Alcohol after a stroke is strictly prohibited, especially during the recovery period. All alcoholic drinks contribute to the dilation of blood vessels, and then their rapid narrowing. The consequences of this for the body can be dire, including cerebral hemorrhage.
In addition, if you drink alcohol after a stroke, then while you are intoxicated, you will not be able to correctly respond to a deterioration in your health and call a doctor. This means you can count on timely medical care. For people who have suffered a stroke, it is surgical intervention by doctors that guarantees that the patient will survive.
After a violation of cerebral circulation due to a lack of oxygen in the required amount, ischemia develops. A stroke is accompanied by blockage of the lumen of blood vessels with a blood clot or hemorrhage. The severity of complications after it can vary - it all depends on which part of the brain is affected and how.
It happens that a stroke passes with almost no consequences, but in some cases the person becomes incapacitated. Under such circumstances, the compatibility of rehabilitation therapy and alcohol is completely excluded. Otherwise, complications such as disturbances in the sensory organs, paralysis, paresis, etc. may appear.
The effect of alcohol on a person after a stroke
Alcohol intoxication after a stroke, especially if you are taking medications, can lead to a tragic outcome. In addition, it is recommended to reduce cigarette consumption or give up this bad habit completely.
Important! You should not drink light alcoholic drinks, for example, beer.
Even with good rehabilitation, some patients after a stroke never recover to their previous state.
The fact is that too much of their brain dies. For the first time after a stroke, patients need to remain in bed. The person's motor function will be restored gradually. Naturally, drinking alcoholic beverages is strictly contraindicated at this time.
After rehabilitation and only with the permission of a doctor, men and women can allow themselves to drink red or white wine - 1 glass no more than 1-2 times every 7 days. This will improve the composition of the blood and make the blood vessels elastic.
Before drinking alcohol, you should make sure of its quality; there are many counterfeit drinks made from inappropriate products on sale. Even elite brands of alcohol can be fake.
Therefore, look for good varieties of high-quality wines, its antioxidants can:
- lower blood pressure;
- improve brain function;
- strengthen the vascular system.
It is prohibited to drink strong alcoholic drinks, especially if you were previously dependent on alcohol. Only non-alcoholic beer is allowed. However, it is better to replace it with clean still water or juice.
If a patient continues to drink alcohol after a stroke, they will experience significant brain damage over time. In this case, it becomes difficult and sometimes useless to carry out treatment and rehabilitation measures. Alcohol abuse increases the likelihood of a second attack, and in some cases it can be fatal.
Binge drinking after a stroke can lead to the fact that all the internal organs of a person will work under great strain, undergoing deformation or destruction. In the future, it will be very difficult to restore their healthy state. In addition, drinking alcohol increases blood sugar. This provokes pressure surges.
Prevention and recommendations
Doctors recommend adjusting your diet after a stroke and drinking more clean water.
In addition to alcohol, the following products are excluded from the menu:
- coffee;
- tea;
- cocoa;
- Sparkling water;
Food should contain the following microelements:
- potassium;
- vitamin B6;
- folic acid;
- antioxidants.
You will have to give up fatty foods.
A healthy lifestyle helps improve your well-being and prevent strokes and other serious disorders.
Preventive recommendations:
- regular exercise;
- walks;
- fresh air;
- properly formulated diet, compliance with dietary recommendations.
You cannot take seriously the arguments of others that alcohol is useful in small quantities. From strong drinks a person will only get a shortened life and problems with well-being in the form of various diseases.
Adviсe:
- alcohol is excluded;
- Drinks allowed include tea diluted with milk, juices of berries and vegetables;
- the diet includes foods containing potassium, magnesium and other useful microelements;
- you will have to give up spicy and salty foods or food with preservatives;
- you will have to reduce the amount of salt you consume.
Since the nervous system is seriously affected, it will not be possible to fully recover, but there is always the opportunity to feel better.
