Alcoholism can put a person at risk for many life-threatening diseases including those affecting the liver, heart, and pancreas.  But what about the common cold, a sinus infection, or strep throat.  What’s that like for someone with alcoholism?  I have a cold today, and I got curious.  Here’s what I found out.

Fluids Flush Out Toxins and Alcohol Dehydrates

Doctors always push fluids, fluids, and more fluids when your body is dealing with an infection.  Fluids help flush out the germs, keep your mucus flowing to prevent congestion, and generally support the germ-fighting activity of your white blood cells. 

Well, what if you are drinking all kinds of hard alcohol or a 12-pack of beer every day?  Alcohol dehydrates you, so medical professionals often recommend that you avoid alcohol when you have a cold or the flu.  If you are already drinking an excessive amount, your body is “in the hole” when it comes to fluid balance. 

Alcohol Limits White Blood Cells Abilities

Alcohol in large amounts also limits the ability of white blood cells to fully fight an infection.  Also, drinking lots of alcohol takes the place of nutritious food.  This decreases a person’s nutritional intake over time, depriving the body of vitamins and minerals needed to build a healthy functional immune system.  Nothing, not even the best vitamin supplements, can replace the nutritional value of healthy food.  With all this, the alcoholic’s body is always a few steps behind when a germ invades.

When your body spends a lot of resources and energy flushing all the alcohol out of your body, it has little left to deal with germs waiting to get in.  Like a castle left with just a few guards at the main entrance, infection can easily get established.

Brown Bottle Flu And The Common Cold Bad Combination

You know how awful you feel when you have a bad cold or the flu - headache, fever or chills, achy muscles, stuffy head, raw throat, fatigue.  Now think about a hangover - headache, achy muscles, upset stomach, fatigue.  Hmm….no wonder a hangover is often called the “brown bottle flu”.  Can you even imagine how it feels to have both of these going on at the same time?

Some people may try using the excuse that drinking helps prevent colds and illness.  Well, having a small amount of alcohol helps the body to relax.  Stress and chronic muscle tension can weaken a person’s immune system  But in this case, more is not better.  The damage from excessive alcohol completely overshadows any benefits from increased relaxation.

Alcohol Rehab For a Healthy Immune System

A person with alcoholism needs alcohol rehab for many reasons.  Obviously, stopping the consumption of large amounts of alcohol is the first step.  When all the problems have persist and gotten worse, keeping the toxins out of the system will have the greatest first impact. 

Alcohol rehab is also a place for people to regain and nourish their physical health.  No doubt they have experienced more infections and illnesses than most other people.  They need time to learn healthy eating habits, exercise routines, and to strengthen their immune system.  Going to alcohol rehab is the best way for an alcoholic to get a strong immune system.

A woman I know had been an alcoholic for longer than she realized.  She had the deck stacked against her in so many ways, it’s not surprising she had this coming.  In fact, one would wonder how she had any hope at all of restoring her life to the dreams she had as a young girl.  It’s one woman’s story, but every woman with addiction has a part of this story.  Where do you fit in? 

Alcoholism And Family Problems

Family history of alcoholism - check.  As anyone with alcoholic parents knows, a family with alcoholism is no healthy family.  Children often become the parents and vice-versa.  The one steady parent resents the “free pass” the other parent seems to have for family responsibility, marital problems, and financial stability. 

Too much responsibility for a young girl to take on - check.  This young woman grew up expecting chaos and mixed-up family roles.  As a teenager, she became the mom to her youngest brothers.  No counting on her own mom for much.  She was busy reclaiming her social freedom after the divorce.  Her mom had felt like she was in a cage for so long, she just let loose.  

Like her father, this woman had untreated mental illness.  She had some serious periods of anxiety and depression.  No wonder since she was attending college and acting like a parent.  Her weight began to creep up, her drinking increased, and her love life got out of control.  Judgement began to go out the window on a regular basis.  But since she did very well in school, it appeared that things were really OK. 

Alcoholism And The Facade Hid Mental Illness

Inside, she was breaking apart.  Her father was alcoholic and was disconnected.  He never went to alcohol rehab or even AA to deal with his drinking.  Her mother was like an out of control teen.  She had a few family members to turn to, but most of them were ignorant of their own drinking problems.  They certainly didn’t help her find reality or show self awareness. 

So as a young adult, she had dramatic relationships with men that treat her poorly and get together for physical pleasure only.  Not surprisingly, she spent most of her time with these guys when she was drunk.  She often felt torn, defeated, and like yesterday’s newspaper. 

One last thing - she finally got a great job highlighting her best talents and favorite tasks.  She was quickly promoted to a position with more responsibility.  While she liked the move, she was terrified of leadership.  Too much to expect from her since she had, at best, a blurry sense of self at the time.

As you would expect, it all came to the forefront in a late night car accident.  She was charged with a DUI and went on a long harrowing journey.  It cost her money, dignity, legal problems, social limitations, time at an alcohol treatment center, and uncovered the resurgence of her depression.  However, she took her alcohol treatment to heart. 

After Alcohol Rehab A Life Coming Back Together

Slowly but surely, she has been building her life back.  She puts on one small piece at a time, sometimes after her foundation gets shaken up for a while.  She is persistent, renewing her attempts to keep moving forward.  She still faces many challenges, including an unresolved problem with food and bouts with anxiety and depression.  But she truly knows the significance of the journey she’s made.  She went through alcohol rehab program and came out with new hope and vision.