Alcohol and Its Effect on Tinnitus

[LadyDi]

I usually drink every day: one glass of wine with dinner or out with friends. On rare occasions, at a party or something,it might be two glasses. It does seem to lessen my tinnitus but that's not why I do it, it has been part of my routine for years. My parents regularly had a glass of wine with dinner.

But when I am places where I can't get alcohol with my evening meal, it doesnt bother me. And I almost never have hard alcohol, not that it matters It's a habit that I have considered giving up, and have from time to time --I put in the category of getting more exercise or eating less sweets .

Not that I am judging: But your consumption is much higher, from what you have told us. I think you also have mentioned doing things that aggravated your tinnitus because you had been drinking. Clearly, you are worried you have a problem with alcohol. The label doesn't matter -- heavy drinker, alcoholic -- as much as the behavior becoming such that it seriously impacts your life. If you think you have a problem, you probably do.

I think you are taking the right path to try life sober for awhile. There are other ways to relieve stress and anxiety. Or try to seriously limit your intake. Also, here is an incentive: medications that can relieve anxiety or depression often don't work well on people who drink alot of alcohol, as they have built a tolerace to the effect on the brain.

Good luck. I know this one isnt easy.

 

[Stina]

I don't know if im an alcoholic or just a heavy drinker, I didn't drink alone, just my environment I guess. I was surprised that there wasn't many cases similar to mine, this forum is very positive, helpful forum, but other forums I read quite a few depressing posts, people who felt suicidal, on the edge, couldn't mask their tinnitus, medications didn't work, getting 9 and a half minutes sleep a night etc, totally freaked out...but when I asked do they drink?... I got told how bad it is for the body, liver etc....I'm not encouraging drinking, but many people where in hell when their tinnitus started, I had dark thoughts sometimes, but drinking beer made it bearable for me, kept me calm, helped me get more than a few hours sleep...it kept me sane...it was a godsend, it helped me when I was constantly turned away from doctor's being told there is no cure. I'm now 9 days sober and feel OK apart from the constant annoying increased tinnitus, I am surprised every where I go, people even though can't see a way out still never drink? Each to their own I guess!

Drinking alcohol occasionally is definetly not bad for you - it could even do you good in moderate amounts. I think the reason why some of the people on this other forum do not drink is the fear of becoming addicted and creating another big problem. Addictions come a lot easier when times are tough and it is very hard to get out of it later.

That being said, I agree with LadyDi is that only you yourself can know whether you are on the path of having a problem or not.

 

[Steve]

Hi Mick,

I can understand, we have a big drinking culture in the UK, virtually every entertainment here involves alcohol. I'm a geordie, so drinking loads was always a normal part of life. Out a lot and it was usually to get smashed, rather than a quiet couple of pints.

I drank to quiet the tinnitus for a while, was never an alcoholic but I did drink very often. It stopped me from listening to it and obsessing about it. But I realised that it wasn't a solution, it screws with your nervous system and makes you more worried and anxious, so leaves you in a worse place. It's a temporary crutch, can be useful to help you through a difficult time, but you can be a lot better without it - or in moderation.

I don't drink that much now (I'm 39, so maybe at the age anyway where you back off it a bit) and I'm happier for it. I can deal with tinnitus a lot better and I feel a lot fitter in myself. I found that drinking too much stopped me from doing anything productive, made me lethargic, which can be frustrating.

You'll probably get over the boredom soon, it's strange when you're used to going out all the time and you just completely stop it. I always have a month or two of being sober at the start of the year, for me following a workout plan and getting fit stop me from wanting to have any alcohol, maybe you can find something that will help you.

Stev

 

[mick1987]

Nick, maybe your tinnitus hasn't actually increased since you're sober now, but maybe your perception of it makes it seem louder.

I wish! Loud noise caused severe blocked ears back in october, temporary threshold shift, tinnitus has gone from only hearing it in the quiet to now hearing it over the TV, music, it has been dramatically different since then, I just didn't care much when I was drinking.

 

[mick1987]

Hi Mick,

I can understand, we have a big drinking culture in the UK, virtually every entertainment here involves alcohol. I'm a geordie, so drinking loads was always a normal part of life. Out a lot and it was usually to get smashed, rather than a quiet couple of pints.

I drank to quiet the tinnitus for a while, was never an alcoholic but I did drink very often. It stopped me from listening to it and obsessing about it. But I realised that it wasn't a solution, it screws with your nervous system and makes you more worried and anxious, so leaves you in a worse place. It's a temporary crutch, can be useful to help you through a difficult time, but you can be a lot better without it - or in moderation.

I don't drink that much now (I'm 39, so maybe at the age anyway where you back off it a bit) and I'm happier for it. I can deal with tinnitus a lot better and I feel a lot fitter in myself. I found that drinking too much stopped me from doing anything productive, made me lethargic, which can be frustrating.

