink much anymore but only because Chemo killed it, but when I feel like one it's divine!!! I do these things purely to what makes me feel good...not because someone said I should LOL. 

Zoffiel

I'm also at risk of Death By Bacon. I can generally go without processed foods, but a world without bacon is untenable. Carcinogen or not.

Brenda5

My alcohol tastes changed after diagnosis and treatment too. I used to love a nice red at least a couple of times through the week but only ever one or two glasses. 
Now post chemo my tastes have changed and once a month or so I will have a scotch and dry. I will even have a beer with my 81yr old neighbour every week or two. Sometimes I don't feel like a beer so I take myself down a coffee in a flask and chat with my beer drinking neighbour.