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        New Message Board Archives >> Oct-Dec 2003 >> Alcoholic with a question
        
(Message started by: Reese on Oct 9^th, 2003, 12:28pm)

Title: Alcoholic with a question
Post by Reese on Oct 9^th, 2003, 12:28pm

Hi,I been getting CH for about 4-5 years now.Im 34,m,smoker and beer drinker.Ive been in a cycle now for 3 weeks.I cant say whether beer triggers my attacks or not.Sometimes they get me when Im drinking sometimes not.I have not had a beer in 5 days and the headaches are worse than they ever been.Normally I get 1 a day,but,since no drinking Im getting 2-4 at odd times of the day(not my normal pattern).I never get them while sleeping like most people.I usually get them afternoon/evening,but in the last 5 days I get them in the mornings(very rare) and other times throughout the day.Oxygen aborts them within 5 minutes if Im at home,but at work when it strikes I have to walk at a face pace,eyes barely open,with a killer pain in my head around the neighborhood of the job we are working at(talk about embarassment).After about a mile the attack ends.I feel bad for the people who think Im walking for exercise and greet me with "good morning" and I just look at them with teeth clenched and grumble grrr or something.I suppose police will show up some day LOL. My question is why are they worse now that I am not drinking any alcohol? The pain can come on like every 2 hours fluctuating in intensity.Any suggestions? When I drink I usually get one 6-10 kip for about an hour then no matter what I do I wont get another until next day.Im baffled and am trying to quit drinking but this is making life unmanageable.

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by Ree on Oct 9^th, 2003, 12:37pm

I would still say keep up the good work... Maybe you are feeling more of the headache attacks because when you were drinking the alcohol was sedating the pain... or masking the pain...

With my hubby beer is a definate trigger... some say they abort attacks with beer... those people are also chronic HELLO... DUH???? they won't even try to give it up to see... sooooooo what can I say?... MOST of the eposodic conventioneers that were in cycle weren't drinking... Those that did got hit OFTEN...this is a good observation...because I'm not much of a drinker... The Ch'ers are also huge smokers OONLY ONE OR TWO DIDN'T SMOKE... one of the chronic people I have had the intense pleasure of being around actually lights one butt from another... Talking to the doc that night he said to me he couldn't believe how much the Clusterheads smoke... My hubby can't quit...
All of this leads this regular Joe(sephine)to believe that Ch'ers have very addictive personalities... and can usually tollerate pain more intensely than your regular JOE...
Hope I helped... just Ree on the spectater side of Ch... love to you and good luck quitting...

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by brain_cramps on Oct 9^th, 2003, 12:54pm

Episodic and getting hit more while NOT drinking? That's new one (at least as far as I've heard).

While in cycle, alcohol of any type is definitely out for me. It triggers an attack for me with 5 minutes.

grant 8)

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by Bob P on Oct 9^th, 2003, 12:55pm

Well said Ree. Refreshing to call a spade a spade.

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by thatwasmyskull on Oct 9^th, 2003, 3:16pm

Had to chime in on this one! I must agree with previous replies in that alcohol is nearly always a perfect trigger for me. Which sucks, 'cause I enjoy a beer and a shot as much the next guy... Haven't had a drink for months. It's one of the tragic ironies of clusters. I have used alcohol to trigger on purpose if I need to be pain-free at a certain time... for example, if I have a date at 10 o'clock, I'll slam a double shot of whiskey at 2, get that beast out of the way and then I'm good for 10 o'clock... I have never heard anyone who got worse from not drinking. Puzzling. Whatever the cause, good luck and PFD... Hang in there! Brian

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by jonny on Oct 9^th, 2003, 4:49pm

on 10/09/03 at 12:37:14, Ree wrote:

some say they abort attacks with beer... those people are also chronic HELLO... DUH????

Gotta call ya on this one Ree, im here everyday for four years and have never seen anyone post that more booze aborts their CH...Chronic or Episodic.

.....................................jonny

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by Big_Dan on Oct 9^th, 2003, 5:17pm

Sorry Ree, but I'm gunna disagree with ya...

... to my knowledge and experience, there ain't no masking pain with alcohol... the more you drink the worse it hurts....

