Hi kiakim,

I go out and have drinks with friends. I don't do it every weekend or anything, but i enjoy myself from time to time. I don't feel that it exacerbates my symptoms.

I like going out with my friends and I want to enjoy my life as best I can! MS may take things from me, but I won't let go without a fight.

If I remember correctly, you're newly diagnosed - just take things easy and do overdo anything right now. Have a couple drinks with your friends, relax, and try to take your mind off of MS for a while. :)

Thanks, I don't want to get drunk or anything. Just have a fun night with a couple drinks.
I already quit smoking and haven't had alcohol for atleast 3 months and I just wanted to have some fun, but not get crazy!

I go out and enjoy drinks every so often and havent had any problems thus far... I havent had any problems, just takes a lttle more recovery the next day, but i'm sure thats expected with all the fatigue..

Hope this helps and with all this stress we go through..a drink helps to relax you!!

my doctor told me that it is unrealistic to expect me to never drink alcohol again, I was just told that I need to do it in moderation.

I'm 24, still in school and I am without symptoms. I do not follow any special diet, so drinking is ok for me.

My neuro told me that with Ms the body metabolises alcohol more quickly so Ms sufferers are more quicly affected by alcohol. I don't drink now (except on very rare occasions) and I don't miss it. Not drinking alcohol is a choice many people make so it doesn't have the social stigma it once had. I usually just say I am the designated driver.

The lady at the bar of my local club makes me a 'Doozy' which is half OJ half soda. It's nice!

I used to drink a lot than disability pay put a cramp in that but I have noticed that it affects me more, not sure because of the no drinking or the Rebif, I've seen discussions on this and so many people said no difference but not true for me and with a German background I should be able to drink but no more

I had a really severe band around my ribs and chest area that wouldn't go away, so I drank half a bottle of beer and fell asleep. When I woke up the band was gone and I felt really rested for a change.

I'm not a drinker at all so maybe thats why it made me relax so well. I was concerned about being on heart medicine and using alcohol but the little bit didn't hurt me and I would do it again if nothing else worked.

I doubt a beer would hurt you but I don't know if you are on meds or not so be careful in that respect.

Good Luck and have a blast!!!!!!!
kath

I lke a glass of red wine with my dinner at night,dont really go out that much but if I do a glass or two ,wont hurt . thats fine really jeeeeeeeeeeez in my opinion you should be able to let go every so often
have fun ok its good for you :)

I still have a drink and even asked the doctor if it was ok and he told me as long as I'm not getting crazy and drinking every night.

Love my Wine! :)

I used to be able to keep up with the best of them, with no problems different than anyone else. No able to anymore, but still have a few on the boat at or at home. My bladder has taken all ofthe fun out of doing anything socially.

Having a few drinks here and there is perfectly fine, most of us do.

However, I will give you a few things I've learned:

- Alcohol affects the nerves... So does MS... sometimes this makes for weird affects when I drink, from extreme fatigue to random twitching. GO SLOW because alcohol may not affect you the same as it used to, and it's a moving target.

- Don't plan anything for the next day, usually I need to recoup some sleep because I feel more fatigued then usual the day after.

- Make sure there are no interactions with your meds. For example, if you take vicodin for pain, it's not usually good to combine with alcohol, so you might need to adjust your meds for the night or go easy. For example.. I take amphetamine salts for energy. Since I needed the energy to go out, I took one an hour before leaving the house. One glass of wine in I thought my heart was going to explode. Apparently those don't play well together. Now I just make sure I don't take any if I'm planning to drink.

- ENJOY YOURSELF! Have fun! MS isn't the end of life, it just means doing a little more careful planning ahead.

Ok...My husband has MS and he is on Rebiff. Also It doen't seem to be helping him but he drinks at least 12 to 18 beers a day. It is unbelieve I know but it's the truth. He is now on total disability after working 35 years as a construction electrician. He is unbearable most of the time. I work everyday to to keep health insurance. He does vertually nothing to help me. They still let him drive but I am beginning to think that was a mistake. What I am asking is... has anyone ever been in this situation? I feel so alone. Thankyou
Susan

Hi suvk,
I'm not even sure where to start on this one other than I'm sorry your going through this and as I used to drink like that for a long time. I do think at this time in his life if he is close to your age and I'm not picking seeing as I've been down this road and have done it myself but it is time for him to get some help. The reasons are many but I'll cut to the chase and that is not a normal thing for me to do but,
since he is on disability there is a decrease in money and as hurtful as it is he can't afford to drink. The rebif increases the effect so if he has to drink he can drink less. I can be brutally honest on the repercussions of drinking and disability but that is not for everyone to read so PM me if you want to talk some more, I'm on your side just so you know and he does need help. You can have him PM me or you can and I'm more than willing to share my experience, I just think it is more of a private matter as if it was me I would like to talk to someone who went through this where no one is judged and I'd be more than happy to talk with him if he wants.
Dave