Hi Brandon, congrats on getting through what I'm sure was a very tough treatment. You're a champ!

I struggled with the alcohol question too, and I drank quite a bit more than you did - every night, a couple of glasses of wine or beer, here and there a hard drink. I particularly loved wine and had a small collection.

When I finished treatment my RO told me this: you can have a glass of champagne on your birthday or New Year's, but otherwise don't drink. I'd also consulted an MO of course early on; he was a wine drinker himself and seemed to think it was ok in moderation.

I decided to be cautious. It was a tough decision to make. I really love good wine especially. And a cold beer on a hot day (of which we have a great many here in Los Angeles) was something I practically considered a god-given right!

I do appreciate that you're a young man with what I trust will be a long life ahead of you. I was 55 when diagnosed and I'm 61 now. I haven't had a drop of alcohol in more than 4 years. For the first year or so post-treatement I had that one glass. Then it became unimportant. By now I have no interest.

So on the one hand we have you - a guy who's barely started in on life and who, facing the prospect of not being able to enjoy the occasional drink with friends ever again, finds that prospect scary. I agree. But on the other hand there's me, someone who spent virtually all of his adult life drinking every day and who was suddenly at a relatively advanced age advised not to do it anymore. Which is tougher? A good question!

My RO is very smart and I trust her completely. Every bit of advice she gave me was excellent. So I decided that I preferred breathing to drinking.

As to your other question, I say go for it. My state also permits medical marijuana and I've been using it sparingly for the last nearly a year. It helps me sleep mainly, but I'm sure depending on strain could also help you with appetite. I don't know about those oils, I mainly make myself crackers with peanut butter. In the beginning I tried a vaporizer, reasoning that it wasn't smoke I was taking into my lungs. This may well be true, but I personally found it unpleasant. So I use only edibles. You can grind them or soak them in water if it helps.

Please keep us posted on your progress. All of this stuff is of course only one person's opinion!

All the best to you.