-Big Dan

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by kim on Oct 9^th, 2003, 5:36pm

I like my beer. I'm episodic. When in cycle the thought of beer makes me very very afraid.

No drinky while having clusters.

Cannot speak for chronic sufferers as i do not walk in their shoes and have no idea what I would do in that situation.

**If you think you have a drinking problem, chances are ya do** and hats off to you for dealing with it! :)

Well wishes and PFDAN

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by 9erfan on Oct 9^th, 2003, 5:55pm

Maybe the additional headaches you're getting are "withdrawal headaches" from the alcohol...just a thought ???.

Don't give up & welcome to the site Reese.

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by River_Rat on Oct 9^th, 2003, 5:56pm

I've tried to drown clusters before, It didn't work.

LEE

Now I just say no! If you knew me you'd no how hard that is. LOL

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by Reese on Oct 9^th, 2003, 7:33pm

Im thinking withdrawals now,today I was pain free. ;D I many times drank early in the day just to get my headache over with so my later plans would not be spoiled.It usually worked too.I could never drink enough to cover up the pain of a headache,I tried before.I fear headaches now whenever I go out.I went to a fair tonite and the anticipation of pain put a damper on my night along with seeing the "party" at my favorite booth,the beer stand.But...no pain so I left happy and celebrated with a Ruby Tuesday dinner(served with a ice cold WATER).Another thing I suppose could be triggering is my smoking.A couple of packs a day,I must be doing something bad to my oxygen levels.I read above alot of sufferers smoke but it does not seem to be for sure,who knows? Before I go you have to hear what a coworker said to me the other day."Its all in your head"!!!!!!I called him the biggest fuckin loser I ever knew and almost punched his teeth down his throat,really,I started walking in a zone,blood pressure soaring, toward him until my father stopped me.Its all in my head,yup I guess in a sense he was right except when the pain creeps into my neck.Later fellas

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by Ree on Oct 9^th, 2003, 7:56pm

jonny you have a pm ... love ya ree

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by BobG on Oct 9^th, 2003, 8:08pm

I've said this many times before and I'll say it again......

You CAN NOT out-drink a cluster headache!

Been there, tried that. :'(

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by Jackie on Oct 9^th, 2003, 8:26pm

Nope, ya can't out-drink a CH...actually I think the beast likes it. >:(
Blake tried it many times.....back in the old days.
Bless his heart....it's hell trying to do a bullet when drunk on your ass.... :-/ ::)

Jacks 8)

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by Ree on Oct 9^th, 2003, 8:33pm

LOL THATS A sad and scarey picture Jackie... hope you never have to see that!!!! love to you ree

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by Jackie on Oct 9^th, 2003, 8:38pm

LMAO.....yep, Ree....it was a pitiful sight and I wasn't sure how to help..... ::)

Jacks 8)

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by Charlie on Oct 9^th, 2003, 10:25pm

Like Jonny, I could drink with CH. I cannot conceive of using booze to mitigate the effect of CH. Not gonna work. Neither does tobacco. It's rationalization #343.

Stick around and let us know how things are going.

Charlie

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by ave on Oct 10^th, 2003, 2:51am

Hate to disagree, cause I hate to drive people to drink...

But I have been known to go out on the town and drink a lot - in a devil-may-care attitude, "I'll get hit anyway, at least I'll have some fun with my friends".

Next morning I might be hung over, but I didn't get my two-hourly wake-up call in the night and my evening was not spoiled by attacks. So

* Alcohol has never been a trigger to me.
* Overindulging in alcohol has often chased attacks

I realize this goes for very few people. Most have alcohol as a trigger. Also, it is not a "medication" I would recommend because of its side effects...

This said, I have an issue with the "addicitive personality" idea. I know the expression is widely used, but it seems to suggest that if you use alcohol, tobaccao etc., you have a weak personality that cannot stand up to the lure of something pleasant.

It is much, much more complicated. The simplified story is that some neurotransmitters in your brain, the endorphins, get excited by what gives you a good feeling (cream cakes, cigarettes, chat rooms, beer....) and can create a sort of closed feedback loop.
You feel good - they incite you to find more of the same.

