Addiction and long-term effects

[JCurwen3]

Originally Posted by trans

I'm more worried about my brain than my liver, too, and that is what I keep telling a friend of mine who had a life-threatening seizure a couple of months ago due to alcohol withdrawal.

By the way, I seem to have tapered off my consumption enough that I will be able to stay out of the hospital this time. Now to get totally dry and stay that way.

One of the main reasons for neurological problems from long term heavy alcohol use is that alcohol damages the mechanisms for the absorption of thiamine (vitamin B1) in the GI tract. This damage can be long term and can last well past the decreasing or even eliminating of alcohol use.

Wikipedia:Thiamine#Alcoholic_brain_disease

So I'd recommend, whether drinking or no, to take a thiamine supplement, at several times the RDI. That's whether you drink heavily, moderately, lightly, or only used to drink heavily. I just take a "B-100" complex which has large doses of all the B vitamins in a balanced formula, once per day, for the same reason. From what I've read, this can prevent many if not all of the neurological effects of heavy alcohol use in the long term.

[Flyndaran]

I doubt any one thing can prevent all of a toxin's long term damage.

[JCurwen3]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

I doubt any one thing can prevent all of a toxin's long term damage.

Of course not. But most of the long term specifically neurological damage of this toxin (alcohol), yes, one thing (thiamine) does. The liver, heart, kidneys, stomach, and much of the rest of the body systems and the damage they take are on their own though.

[Anthony]

On the original question (rather than effects of addiction), I think the easiest way to handle any sort of 'potential disadvantage' is to note it as a feature, and then give points when the disadvantage actually occurs, as an exception to the normal rules for disadvantages acquired during play.

[Otaku]

Originally Posted by Anthony

On the original question (rather than effects of addiction), I think the easiest way to handle any sort of 'potential disadvantage' is to note it as a feature, and then give points when the disadvantage actually occurs, as an exception to the normal rules for disadvantages acquired during play.

I like it: this may be the simplest, most elegant solution.