Hi. Has anyone else found they cant drink alcohol after a stroke? Im not talking about binge drinking but just a single glass of wine that now seems to go straight to my head and make me very sleepy and woozy?! Is it just because Im so tired in the evening or can I suddenly not tolerate a small amount of alcohol?
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Hi Apple, I have found that the level of alcohol that I can tolerate has reduced. It does seem to increase the effects of the fatigue that I experience post stroke. One or two pints of standard strength beer is my limit or just one pint of premium strength beer. That would be limited to just one or two evenings per week. Sometimes I just opt for the low alcohol or zero alchohol beers. For me it is more important to be able to get out for some banter with my mates.
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Half a Carling lager was my drink of choice but I find I can’t finish a half since my stroke … it just doesn’t taste the same anymore so I don’t bother 
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Thanks everyone- looks as if Ive had my lastglass of wine too! Not that Ive ever drunk much but do enjoy a glass when we are out with friends. Yet another thing this stroke has taken away from me
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My experience is a little different.
I’m ok with sharing a bottle of wine with Lea my wife or have a 500ml bottle of 5% beer a couple of times a week. We normally make a bottle of wine last 2 some time 3 meals
When we went too neighbors at Christmas. I had 3 glasses of wine & wasnt affected at the time but the following day was fatigued & more wobbly then normal
I do think any alcohol leads to a disturbed night and I can fall asleep in the sofa after a glass
We’ve explored the AF ranges and found quite a few beers that are really good but no wine that we even call a tolerable attempt at the real thing
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Hi Simon. I found I had a very disturbed night after 2 glasses of wine. Normally I can sleep for England! I wonder why alcohol seems to affect us after a stroke? Must be a reason - for me after one glass I’m wobbly and feel as if I have drunk a whole bottle - not that I’ve ever drunk a bottle of wine in one go! Oh well maybe it will get better with time! One can hope!
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Ive found it gets better over the last 2 years
A bottle of beer is now an occasional Friday night treat when I’ve done a lot in the garden or elsewhere
How long is it for you?
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Just 3 months. Just three months
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Could be early days yet then
In the brain 1st the swelling subsides, then the reallocation of function that you repeatedly demand/ encounter which has a cascade effect on other things
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Hi, drinking after a stroke is definitely different. I thoroughly enjoyed a glass or two of wine before my stroke. I have since found that my taste in wine has changed slightly, I always preferred a dry white wine but now drink a slightly sweeter blush. I find 2 small glasses is my limit, I’m quite wobbly when I walk and wouldn’t feel safe trying to walk after more than 2 glasses.
I think it’s important to find your limit and what works for you.
Regards Sue
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Hi @Apple - it’s very early days for you. After my stroke (four years ago now) it took me a while to even want a glass of wine. It must have been maybe six months before I tried a glass and after that I gradually went back to drinking the same as I had done prior to the stroke.
I now have one glass of wine on perhaps five days a week as I like sipping it while cooking. When out with friends I’ve been known to have two glasses!
I’m not advocating anyone drinking to excess as obviously it’s a risk factor for stroke but I’m comfortable with what I have.
Best wishes
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Thats about what I like to drink! Oh well maybe it will improve with time! Not the end of the world!!
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It’s been the same for me. Right after my stroke I couldn’t tolerate any alcohol–for many weeks–maybe months. After a while I found that one glass of wine at night I could tolerate if I mixed it with bubble water and sipped it gradually throughout the evening. That little bit helped to relax me. I am now 4 years out from my stroke. I still can’t drink any more than 1 glass of wine. But that’s a good thing, right? 
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Ive discovered 0% Heineken which i enjoy and enjoyed a few over christmas my first one post stroke.
Always dismissed 0% lagers previously but this is genuinely acceptabke and no obvious impact thankfully.
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I’ve found lots of good af beer. Lucky strike is a decent Sainsbury’s later.
I’ve also found wheat beer, ale, stout all that are good. They all contribute to weight though and they are possible gout triggers. Apparently Ashi AF is one that doesn’t have the gout but (doubt recall what its free from)
I expect the are other dietary careful ones
I wish someone would master af wine that didn’t contravene the trade descriptions act!
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I’ve stopped drinking alcohol. Not through stroke issues but it really wasn’t an attractive proposition. I was /am a regular drinker a couple of small whiskies at night plus a couple of small glasses of red wine. I certainly don’t feel any better for stopping but have begun to crave sweet fruit juice drinks! This surely can’t be good for my weight.
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I agree. The 0% Heineken is one I enjoyed last year on the occasions I managed to get to my local pub.
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I’ve got alcohol, free, beer it’s like water but it’s made my feel like normal during Christmas
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Try some others? I’ve found quite a few I like 
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Shwmae @Apple, I’ve certainly cut down after stroke. It has been difficult because I ferment my own wine and make my own cider and mead. The actual effect of alcohol makes very little difference to my symptoms, I walk around as if I am drunk while sober, and if I get a little merry, it’s pretty much the same thing but I feel more relaxed. 
I used to walk down to the pub once or twice a week, but I’ve stopped that now because I can’t walk that far. Nor, would walking back, up a steep hill in the dark, be desirable. I like a tipple with my meal, and the odd brandy at night. My palate didn’t change after stroke, I had cravings instead. I have, however, cultivated more of a taste for white wine, especially low alcohol. It’s a bit more refreshing and less confronting.
There are some decent alcohol-free stouts if, like me, you prefer darker ales. You can order these online for a better unit price than what can be found in supermarkets. I even ordered a crate of Super Bock stout for peanuts compared to the price of retail outlets, but it does take a little online sleuthing. The alcohol in wine creates the nose, and many alcohol free wines fall flat of that nuance. Beer and ale, however, don’t often need a nose, and it is the taste that makes the drop pleasant or not. I believe there are three commercial forms of alcohol removal, and it depends on which form the brewery uses for their brew.
For me, after stroke, I had to make a decision based on what made me feel good about how I functioned day to day. At first, after stroke, I drank no coffee. tried to switch to tea in the morning. It didn’t satisfy. Then I had one cup of coffee in the morning for about a year. Then I realised that caffeine stimulates the brain, I found that three cups a day was encouraging my brain to light up and it has improved my cognitive capacity and, therefore, made managing my symptoms much more undemanding. Three cups is fairly conservative to the five or six I could drink in a day.
But at the same time, I have a friend who went into hospital with a nervous system infection of some sort. When he came out, he couldn’t stomach alcohol, and he was a nightly whiskey drinker. If you enjoyed a wee dram in the past, that pleasure may return, or not. It took me a good year before I knew where I was at with having a glass or two.
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