Heavy drinker and smoker planning to quit. Looking for ways to heal old damage and forestall new damage

[toolhead]

Hello Everyone:

I'm a new member. Not sure if I'm posting this in the right subforum.

I used to be somewhat active at Imminst/Longecity shortly after its inception -- before the slings and arrows of Life drew me away from such interests.

While I'm not nearly as health conscious as I used to be back then, I've still managed to maintain a relatively clean diet, relatively effective fitness regimen, take basic nutritional supplements, get plenty of sleep, etc...

But I became something of a "functional alcoholic" for the past 15 years or so, in addition to my smoking habit (from my late teens) which only got worse over time.

I never made much of an effort to correct those unhealthy behaviors because I knew I loved them so much - it is clear to me now they were filling a deep psychological need within me that was not amenable to rational analysis. But I do believe the worm has turned and I am making a sincere New Years' resolution for the first time in over 20 years.

Naturally, my formerly dulled, suppressed concerns about my health are now front and center. To that end, I've been taking milk thistle for my liver, and NAC for my lungs, but I am reaching out to you all to discover if there are other treatments/protocols I might undertake to hasten the healing of whatever damage I may have done to those two organs.

I'm in pretty good health otherwise. Just had a physical and my bloodwork was perfect (except for a slightly elevated eosinophil count which my GP thinks is only a mild allergy). Over the course of the pandemic I managed to improve my lipid profile even better than last year's physical, lose 5 pounds so my weight is perfect for my height, BP and other vitals are perfect, etc.

There are some concerns, though. For instance, I have no *particular* trouble jogging, biking, jumping rope, etc. I mean, I know my lung capacity is not great, but I've never had a smoker's cough (always smoked Ultra Lights so I don't think tar is an issue (doctor doesn't hear anything in my lungs)), and I get through my cardio workouts just fine -- AS LONG AS I'M BREATHING. What I mean is: when I perform a different sort of activity like yard work, where I may need to bend over, or get on my knees, and move something heavy, and so hold my breath to build up intraabdominal pressure in order to brace my core.........I find that after a few seconds, my heart rate starts to increase and beats harder, and I get a tad lightheaded. I have not yet quite figured out the mechanics to explain this seeming discrepancy in my cardio performance. I'm guessing it has something to do with the gas exchange due to the loss of elasticity in my lung tissue thanks to the carbon monoxide? I'm all ears, ladies and gents. While I am not *particularly* concerned about cancer at the moment, I AM concerned about this seeming loss of elasticity and the ability to hold my breath for long periods of time. A few years back I took a spirometry test and it said I had the lung capacity of a 70 year old!!!! Are there options for me here?

Similarly for my liver: my liver enzymes were perfect on my last blood panel. Anecdotally, I've always had a very high tolerance to all pharmaceuticals (legal and illegal) all my life. I estimate I simply have a "robust constitution", at least in this regard. Unfortunately, a couple years ago I was a pseudo-patient for an ultrasound student who informed me I had a fairly fatty liver. So that was a bit concerning as well. Anything other than milk-thistle you folks think I should throw at it?

If you've read this far -- thanks for listening. I only recently became aware of this forum due to my researching covid/vaccine issues and was thoroughly surprised and impressed with the level of knowledge here. It looks like this place will be yet another daily read of mine for the latest in TRUE covid/vaccine information.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

Welcome toolhead! I would add Progest-E to your regimen. I posted this Ray Peat quote on my "Progest-E & Raw Honey High" thread. I hope it helps ease your mind a bit :)

"I knew someone who had been addicted to morphine and alcohol for 30 years, who was drinking quarts of beer and wine daily when he didn't have morphine, who had an opportunity for a good job if he could get sober. Starting progesterone at bedtime (and stopping the wine), he said it was the first time he didn't have a hangover in the morning. He used enough progesterone to neuter most people, but said it didn't affect his sex function; he was taking a lot of Cytomel and magnesium, but wasn't drunk again as long as I knew him, and his general health improved." -Ray Peat

