One Year, No Beer
Donation protected
Some of you may know I stopped playing rugby just over two years ago due to concussions.
Even less will know how I’m still suffering from symptoms of post concussion syndrome, daily.
And very few people will know how the long-term effects of concussion can ruin people’s lives.
I've decided to go one year, no beer (or any other form of alcohol). I have different reasons for pursuing this - I'm aiming to allow myself to finally recover completely while raising awareness of the effects of concussion and raising money for concussion research.
If not diagnosed or treated appropriately it can result in things like post concussion syndrome, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (I highly recommend watching 'Concussion' with Will Smith which will acquaint you with how horrific CTE can be), or second-impact syndrome (which can be fatal), not to mention being linked to numerous mental health issues, neurodegenerative diseases, and even suicide.
Case in point: Steve Thompson, a former English rugby union player, is 42 and has been diagnosed with early onset dementia because of concussions sustained during his career. He can't remember winning the Rugby World Cup final in 2003, arguably one of the proudest moments of his life, and struggles to remembers his wife's name. At just 42, that's completely absurd.
That's just one example of how deeply concussion can effect someone's life and there's much more out there.
Alcohol is a neurotoxin that can compromise recovery from traumatic brain injuries of any sort (surprise surprise).
Don’t get me wrong. I love drinking - it's engrained in Irish culture. But that’s part of the issue. Athletes of contact sports need to think more about how drinking can compromise recovery from concussion.
If you're diagnosed with a concussion, lay off the drink for a few weeks. If you play don't have access to a physio or medical professional in the sport you play, keep in mind the symptoms of concussion (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/concussion/symptoms-causes/syc-20355594) and let someone know if you don't feel right. You're going to feel pressure from your coaches, your teammates and yourself to keep playing, but it's not worth risking so much for.
I may never recover fully. If taking one year alcohol-free along with my continued rehabilitation doesn't get rid of my symptoms, I'll just have to keep trying. But if I can prevent another person from going through what I've been through (or worse) then it'll all have been worthwhile.
All donations will go to the Irish Concussion Research Centre. Visit [https://www.gmit.ie/science/irish-concussion-research-centre-icrc] for information.
[UPDATE] May '21 from Facebook:
Hello again folks, I’m one third of my way into one year, no alcohol so I thought I’d post an update on what’s been happening.
The response I’ve gotten so far has been amazing – I’ve reached my original goal of €1,000 so I’ve decided to up it to €2,000. I’ll keep going as long as I keep receiving your kind donations.
As for my symptoms – I’ve noticed a major improvement for the first time since 2019. It may be the result of abstinence from alcohol or some diet/lifestyle tweaks I’ve made over the last couple months; whatever it is, I’m pretty happy with the progress to say the least and I’m motivated to keep it going. It’s making a massive difference to my everyday life.
I’m also going to take this opportunity to remind peeps to take care of yourselves. If you feel like alcohol may be affecting any aspect of your physical or mental health, listen to your intuition and take a break for a bit. Time away from it can give you a fresh perspective on the effects alcohol might be having on your life – effects that are difficult to pick up on if you regularly drink.
If you can delay the gratification of those lovely, lovely, ice cold pints, cans or whatever you like to drink until you get your health in check, you’ll thank yourself later.
If my message is something you can relate to or have an experience of, please spread the word and maybe even donate if you can.
Over the last few months I’ve had interviews with two media outlets back home, feel free to have a read/listen to these here:
- bit.ly/3hb88x1
- bit.ly/3f6Mw1U
Here’s some more resources to spam ye with for those of ye who are interested:
- Concussion symptoms: https://www.mayoclinic.org/.../symptoms-causes/syc-20355594
- Alcohol & brain injuries: https://msktc.org/.../Alcohol-Use-After-Traumatic-Brain...
- Concussion facts: https://imgur.com/kCNh14y
- Post-concussion syndrome symptoms: https://imgur.com/9IRYNGG
All donations will go to the Irish Concussion Research Centre - https://www.gmit.ie/.../irish-concussion-research-centre...