When the functioning of the kidneys and liver is impaired, more vitamin B must be consumed to avoid paresis and partial paralysis. If the blood is thick and clots too quickly, the risk of blood clots in the blood vessels increases. A second stroke is fatal in 80% of cases; such a patient has very little chance of survival.
Why you shouldn't drink alcohol after a stroke
The harmful effects of drinking on the body have long been proven. Alcohol becomes the main cause of blockage of blood vessels in the brain. The walls of blood vessels begin to thin, and blood clots develop. The amount of sugar in the blood rises, and this almost guarantees the occurrence of another stroke.
Drinking alcohol increases blood pressure and disrupts gas exchange in the blood. And if a person constantly eats spicy or fatty foods, he is guaranteed a hypertensive crisis.
Intoxication leads to damage to the kidneys and liver. There is a threat of paresis, the development of thrombosis, and increased blood clotting. Dependence on alcohol can cause blood vessels to burst.
In large doses, alcohol after a stroke can provoke the following problems:
- pressure surges;
- impaired vascular response;
- blockage of the lumens of blood vessels;
- increased cholesterol concentrations;
- thrombus formation;
- damage to areas of the brain;
- depletion of the walls of veins and arteries.
You should also not drink alcohol because diabetes may develop. Ingestion of large doses of alcohol disrupts the cell response to insulin. This causes the development of type 2 diabetes, which also provokes a stroke.
After some time, drinkers also notice that they become overweight, which is also a risk factor. This is not surprising, because alcoholic drinks are high in calories.
Until the rehabilitation period has passed, alcohol can cause significant damage to the liver. It damages its tissue, so it stops producing the necessary substances. As a result, bleeding may occur, including in the brain.
If the patient has taken alcohol, his atria stop contracting normally. Due to this, blood clots are formed that can migrate to the brain and block the lumen of blood vessels there. Thus, alcohol increases the risk of stroke by 5 times!
Drinking alcohol, even for healthy people, is harmful. For a person who has suffered a stroke, this addiction is deadly. It’s better to focus your energy on rehabilitation and switch to a healthy lifestyle. However, this must be done smoothly.
It is worth thinking about how to increase the tone of the body, walk more in the fresh air, drink vitamin cocktails and juices, and go to bed on time.
You should also try to keep your blood pressure normal, avoid visiting saunas and steam baths, and avoid swimming in ice holes. It is also important to avoid any nervous shocks. In addition, you will have to go on a diet. Following these rules will help you feel good again and give up alcohol completely.
Among women
The most common signs of stroke in women are:
- Sudden loss of vision.
- Violation of coordination functions.
- Weakness of the limbs.
- Impaired understanding of words and loss of speech function.
- Hyposensitivity.
- Increased intensity of manifestation of the listed symptoms.
Quite often, a woman with a stroke exhibits a number of nonspecific symptoms, which significantly complicates the diagnosis of the disease and does not make it possible to provide medical assistance in a timely manner.
Can alcohol be good for you?
After a heart attack or stroke, people feel differently. Sometimes such a shock to the body ends with loss of vision, hearing, speech, and paralysis. But most often, the first stroke, as a rule, passes without visible consequences.
If the patient continues to indulge in food and drink, the prognosis for his recovery will be unfavorable. That is why it is recommended to say “no” to alcohol and switch to tea therapy.
Nevertheless, standards for drinking alcohol after completing the rehabilitation period exist and are clearly stated. This is 14 grams of pure alcohol. If you take different drinks, this standard will correspond to:
- 350 ml of beer, whose strength is 5%;
- 150 ml of wine with a strength of 12%;
- 45 ml vodka 40%.
Moderate drinking is considered to be one drink per day for women and men. In such quantities, it may even reduce the risk of diabetes or stroke.
Drinking alcohol will be most beneficial only if it is a natural red wine of low strength. It will dilate blood vessels and have a beneficial effect on the digestive system. It is better to choose dry wine, its quality should be very high. You should categorically avoid fortified drinks.
