Pancreatitis from Excessive Alcohol?

Hi, has anyone ever been diagnosed with pancreatitis due to heavy alcohol consumption? I'm not asking for myself, but for a loved one. I'd like to hear your experiences with it if so. Thank you.

In my twenties, I had bouts of pancreatitis. Like a sharp spasm, incredibly painful, it would double me up into a ball until it subsided. My liver was also enlarged & pressing against the inside of my ribcage. It was tender when poked or prodded.
When the organ failure starts, it's the beginning of the end. A decision has to be made. There is a point of no-return & it is a horrible way to die.

I had tried detoxes & rehabs & learned a lot & was able to stay dry for 1 1/2 years, so I knew that I could do it. It's just that when I started drinking, I couldn't stop drinking.

I gave sobriety one more chance (maybe my last) again 37 years ago when someone at an AA meeting told me that I didn't have to drink anymore. So simple. Why didn't I think of that?

Sobriety took hold after that & I made peace with my past.
Alcohol caused 90% of my problems & with that gone, I could work on the other 10%. I fell in love. I trusted my decisions. I came out of hiding.

My advise is not to stop trying. It can be a 180 degrees turn-about from hopelessness to hopefulness. There can still be difficult days, but they are all REAL days. Prayer works.

Thank you so much for your response. It's not about me, but a family member who's been hospitalized with this condition, along with a bad case of pneumonia from smoking, or the pancreatitis might've caused that as well. She's been on a ventilator for days now, and was told she could never drink again or else. I needed input from others. She has to want to go to detox, rehab, and want to quit, which she's denied all of the above before. Maybe this time, being the worst case scenario, she'll think differently. Not sure. She's not even responsive right now. I've never seen her this bad. It was sad to see her this way, but for her to allow things to progress the way that they did is even worse. Glad to hear you're doing so much better! Congratulations!!! I grew up around addiction in my family, and my friends are the same, but I've never become anything of that nature, thank goodness. I like to have a couple of drinks here & there. Thank you again for reaching out! Keep up the great work!

Yes, never to drink again, but only 'one day at a time' to keep things manageable. If she makes it through this day, she has a chance at the next.
It helps with the 1st step (admitting) & the 2nd step (accepting) if getting help is decided by the alcoholic themself. Telling them what they should do can cause a resistance to the whole idea.
As a support, you can plant the seed & care for it, but convincing them has to come from inside the sufferer. Hopefulness begins with a spark of hope.

Give it a try. I quit everything that I did along with the alcohol. Smoking, life-style, drugs, etc. In the end, I was drinking alone. I was ashamed. I felt unique, but so do the millions in the depths of their addictions. It is life or death.
I had a big ego & little self-esteem. I considered it a 'personal problem'.
Asking for help would admit defeat. I never knew that reaching out & asking for help is personal courage & strength of the highest order.

There was a sense of relief in 'handing it over'. It had gotten too big for me to handle.
AA talks about surrender, but it isn't about giving up. It's about giving in. Alcohol is more powerful than I am & it will always be so.

"Surrender is about letting go of blame and ego and excuses and the idea that we are able to control our addiction. Instead, we admit we have lost control, we need help, and we are ready for intervention. “It's a courageous, vulnerable, radical act of honesty, self-awareness and humility".

The first of the 12 steps is admitting:
'We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable'.
Simple enough!

Best of luck to you & your family.

Thank you very much, she knows she drinks a lot, but never can admit she's an alcoholic. I can understand that admitting or asking for help feels like a big deal. It's just like me who can't ask anyone for help as I can do it on my own. It's a sense of pride or independence, as we all like to feel that we don't need help and can do things for ourselves. Help is always a good thing, but we look at it in the negative when we've always done for ourselves. If we take away that ego, we'd be better towards and for ourselves and others. Have a safe and great weekend!

When I was on the cusp of that big decision, I could admit that I was a 'heavy drinker', but I had a problem with that 'alcoholic' word. The decision to surrender was something that had to come from within me.
How far down did I want to go? Could I control it?

Asking for help is a sign of strength. Not everyone can do it. Many souls are lost because they just can't bring themselves to do it. Alcohol is very 'cunning' baffling & powerful'.

HOW IT WORKS
Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest.
Our stories disclose in a general way what we used to be like, what happened, and what we are like now. If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it — then you are ready to take certain steps.
At some of these we balked. We thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not. With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely.
Remember that we deal with alcohol — cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power — that One is God. May you find God now!
Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. We asked God's protection and care with complete abandon.

Note: Some people may have a problem with the 'God' word. They may feel let-down or forgotten by God. The word 'Supreme Being' or 'Higher Power' can be used instead. Anything can be used until the concept of a 'Higher Power' is grasped.

Thank you. I don't agree with you on some things, but do on others.