I believe everyone who knows me
knows that I like to relax and have a good time. When I was “having a good time”, most of that
time I could’ve been seen with an alcohol beverage in my hand.
In August I wanted to try
something new; not only for me, but for my husband and my son. My health is not the greatest when dealing
with HIV, but I know I have the tools to make it better.
So I decided to stop drinking. Let me say that it has not been easy to do
but I wanted to see if it actually affected my health.
I didn’t go see my doctor for 4
months. The last time I saw my doctor it
was in July and my T-Cell count was in the 300’s. Now that I stopped drinking my T-Cell count
went up into the 400’s. I hope that this
number climbs for me.
Most of the HIV positive people
know want this number to go as high as it possibly can. Some are higher than 400 some remain
lower. But you cannot worry too much
about the numbers of other HIV positive people, worry about yourself and your
own numbers. People are used to boasting
about their numbers and that’s okay.
Then I looked at beers and
wines that were non-alcoholic. So now I’m
okay with have O’Douls, even though it sometimes upsets my stomach. So then
I switched to St. Pauli N.A. which also has a Amber flavor that I liked a
lot. When drinking wine I’ve learned to
stick with Fre Wines. I will leave the
links at the end of this entry to make sure you can check it out.
But now that I’ve stopped
drinking I’ve had to analyze what I can do to stay in a social setting and be
okay with everyone around me drinking. I
started drinking non-alcoholic wines, beers and even champagne; and for me I
started to like it. I like the fact that
I was leveled headed when leaving a public setting, could interact with
friends, not get drunk, and not have a hangover the next day.
When you are HIV positive, you
have to work hard to stay healthy. Drinking less alcohol—or not drinking at
all—can help you fight HIV disease and improve your health. Quitting drinking
or cutting down on drinking is just one part of leading a healthy lifestyle.
·
Can make you
forget to take your HIV medicines on time or not care about taking them at all.
·
Hurts your liver,
especially if you also have hepatitis C.
·
Can weaken your
immune system so that it does not fight HIV as well.
·
Affects your
judgment so you may not practice safe sex.
·
Increases the
risk of side effects from HIV medicines and other medicines.
·
Changes how some
prescription drugs work in your body and can make them less effective.
For many people, drinking is a
response to life’s problems and pressures. If you drink too much alcohol to
deal with depression or the stress of living with HIV, talk with your doctor or
healthcare provider.
Some of the facts that are
stated in this journal entry can be found in the brochure. Alcohol and HIV A mix you can avoid.
O’Doul’s
St. Pauli N.A.
Fre Wines