You'll probably get over the boredom soon, it's strange when you're used to going out all the time and you just completely stop it. I always have a month or two of being sober at the start of the year, for me following a workout plan and getting fit stop me from wanting to have any alcohol, maybe you can find something that will help you.

Stev

Cheers mate, yeah there is quite a big difference between american and UK drinking culture, from what i read in america, if you drink more than a couple of drinks you have a problem, here it's not uncommon to get drunk every weekend, many people think it is weird if you don't drink. The problem with me was I was so accustomed to drinking I hardly ever got hangovers, I never ever went to bed without drinking 2 pints of water, so I never had that day after drinking feeling. I liked drinking, the only reason I quit was because I was concerned it might be affecting my liver, even though my dad has been drinking heavily for 40 years and is still productive. I will give it a few months sober, see if I feel better, but this tinnitus is so annoying! I could easily drink my whole life, especially with this stupid noise in my head, but I will give it a try.

 

[Hudson]

Alcoholic reporting in. It's great for making you forget tinnitus for a bit, but you're basically jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.

It kind of makes me think of this song. It seems like a lot of you aren't from the US, but it's some good country music. It's about Townes Van Zandt, who was a very heavy drinker... and how he as an adult "Lefty" sold out himself as a young man "Pancho" because he had to.



Edit.... I love the fiddle in this.

"Living on the road my friend,
was going to keep free and clean,
now you wear your skin like iron,
and your breath's as hard as kerosene"

 

[Erlend]

Yes. Just drink and have fun, but watch out for those very loud places

 

[Street Spirit]

Just curious, does it make your T worse or no change? Post away folks!

 

[Leo1994]

Worse, alot worse. But when I´m drunk, I dont care

 

[Golly]

Just curious, does it make your T worse or no change? Post away folks!

I find that moderate alcohol consumption (a drink or two) does not affect my tinnitus. It does, however, seem to make it fade into the background. I suppose the drink takes the edge off, so to speak, and I simply care less about the noise in my head. -G

 

[carol kane]

Same here, i drink every day, just a small amount as it takes the edge off, i care less when i drink ... i must break this habbit though as i do tend to rely on it as an escape from my misery!!!

 

[John53546]

I have been drinking a 6 pack 3-4 times a week to get some sort or stress relief from this hell in my head and asked several audiologists and ents if drinking a 6 pack a few times a week would worsen my tinnitus or hearing (since I have no dpoae's in higher frequencies and worsening tinnitus) they all said no. I went online and typed in "alcohol outer hair cells" and found some studies of alcohol destroying outer hair cells and causing hearing loss. Could this be what has caused my no oae's in higher frequencies and worsening tinnitus? My audiogram is considered normal, although borderline in the higher frequencies, How could that be with no dpoaes? Is my lack of dpoae's a predictor of whats to happen to my hearing?

"Distortion product otoacostic emissions were absent in 23 out of
30 cases, which was highly significant. DPOAE was normal in all
the controls [Table / Fig 5]. Pure tone audiometry and DPOAE after
de-addition were found to be the same. No improvement in hearing
was noticed after 1 month of abstinence"

"Conclusion

The audiological findings in the subjects, where the single risk
factor for hearing loss was alcohol consumption, confirmed
that there was a positive correlation between hearing loss and
alcoholism. Alcoholics were found to have a high frequency
of sensori neural hearing loss of a mild to moderate degree
when compared to the normal subjects. The distortion product
otoacoustic emissions test showed the absence of emissions in
76.6% of the cases, thus suggesting damage to the outer hair
cells of the organ of Corti. After abstinence from alcohol for a
month, hearing did not improve in these cases"

http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0034-72992007000400004&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en

http://www.jcdr.net/articles/pdf/1149/1572_1499_E(C)_F(J)_R(S)_PF(A)_(85-87)_LowRes.pdf

 

[Stina]

Note that this means alcoholics. A 6 pack a few times a week seems too much and can create a further problem worse than tinnitus, so Id advise cutting it down. 1-2 beers a week wont probably do harm, but if you have a tendency to drink when stress it would probably be wise to monitor your alcohol intake very carefully.

 

[Grace]

Alcoholics will develop liver damage and die. If it causes hearing loss that just sounds stupid to me and just one of those things that pop up on the news that you like wtf? Supposively wearing the color yellow can cause cancer now.. Something in the dye. How crazy is that?

