Dave

As the resident contrarian on OCF, I have always been quite positive about moderate alcohol use post cancer. All of my doctors (ENT, RO, MO & prosthodontist) felt that wine or beer was just fine and did not see that this advice had resulted in their patients having recurrences. Hard Liquor like whiskey was another story, since they felt the higher alcohol content could damage the mouth tissues.
It's an individual choice, with many wanting to be safe and sober rather than sorry, and others like me who balance the minimal risk with the actual pleasure of a little fun. HPV caused my cancer, not alcohol so I'm not worried. Plus I trust my doctors.
Of course, with my feeding tube, I can even do hard liquor but I just stick to wine because while I like a buzz, I'm not interested in being drunk or intoxicated. Beer unfortunately fizzes way too much in my syringe, but a nice cold bottle of Dos Equis each night was one way I avoided getting a PEG tube the first time around and still got enough calories.
IMO you should celebrate with your mates and not let the cancer take any more of your life than it has already.
Charm

Charm, those are all very valid points. I have a feeling the cancer medical community is pretty well split on this issue, though of course I have no way to judge the proportions! It might be that part of my own decision comes from knowing myself. If I start at once a week it'll become twice, then I'll say the hell with it and find myself having a glass of something with dinner every night. So I guess I find total abstention more realistic.

I also find that the longer I go without alcohol the less I miss it. On Thanksgiving I tried the tiniest sip of red wine. It was bitter and unpleasant, which is maybe a good thing considering. But I also tried a similarly small slurp of beer a month or two ago and it was hard not to drink the whole glass!

Nobody said life wasn't without continual challenges. In the long view of things, this issue is trivial. We're alive, yes.

d2

David2

My post was to the OP David, not intended to refute yours. But your latest post makes [quote]find myself having a glass of something with dinner every night.[/quote]sound like a bad thing.
If that is the case, then I am very bad.

This issue, trivial in the long view or not, arises regularly. And each time I hoist my glass in celebration and companionship to advocate a Dionysian not Apollonian life style. I really enjoy clinking the wine glasses with my wife, even if I syringe it. We toasted ChristineB down at the Riverwalk with a very nice Pinot Grigio (Christine had no alcohol, just my wife and I) just as we would have done with a new friend before the cancer. I'm not only alive, but living like I did before this cancer as much as possible. But it all so true as you wrote that this decision must be made from knowing yourself and being realistic. It's better for some people not to drink at all, whether or not they are cancer survivors.
Charm

To chime in, I love beer & wine...and whiskey but it's a really bad idea for me to drink it in more then just health aspects (I get rather lippy) so I refrain.

I can't drink wine anymore, it burns as bad as hard alcohol for me. I've been told by my ENT not to drink beer anymore, which is tough. I've always had a mild allergic reaction to it anyway but it never has kept me away long. I love it. Nothing like a nice cold beer and it helped wash down the few solids I can eat anymore.

Anyway, you've got to listen to your body and know yourself. If it's a hangup or potentially harmful, why do it to yourself?

just mho.

Eric

Hi Dave

When Alex was diagnosed smoking and drinking was thought to be the cause of his oral cancer. My reading on the subject suggested that alcohol as a causative agent for oral cancer was confounded by the fact that so many people with oral cancer and who were "high risk drinkers"(more than 4 drinks per day) were also smokers.

One thing is very clear smoking AND drinking is a very bad thing and the drink will multiply your risk anywhere from 7-15 times of smoking alone. The issue of alcohol alone is controversial as some studies suggest that high alcohol intake (spirits and beer but not wine) increases the chances whilst others can find no link. My opinion, after reading studies that contradict each other, is that alcohol in moderation seems ok but either high level drinking or smoking and drinking is a no no.

Karen

My mouth and throat are very sensitive from the radiation treatments.
All alchohol kind of burns me so I really ony have a sips here and there. Its too much effort! I do on occassion have a glass of wine. I live near wine country. I've found only the really expensive stuff doesn't burn me. I have to have a water back with any wine I have so it kind of deters me from drinking much anyway. I tried some expensive Sake this past weekend and it went down pretty easily. I think if anything burns its probably not a good idea.

I think on occassion is fine. I wouldn't drink whiskey on the rocks with regularity or anything though. I think that would do a number on the delicate tissues.

My doctors haven't told me to never ever drink again. I think you need to be careful but also live your life! I was diagnosed at 33 and I'm 37 now. Everyone I know drinks socially so it would be so very hard to never have a drink again. To be honest I barely drink. I pretty much nurse a beer all night and I think that is probably fine.

Thanks for the replies guys!I'm on my phone on the way to work now,but I'll get back on here this afternoon to reply properly.cheers

thanks everyone for expressing your thoughts on the issue. if i look back to before i got sick, and now. i probably drink a quarter of what i used to. possibly even less. so i've made a conservative effort to limit what i have. and i only drink beer rather than spirits. So far I think i'm doing ok. i even exercised the thought of giving it up completely. but i think at this point, i'm sticking to the occasional night out. nothing too extreme. and i've managed cutting back just fine lately.. thanks again for your thoughts. it's cleared my head a fair bit on the idea. cheers
dave

[quote=Charm2017]David2

My post was to the OP David, not intended to refute yours. But your latest post makes [quote]find myself having a glass of something with dinner every night.[/quote]sound like a bad thing.
If that is the case, then I am very bad. [/quote]

Hah - yes. I think that having a glass of wine or two with dinner is one of the best things about civilization. Unfortunately.

[quote]
This issue, trivial in the long view or not, arises regularly. And each time I hoist my glass in celebration and companionship to advocate a Dionysian not Apollonian life style. I really enjoy clinking the wine glasses with my wife, even if I syringe it. We toasted ChristineB down at the Riverwalk with a very nice Pinot Grigio (Christine had no alcohol, just my wife and I) just as we would have done with a new friend before the cancer. I'm not only alive, but living like I did before this cancer as much as possible. But it all so true as you wrote that this decision must be made from knowing yourself and being realistic. It's better for some people not to drink at all, whether or not they are cancer survivors.
Charm
[/quote]

True as well. So glad you're able to do that! We all need to derive pleasure from life. I've just made the decision to seek it in other forms. It's only that none of them taste so good!

d2

Hey!
Re: Alcohol. I just love to have a drink but have given it up because of the same reasons that Christine has: 3X occurrence! can't afford a 4th! BUT any kind really burns my mouth anyway. I even tried a Bailey's with lots of milk but even that burned! My doctor has said NO Alcohol....period......he says the reason is that it changes the lining of your mouth! In what way, I'm not sure but I don't think it's in a good way! Bummer!!!!!!!! On a really bad day, I even thought about putting a drink in my feeding tube and then I thought......DA! how stupid is that! Ha!