.
Even less will know how I’m still suffering from symptoms of post concussion syndrome, daily.
And very few people will know how the long-term effects of concussion can ruin people’s lives.
I've decided to go one year, no beer (or any other form of alcohol). I have different reasons for pursuing this - I'm aiming to allow myself to finally recover completely while raising awareness of the effects of concussion and raising money for concussion research.
If not diagnosed or treated appropriately it can result in things like post concussion syndrome, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (I highly recommend watching 'Concussion' with Will Smith which will acquaint you with how horrific CTE can be), or second-impact syndrome (which can be fatal), not to mention being linked to numerous mental health issues, neurodegenerative diseases, and even suicide.
Case in point: Steve Thompson, a former English rugby union player, is 42 and has been diagnosed with early onset dementia because of concussions sustained during his career. He can't remember winning the Rugby World Cup final in 2003, arguably one of the proudest moments of his life, and struggles to remembers his wife's name. At just 42, that's completely absurd.
That's just one example of how deeply concussion can effect someone's life and there's much more out there.
Alcohol is a neurotoxin that can compromise recovery from traumatic brain injuries of any sort (surprise surprise).
Don’t get me wrong. I love drinking - it's engrained in Irish culture. But that’s part of the issue. Athletes of contact sports need to think more about how drinking can compromise recovery from concussion.
If you're diagnosed with a concussion, lay off the drink for a few weeks. If you play don't have access to a physio or medical professional in the sport you play, keep in mind the symptoms of concussion (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/concussion/symptoms-causes/syc-20355594) and let someone know if you don't feel right. You're going to feel pressure from your coaches, your teammates and yourself to keep playing, but it's not worth risking so much for.
I may never recover fully. If taking one year alcohol-free along with my continued rehabilitation doesn't get rid of my symptoms, I'll just have to keep trying. But if I can prevent another person from going through what I've been through (or worse) then it'll all have been worthwhile.
All donations will go to the Irish Concussion Research Centre. Visit [https://www.gmit.ie/science/irish-concussion-research-centre-icrc] for information.
[UPDATE] May '21 from Facebook:
Hello again folks, I’m one third of my way into one year, no alcohol so I thought I’d post an update on what’s been happening.
The response I’ve gotten so far has been amazing – I’ve reached my original goal of €1,000 so I’ve decided to up it to €2,000. I’ll keep going as long as I keep receiving your kind donations.
As for my symptoms – I’ve noticed a major improvement for the first time since 2019. It may be the result of abstinence from alcohol or some diet/lifestyle tweaks I’ve made over the last couple months; whatever it is, I’m pretty happy with the progress to say the least and I’m motivated to keep it going. It’s making a massive difference to my everyday life.
I’m also going to take this opportunity to remind peeps to take care of yourselves. If you feel like alcohol may be affecting any aspect of your physical or mental health, listen to your intuition and take a break for a bit. Time away from it can give you a fresh perspective on the effects alcohol might be having on your life – effects that are difficult to pick up on if you regularly drink.
If you can delay the gratification of those lovely, lovely, ice cold pints, cans or whatever you like to drink until you get your health in check, you’ll thank yourself later.
If my message is something you can relate to or have an experience of, please spread the word and maybe even donate if you can.
Over the last few months I’ve had interviews with two media outlets back home, feel free to have a read/listen to these here:
- bit.ly/3hb88x1
- bit.ly/3f6Mw1U
Here’s some more resources to spam ye with for those of ye who are interested:
- Concussion symptoms: https://www.mayoclinic.org/.../symptoms-causes/syc-20355594
- Alcohol & brain injuries: https://msktc.org/.../Alcohol-Use-After-Traumatic-Brain...
- Concussion facts: https://imgur.com/kCNh14y
- Post-concussion syndrome symptoms: https://imgur.com/9IRYNGG
All donations will go to the Irish Concussion Research Centre - https://www.gmit.ie/.../irish-concussion-research-centre...
.
Organizer
Gary Burke
Organizer
County Westmeath