 

[Grace]

Oh but a 6 pack 3 or 4 times a week sounds like a bitt too much...i may have 6 tops in a full week.. If not that then i love my whiskeyy so just be careful if you need something to calm you
Down try a anti anxiety med... Just take as recommended cause even though they can cause substance abuse so can alcohol

 

[John53546]

After I read this I stopped drinking. Just sucks that I could have been worsening my tinnitus by drinking a 6 pack of light beer. I am 6'0 196lbs a six pack is not that much to me. anti anxiety meds are probably even more dangerous, much more side effects with tinnitus as one of them. I asked several ents/audiologists and they all said wouldn't permanently make tinnitus worse, well according to this study it does. Can't really do anything with severe tinnitus without risk it seems, that alone is stressful.

 

[carlover]

ive stopped pouring vodka in my ears to get an instant hit but my t is still bad.

 

[Valentin]

After I read this I stopped drinking. Just sucks that I could have been worsening my tinnitus by drinking a 6 pack of light beer. I am 6'0 196lbs a six pack is not that much to me. anti anxiety meds are probably even more dangerous, much more side effects with tinnitus as one of them. I asked several ents/audiologists and they all said wouldn't permanently make tinnitus worse, well according to this study it does. Can't really do anything with severe tinnitus without risk it seems, that alone is stressful.

according to a study acamprosate is a wonderful drug to treat tinnitus ;-)

don't worry too much and enjoy your beers

 

[ralph j begley]

Alcohol is the go to drug for Tinnitus. Quick. Effective, sometimes. But it destroys your support. No one abides alcoholism, even the compassionate ones.

 

[Grace]

Dont take too much joy out of your life not sayin become a alcoholic but if drinking is something you enjoy sometimes then dont just stop cause of T its not gonna make it worse. Tommorrow theyl be tellin us that drinkin is bad for the eyes too. Just a bunch of bs to me

 

[mick1987]

I'm seriously considering me being a heavy drinker for years (and while having tinnitus) weakened my ears ability to protect against loud noise, that's why my tinnitus got worse from an everyday loud noise that wouldn't affect anyone else.

 

[bill 112]

There is some truth behind this but I wouldnt worry too much the audiological scientist I see told me that it has been proven that alcohol and smoking have an effect on outer haircells but never said that it was proven to damage them also my uncle has T for 30+years now from a shotgun blast he goes to the pub twice every weekend without fail and he says his T never got worse since the day he got it.

 

[Everyloop]

I heard alcohol makes it worse. Does alcohol make it worse so that it never goes back to how it was, or does it only increase it during your consuming of alcohol?

Or does alcohol not do anything for you?

I was drinking alcohol the night before mine started, and I haven't drank since, although I read it was suggested on another forum that alcohol seems to always be involved in the onset of ringing, which could be entirely conincidental like if you're out partying and drinking and you happen to be in a loud environment, but I was just watching TV that night, so that has made me a bit worried about continuing.

 

[raymundo2245]

I only get my T real luod in the mornings and before sleep, if im active during the day I notice it very little, I was told by my ENT it was caused by noise but I doubt that, I also have allergies that are known to cause it and and have hurt my neck before which also causes T and I had a ear infection that might of caused it, God knows what got me, but im gonna keep going to the docs!

 

[Kittyl]

I've found that alcohol does affect my tinnitus, for the worse. I don't drink much but when I do my tinnitus is terrible. I enjoy a couple of drinks with my friends, but I'm doing it less and less.

 

[Constable85]

Sounds like fun, one or two beers or glasses of wine, but I was just never able to see the point of moderation when it came to alcohol so I pretty much abstain 100% these days. Still, always sounded fun.

 

[Sam Bridge]

@Louise i notice sometimes when i drink alcohol my normal t noise seems reduced but instead i get a high pitched one which isn't nice. I noticed this last night as i was at a friends and it was very quiet so I instantly picked up from it. Come to think of it i recall it happening a few times when coming home from a moderately loud place after drinking.

 

[Mentos]

@ Louise my T is usually softer after alcohol and my mood is generally better, but it happend to me once that I got a half a day spike after a few beers.

 

[Louise]

Thanks for the posts everyone.

When I drink a normal amount as most of you have been saying, it makes mine worse. But on the odd occasions I've drunk a real LOT and I mean a lot, the next morning the Tinnitus is gone practically. Just a faint imprint of the noise which I have to look for. Then as the day wears on it comes back gradually.

So, what is the mechanism that is causing it to go with mega-doses of alcohol?

I don't drink anymore by the way, since I went Ketogenic. Best diet ever. If T is related to overall health and exhaustion then this is bound to improve it eventually.

 

[undecided]

I don't drink anymore by the way, since I went Ketogenic. Best diet ever. If T is related to overall health and exhaustion then this is bound to improve it eventually.

I hardly post here anymore but i couldn't help myself reading your post.
Do you know the easiest way for your body to burn ketones (as in go full ketogenic)...?
Answer: you simply become a raging alcoholic. I'd like to cite some sources but i'm outta here.