A hypertensive drinker signs his own death warrant. Such people should give up alcohol completely; they can even drink wine no more than 8 times a month in the amount of 150 g, only then will it be beneficial:
- will prevent the development of ischemia;
- normalizes the consistency of blood plasma;
- will reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis;
- improves the condition of blood vessels.
However, in order for a drink such as wine to have a positive effect, you should consult a doctor before you start drinking it. After all, each organism is individual.
Treatment
Stroke is an acute condition that threatens human life and requires emergency medical care in a hospital setting. In some situations, urgent resuscitation measures may be required.
For therapy the following are used:
- anticoagulants: Warfarin, Dicumarin, Phenilin, etc.;
- antihypertensive drugs: Lizoril, Amlodipine, Metozok, etc.;
- antioxidants: Glutathione, Coenzyme Q10;
- medications that improve blood circulation and neurological status.
After exiting the crisis phase, the patient is prescribed a rehabilitation course of physical therapy, massage, and possibly classes with a speech therapist.
Consequences of drinking alcohol after a stroke
The patient’s desire to drink during the period of rehabilitation after an acute cerebrovascular accident can end tragically. There is a high risk of re-bleeding.
Even weak alcohol is prohibited if:
- alcohol was the cause of the stroke;
- there is dependence, and you can exceed the norm;
- drug treatment continues;
- motor ability was not restored.
Taking even small doses of alcohol can lead to trouble, especially if it is of poor quality. It is worth understanding that the body has not yet recovered, and even a minimal amount of alcohol can harm it.
Statistics show that an alcoholic stroke does not manifest itself abruptly; it can last for several days. Initially, it is usually provoked by binge drinking. The second time it can also occur due to the use of alcoholic beverages.
The signs of the onset of primary and secondary stroke are almost the same. First there is headache, nausea, dizziness and weakness. If a person tries to take a vertical position, it only gets worse.
Manifestations such as difficulty with speech and movements may occur. However, a person can still control his body. However, if he continues to drink alcohol, his face and neck may turn red and his blood pressure may increase. As a result, confusion, tachycardia, and neurological disorders are noted. As a result, a person may even fall into a coma.
Complications from drinking alcohol for those who have already had a stroke can be compared to the damage received after a car accident. With an incorrect lifestyle after an acute cerebrovascular accident, a person lives on average only 2 years.
A hangover after intoxication produces syndromes that are identical to the pre-stroke state. By giving up alcohol, you will reduce the risk of ischemic stroke.
The best drink for those who have suffered an attack is pure water, a glass every hour. The best food products are foods that are low-fat and have a small percentage of fat. These are cereals, vegetables, beans and fruits. You can eat rye and whole grain bread. Alcohol will only increase the risk of recurrent cerebral hemorrhage.
Scientists from the UK and Sweden conducted a special study that revealed how alcohol affects the occurrence of stroke. Various cases of hemorrhage were considered - subarachnoid, ischemic stroke, intracerebral.
All participants were divided into:
- almost no drinkers – 1 drink per day;
- moderate drinkers – 2 drinks;
- heavy drinkers – from 2 to 4 drinks;
- heavy drinkers – over 4 drinks.
The experiment revealed that moderate and light consumption of alcohol, no more than 2 drinks per day, reduces the risk of stroke.
In people who drank heavily, the risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage was 1.8 times higher, and intracerebral hemorrhage was 1.6 times higher. We can conclude that alcohol is beneficial in certain doses, but large amounts of it will only harm the body. The line is thus very thin. The problem lies not in the drinks themselves, but in their quantity.
Diet
To ensure that the treatment is more beneficial, and that you don’t have a second stroke after a couple of years, stick to the diet throughout your life. To do this, exclude:
- alcohol and cigarettes,
- foods high in cholesterol,
- fried, salted and confectionery products.
Try to add more fruits, vegetables, vitamins, dairy and seafood to your diet. Don't forget about water balance - drink 1.5-2 liters of water, juices, herbal teas every day.
