I miss beer :(

[SpaceflightAddict]

It has now been over a year since I have drank a beer, and I still miss it. I just want to get a bottle of Jack and get sloppy drunk one night, but I won't.

If nothing else, in a year or two I might be able to drink again, and that will be an epic day.

Just wanted to rant.

[annekat]

I would go ahead and have a beer once in awhile. But not mix it with Jack or get sloppy drunk. If it is all or nothing, probably best to abstain, and keep up your good record of doing so. I'm on MTX and rarely drink, anyway, anymore, but have something once in awhile. It hasn't hurt me a bit.

[mishb]

I can't comment because I have never touched the stuff.
I'm sure Pete has recommended some low alcohol or alcohol free beers.

Keep strong - you can do it

[annekat]

True about the non-alcoholic beers, I'm sure there are some good ones. I never liked the idea and now don't even like beer much anymore, though I used to.... but I'll bet if they are cold enough they taste pretty good. I should try them myself... might be pleasantly surprisedl

[Pete]

Pretty good non-alcoholic beers include Clausthaler (I really like the golden amber), Kaliber (Guiness), Buckler (Heineken), St Pauli NA, and Einbecker. These are all imports. The US brand NA beers (O'Douls, Sharp, Cutter) taste so watered down as to be unrecognizeable as beer.

[Yvonnea]

Why can't you have the occasional beer? Even when I was on MTX I'd have a glass or two of wine each week. Didn't make me sick and I get my liver function taken regularly and no ill effects there either.

[LisaT]

I'm told I can have occasional alcohol but I'm finding more and more that I just don't want it... I feel like it makes me feel unwell whereas I used to enjoy it. I have realized that I looked forward to the taste and the feeling of treating myself rather than the actual alcohol... So I'm drinking lemon water, carbonated water, teas and too much coffee. Is there anything yummy you can replace the 'treat' of alcohol with, without the alcohol?

[vdub]

After my brain surgery, I couldn't drink any liquor or wine. Not because the docs said "no", but because my body said "no". I'm not sure if it was the drugs I was on or what, but I could drink beer and I did -- even while on mtx. I found a few studies, that said there wasn't much problem with mtx and beer and my PCP didn't think there was a problem, so I drank whatever I wanted for 4 years with no ill effects of any kind. My liver functions have always been very strong.

Unfortunately, about 5 months ago, I was put on some new pain drugs that have a very nasty reaction to alcohol and that ended my beer drinking. I still miss it....

Methotrexate and Rheumatoid Arthritis: Is Alcohol Consumption Safe? | RA Education | Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior

American College of Rheumatology

[SpaceflightAddict]

Not because the docs said "no", but because my body said "no".

That is more what I wanted to say than what I initially posted... I know that I could have a beer every now and then, but I have not "felt" like having one. I am sure that everything would be fine if I did have one, but I feel like I would not enjoy it as I have in the past.

In addition to that, I had a few alcohol problems in my mid 20's, so this whole Wegener's experience has been a great way to break away from those actions. If someone looked at my drinking habits a couple of years ago, they would have called me an alcoholic. This gives me a great excuse to sit back and re-asses a lot of things about life in general, with a clearer head. I had started drinking heavy when I was 21, and my mother was dying from cancer. I used booze to dull the pain, and just never stopped dulling it. A clear(er) head for a few months has done great for dealing with those lingering issues I had pushed under the mat.

I really love beer, and there are quite a few micro breweries in my area that have excellent selection, and I miss trying out their new brews as they come out, but for right now, I think my abstinence from beer is more that I am not in the right mental/physical situation to go back to it right now.

[Pete]

I'm told I can have occasional alcohol but I'm finding more and more that I just don't want it... I feel like it makes me feel unwell whereas I used to enjoy it. I have realized that I looked forward to the taste and the feeling of treating myself rather than the actual alcohol... So I'm drinking lemon water, carbonated water, teas and too much coffee. Is there anything yummy you can replace the 'treat' of alcohol with, without the alcohol?

I've grown pretty fond of "Arnold Palmers" - a 50-50 combination of iced tea and lemonade. Very refreshing on a hot summer day. Maybe a bit heavy on sugar, but still good!