This does not happen to everybody in the same degree. Hence some people can leave it alone easily, for others it is a hard haul going against their own endorphins.

Blaming it on your endorphins and doing nothing is the
weak way out.
Blaming it on somebody's personality alone is cheap and not according to fact.

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by suzy617 on Oct 10^th, 2003, 6:00am

Beer is definitely a trigger for me while in cycle but I have found that if I were to drink ALOT of vodka on a weekend night, I would not be hit with my middle of the night CH. Its not possible to do that during the week but last cycle I never once got hit on the weekend when doing that. Thats just me though and thank goodness for Absolute when the beast is around. Maybe the alcohol keeps you out of the REM sleep, dont know but it works for me. So for 6-8weeks I get drunk every weekend and at least I get to sleep. Feel like crap the next day but hey, cant have everything. ;D

Suzy

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by r_headache on Oct 10^th, 2003, 8:49am

This is an interesting topic, some types of alcohol is a trigger while others isn't. My worst CH was after drinking wine (5 hours of a level 10). If I have only two or three beers I will get hit by the beast but if I have five or more beers the beast will never show up.... ??? I will never touch wine again but beer and rum seem to be just fine.

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by Turts on Oct 10^th, 2003, 9:05am

Quote:

But I have been known to go out on the town and drink a lot - in a devil-may-care attitude, "I'll get hit anyway, at least I'll have some fun with my friends".

Next morning I might be hung over, but I didn't get my two-hourly wake-up call in the night and my evening was not spoiled by attacks.

Im very much the same.

I have a low tolerance for many 5-6 kip HA'S. e.g. today I have had a kip 6 every two hrs. This has driven me more insane than a 10.

So, Im on the piss, either give me a ten and leave me the fuck alone, or just leave me the fuck alone.

Turts

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by Ann on Oct 10^th, 2003, 9:22am

Well drinking beer for me is a trigger when in cycle. When I quit smoking this spring my headaches were out of control...so I'm thinking that you are probably getting withdrawal headaches same as I was. You should have seen me whining to my hon that I just had to have a smoke...."I can't continue like this...I'm getting hit more often than before...please let me have a ciggy!sniff sniff..whine whine!!" LMAO.... it didn't work by the way..and I haven't had a smoke since march or april..can't remember which...I should probably lay off the booze too! hehe just kidding!

Good luck and stay strong!
hugs
Ann

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by fubar on Oct 10^th, 2003, 11:11am

The only thing Ree did wrong was generalize (unintentionally, I'm sure) all clusterheads as 'addictive personalities'. That's going to ruffle a few feathers no matter what group you're talking about.

I wonder if our affliction leads us to encounter addictive substances more often, or if it's the reverse. I don't have any addictive tendancies, thank God. But I've seen what an addictive personality is, and there is no mistaking it. It doesn't even have to be a drug that they get addicted to, it can be a hobby, a project, a habit, whatever.

It did seem amazing to me how many smokers there were at the convention, judging by the pictures. What are the odds? I mean, if I look at the street I live on, out of 15 houses (maybe 25 adults) I think we have 3 smokers. Maybe that's just California, but the proportions are drastically different than what was at the convention.

While I disagree with the notion that all clusterheads are 'addictive personalities', I would bet money that a larger percentage of them are when compared with the general population.

-Shawn

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by ZAIRA on Oct 10^th, 2003, 2:48pm

My experience ....when in cluster no alcohol, it provokes attacks.... >:(

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by vig on Oct 10^th, 2003, 3:44pm

booze bad

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by Ree on Oct 10^th, 2003, 3:46pm

From where I sat... I am right on this one... and the doc agreed... Go to a convention and see for yourself... end of story... Thanks fubar, you are right I didnt mean to generalize... this was an observation. love to you all addicts or not LOL I still love ya ree

Title: Re: Alcoholic with a question
Post by Jim R on Oct 10^th, 2003, 4:16pm

Gotta agree with Kim. I love my beer, but when in cycle, absolutely no way. Made that mistake a few times and ended up in the ER for demerol/phenergan/droperidol injections. NO No NO. Any beer/alcohol starts them within 20 min and every other one makes it worse.

Jim R