KATHERINE--questions regarding alcohol, etcf.

[Guest guest]

We had such trouble with one of our noncf kids with alcohol, that when

it finally dawned that this was a terrible example for the cf sibling, and

as we did not drink (I cannot anyway as I take Phenobarbitol for tempor

al lobe epilepsy), and had never cared to, that life was fine with out it.

The liver is often the next organ to be affected in cf, gall stones being

common and elevated liver enzymes as well. None of us in our entire

clan has been much into drinking alcohol in any form; we had one rela

tive who died of it and that sort of taught us all a lesson. In the usa, it

is

so common for adolescents to drink very excessively, smoke excessive

ly--almost anything one can smoke, and drive while doing all of the

above that we became concerned early on. Also, many who become

addicted to any depressant, which alcohol is, tend to compensate by

drinking too much cafeine in any form it comes in--so it is sort of a matter

of UP---Down--UP--Down. Fortunately all of this dawned on the

middle kid, the only one who ever got into it, and it all stopped.

My idea of using alcohol--this is just me--is sniffing the vanilla extract on

New Year's Eve. I have never had the urge, nor did my husband--but

that was a different era, and our children were coming into adolescence

in the late 70's, with street drugs available, etc. We wanted to stop it,

so it was part of the compliance plan with cf for our youngest--follow the

rules and get a few rewards. This became especially significant after

the middle kid had kicked alcohol, gone to caffeine, and nearly had a

heart attack--this in a family with NO history of cardiovascular disease

on any side.

So, no, I have never:

used alcohol

cigarettes

street druggs

excessive caffeine, though I do value my morning cup or two----

My blood pressure is 115/58, so it will likely not rev me up as it did my

kid!

That liver stuff is real, though. You can web search it; those with cf do

have liver transplants (especially the young), pancreas removals and

even splenectomies. Staying away from toxic substances does help

to keep one, as a person wcf, safer from these risks, and from CFRD,

alcohol being a form of liquid sugar, so to speak!

Cheers!

Love to you and Augustine,

n, who may be a prude, but whose kids are free of really harmful

habits, as are their partners