Funtioning Alcoholic.....

According to most charts...

I am 6'3" 50yr male about 275lbs. I am 100% sure I have sleep apnea(will be going to do a sleep study soon)

Once I start using a cpap how will casual drinking affect the process?

I enjoy drinking socially and am a brewer. yes I have a higher tolerance due to drinking a lot of beer.


its not unusual to have 5-6 beers an evening 4-5 times a week(not to me anyways...)(6pm-10pm is the timeframe normally except weekends when I may stay up later)

Is a cpap going to help me with my vices?(I quit smoking and vape 3mg )

Sorry this is so brief im just preparing myself for the inevitable.

Thanks

Alcohol will definitely affect OSA and using Cpap... the very least you need to do is not drink for a few hours prior to bed, pref after supper. Cpap however, cannot turn you into a teetotaler.

You already know that alcohol and smoking is bad for you.
Vaping will still put nicotine into your system, which I am sure you know.
[[[Google nicotine]]]
(And who knows what nasty additives your vaping juice contains.)
As for your beer, compare the carbohydrates in beer with the equivalent in bread.
Beer is a convenient way to ingest a LOT of calories.
Alcohol is also a CNS (central nervous system) depressant.
Your brain is affected, even when you do not feel it.
You are an adult. Use your own better judgement.
Consider your desired life expectancy.
IMO, 20 to 30 beers a week is not casual.

fatherdano wrote:Once I start using a cpap how will casual drinking affect the process?

A properly optimized CPAP system will control your apnea after the drinking you describe. You need to make sure to get a full-data Auto machine. Before taking delivery of a machine, have a discussion in this thread to make sure you are getting a recommended machine. When you get your script for a machine, let's discuss it and find out the exact model your DME of choice plans to supply.

fatherdano wrote:Is a cpap going to help me with my vices?(I quit smoking and vape 3mg )

If your vice is chasing women, CPAP will give you more energy, and you will get more enjoyment out of chasing women. Beer might also taste better.

If you get a machine you'll definitely wanting an APAP. Drinking alcohol makes OSA worse and I'm sure you drink different amounts each day so the auto adjusting should help a bit.

Thank you all for the replies.

Been married 25yrs, 7 kids so chasing women is out of the question lol...

whether its 30 beers or 12 beers a week I was trying to be upfront while getting answers.

I definitely will report back with my 'equipment'

This forum seems like a great resource of info.

Thanks

The good thing about getting a data capable machine is you can monitor your data to see if there's a variation in effectiveness of treatment between the nights of drinking vs not drinking. Everyone's degree of response to alcohol is different, so it will be helpful to figure out your specific sleep apnea treatment needs. It takes time to see a trend, so it may take a while since your nights without drinking are not nearly as often as when drinking. I'd like to suggest you keep a journal or spreadsheet noting how many beers and the corresponding AHI from the machine when you wake. I do hope if you do, you'll share the info here. Will make for interesting conversation. There are ways to manage it if you need a higher pressure some nights more than others. We can cross that bridge when we get there. Some on here have said they see see no difference. Maybe that will be your story too. If not, we can get into specifics based on your results.

FWIW I agree with ChicagoGranny and kteague.

Your pressure needs (and your severity of OSA) may or may not vary with alcohol consumption. It can affect some people markedly and others not affect them at all in terms of worsening the OSA or altering pressure needs.

Make sure you get a machine that will auto adjust (commonly called apap machines but in actuality they are cpap machines with 2 modes of operation available one being the fixed cpap mode and the other being the auto adjusting (apap) mode).
That way you can have all your bases covered ahead of time no matter which way you end up being.
You can always use fixed pressure on the apap capable machine but you can't make the fixed cpap machine do auto adjusting pressures if it only has the one mode of operation.
It's always better to have something and not need it than need it and not have it.

If unsure about which machine does what in terms of modes of operation...ask.

The booze induces apnea now, cpap will treat it if you a re sober or drunk. I would guess that the mask and vomiting in a stupor may be an issue

ajack wrote:The booze induces apnea now, cpap will treat it if you a re sober or drunk. I would guess that the mask and vomiting in a stupor may be an issue

I was 17 the last time vomit and stupor applied to me. But I could see the issue if it arose.....

I have only once gotten drunk enough to have a hangover--24 years ago.
I felt so crappy, that it baffles me why anyone would come back for seconds . . .

chunkyfrog wrote:I have only once gotten drunk enough to have a hangover--24 years ago.

Only once? Glad I kept this pic.

Oooooh, busted!

chunkyfrog wrote:Oooooh, busted!

At least you recycle, you already got the label off. Jim

There are many levels of FUNtioning Alcoholics, Just Some!

Leaning, Crawling, Mean Spirited, Recovering, and Clueless!

fatherdano wrote:
Is a cpap going to help me with my vices?(I quit smoking and vape 3mg )

Thanks

Over the last 15 years, cpap has done nothing but encourage me to further indulge in my vices, which some describe as alcohol and mental and moral abandon.

But believe me, smoking is off the table!