"The person I described who recovered so completely took about 1000 mg of progesterone during the first night, and more than 1000 mg daily for a few weeks, but that much could make some people comatose; it's a matter of individual hormone status. I think the SSRI drugs continue to do harm, even when they reduce withdrawal symptoms." -Ray Peat

 

[toolhead]

Welcome toolhead! I would add Progest-E to your regimen. I posted this Ray Peat quote on my "Progest-E & Raw Honey High" thread. I hope it helps ease your mind a bit :)

"I knew someone who had been addicted to morphine and alcohol for 30 years, who was drinking quarts of beer and wine daily when he didn't have morphine, who had an opportunity for a good job if he could get sober. Starting progesterone at bedtime (and stopping the wine), he said it was the first time he didn't have a hangover in the morning. He used enough progesterone to neuter most people, but said it didn't affect his sex function; he was taking a lot of Cytomel and magnesium, but wasn't drunk again as long as I knew him, and his general health improved." -Ray Peat

"The person I described who recovered so completely took about 1000 mg of progesterone during the first night, and more than 1000 mg daily for a few weeks, but that much could make some people comatose; it's a matter of individual hormone status. I think the SSRI drugs continue to do harm, even when they reduce withdrawal symptoms." -Ray Peat

Interesting! What is the mechanism of action for progesterone in my case?

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

Interesting! What is the mechanism of action for progesterone in my case?

I am not a progesterone expert, but I have learned a lot from my thread on it. You should read through all of the Ray Peat quotes I put in there because progesterone covered a lot of health issues. I think the biggest thing is that it is protective and you are gonna be doing some detoxing and all of it is going to be circulating. Here is the link so you can feel good about using it. You shouldn't just take advice without knowing for yourself why.

The Progest-E & Raw Honey High

Ok I'm going to try that brand, the one in the link. Got any recommendations or precautions? I was planning on doing maybe one drop on the gums possibly 3 hours before bed. Maybe doing this for three or four days and then off for a couple of days.

raypeatforum.com

 

[Peachy]

Hello! Check out Jay Feldman and Mike Fave’s latest podcast series on fatty liver. You’ll find a wealth of knowledge there. It ended with episode 70. The body has amazing healing capacities and I have no doubt you’ve got this. https://jayfeldmanwellness.com/podcast/

 

[bk_]

I am not a progesterone expert, but I have learned a lot from my thread on it. You should read through all of the Ray Peat quotes I put in there because progesterone covered a lot of health issues. I think the biggest thing is that it is protective and you are gonna be doing some detoxing and all of it is going to be circulating. Here is the link so you can feel good about using it. You shouldn't just take advice without knowing for yourself why.

The Progest-E & Raw Honey High

Ok I'm going to try that brand, the one in the link. Got any recommendations or precautions? I was planning on doing maybe one drop on the gums possibly 3 hours before bed. Maybe doing this for three or four days and then off for a couple of days.

raypeatforum.com

+1 for Progest-e. There is quite a bit of research on the benefits of progesterone for overcoming drug and alcohol addictions. It provides neurosteroids that alleviates anxiety, helps improve focus, and overcome addictive behaviours. I suspect that many addicts have low hormones or other deficiencies and seek drugs or novelty as an unhealthy way to restore these such as endogenous dopamine.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

Interesting! What is the mechanism of action for progesterone in my case?

Hi toolhead! How is you quest for better health going?

 

[LadyRae]

Books by Allen Carr are helpful. He has one for quiting drinking AND smoking.

I quit drinking cold turkey almost 3 years ago and it was the best thing I ever did for my health. You're right, these things are crutches and they do fill a psychological need but it is possible to let them go..

 

[reaching]

B vitamins (especially b1), magnesium, taurine.
someone has been telling me NAC if you continue to drink.

 

[JamesGatz]

Same - life is just so boring when I'm sober

 

[Inaut]

Agmatine seems to be helpful. My friend was an alcoholic and smoker. Just recently she quit drinking. I think agmatine helps quite a bit but also dealing with old traumas is important. There’s a reason why we medicate ...