Allergic to alcohol. Please help!!

[WyWyWyWy]

Hi all,

I have been allergic to alcohol since I was born.
Basically my skin all goes flush and becomes very itchy and hives.
And as you can guess, this has a strong impact to my social life.
Although I personally don't like drinking, in some situations I do have to drink...

I just found out why I am allergic to alcohol.

My liver cannot break down alcohol correctly, or fast enough. So when I drink enough, the "toxic level" of my liver alarms my skin, hence the "reactions". So the only way that alcohol can get out of my body is via pee pee and sweat.

Moreover, there is something called "Asian Flush", which means certain Asian lacks a kind of enzym(es) to help decomposing alcohol into acid, hence making alcohol more toxic. And I do believe I am one of the victims.

So... any cure for me?? :~~~(~~~
You know when there is a group of friends, right, we head down to pub and "let's have a few drinks tonight" and I am like "no thanks, I'll have cocacola" and I look really stupid!

And last time when I left my job, we had a farewell party and everyone was cheering me and I was holding a glass of lemonade!

Is there no cure at all?
(I know there is no cure for many kinds of allergies...)

Thanks.

[DGhost]

/me sips at a rum+coke and ponders this

in all likelyhood, no. you are doomed for the rest of your life to not enjoy the fine qualities of liquor.

however....

medicine is advancing quite rapidly. it is possible that one day a drug could be used to replace the missing enzymes. as far as the liver goes... you could always go for complete liver failure and try to get a transplant

[GNEP]

I recently gave up drinking for one reason and another - for now at least.

Believe me WyWyWyWy, you're not missing much by not drinking whilst those around you are... you can still have a great time (And you get no hangover which makes my weekends SO much longer...

[Admiral]

Be honest about it, you'll probably have to explain it a few times to people but then it will spread amongst your friends and coworkers.

[az]

Be happy you'll never become an alcoholic

And there really is NO time when you don't have a choice but to drink alcohol. Especially now that you've found out you're allergic to it. No real friend would try to force you to drink anyway.

As you can guess, I'm not drinking much (very very rarely in fact). While I do enjoy to drink myself under the table once a year, I'd have no problem without it at all.

AZ

[The Rock]

Just do what Admiral said and tell the truth to your friends. If they know your allergic, they sure as hell won't make fun of you not drinking. And if they do, they aren't true friends.

[Gurm]

Yeah. Our group of friends has a number of abstainers, for one reason or another.

One of my friends' wives is allergic to alcohol - the flushed skin, becomes intoxicated almost instantaneously, and a 6 pack would be pretty deadly. She has a beer anyway, but really shouldn't, and when she does abstain nobody cares.

Julie doesn't drink that much. It often just gives her a headache.

Even my friends and I have really cut back. I don't drink now unless I'm with friends or at a social event, which puts me into the "two beer queer" category...

But just be honest. If you get a dirty look say "I'm allergic, I break out". Nobody will MAKE you drink, seriously. People, even the most apathetic of them, have learned to be more accepting lately.

- Gurm

[GuchiGuh]

I am not allergic, but I don't drink alcohol too
not yet.....
Sorry to hear about your allergy. Maybe try diluting beer with water ?

[Marshmallowman]

*slaps* GuchiGuh, don't ever suggest watering down beer ever again.

Light, or non alcoholic beer/wine may make you feel a little less conspicuous in social situations, but they can be hard to find in some drinking establishments.

Just order a coke and say your drinking double scotch with coke , then the will be impressed by your drinking prowess when they are all drunk and you sober.

Mind you, being the designated driver(skipper), will give you a legtimante and praiseworthy reason for drinking non alcoholic drinks, and will probably get you invited out a lot by people who do drink...at the cost of having to listen to them at the end of the night

[Brian Ellis]

Sounds like you are almost ashamed of your condition. I have many Muslim friends and they are not ashamed to say that they will drink a soft drink or even mineral water. I have a revulsion for beer (long story), but I've no problem drinking water with friends and I don't miss the beer I used to drink.

Apple juice or ginger ale can look alcoholic.

"Mind you, being the designated driver(skipper), will give you a legtimante and praiseworthy reason for drinking non alcoholic drinks, and will probably get you invited out a lot by people who do drink...at the cost of having to listen to them at the end of the night"... and having them spew up in your car

[Rakido]

Re: Allergic to alcohol. Please help!!

Originally posted by WyWyWyWy

You know when there is a group of friends, right, we head down to pub and "let's have a few drinks tonight" and I am like "no thanks, I'll have cocacola" and I look really stupid!

/me thinks, the only one, who thinks you look stupid, is you.

I don't drink any alcohol. Not on Christmas, not on New Year, not on my birthday, not on any other event you can think of. Not one of my friends has a problem with it and even strangers are satisfied with my answer "i don't want to".

Get rid of the thought "i'm only cool, when i drink alcohol" (or smoke cigarettes, that belongs to the same category), that's not true.


Rakido

[ZokesPro]

Originally posted by GuchiGuh
I am not allergic, but I don't drink alcohol too
not yet.....
Sorry to hear about your allergy. Maybe try diluting beer with water ?

Might as well burn your money or just pour your beer down the drain, I'm so disappointed in you. Tsk, tsk.

[GuchiGuh]

*slaps* GuchiGuh, don't ever suggest watering down beer ever again.

Might as well burn your money or just pour your beer down the drain, I'm so disappointed in you. Tsk, tsk.

but .... but......am just trying to help WyWyWyWy here.

Another thing u can do is leave the winebottle or whatever open for an extended period of time. the alcohol will err...whats the word....turn into gas and go fly into the air...

[mutz]

Alcohol IS poison. I have nothing moral or ethical about it, just doesn't feel "right" in my body. I'll have the occasional glass of wine when I feel like it, but I won't play stupid drinking games. There's nothing in it.

Actually Wy, you are the lucky one. Your body is telling you what is good for you and you are listening to it. It's not like you have some wierd illness! If you accept yourself as you are, you will be just as happy and fun with or without a drink. Who cares what others do? It's your life.

[WyWyWyWy]

Thank you for the nice comments everyone
Most of my friends know I am allergic so they don't make me drink.
But you'd be surprised (I was surprised too) that some people do not believe there is allergy to alcoholic...

Just order a coke and say your drinking double scotch with coke

Haha... nice one.

By the way, Dr Mordrid usually replies to this kind of topics instantly... where is he when you need him? :~

About a year ago, I tried to "train" my body the acceptance to alcohol. I'd drink a very little bit (very little bit) of whisky mixed with water or coke but going to sleep. And after a month of doing this, I don't feel any better...