Broken teeth

I remember the day vividly.

It was on a trip back from Key West. I had been on a bender of all day and all night drinking. It was close to 5 days in a row. I was sitting in the back seat, staring out the window at the crystal blue water, when I felt something in my mouth.

Mind you I wasn't eating anything. I wasn't even chewing gum. What the hell was that?

It was my tooth. One of my lower incisors just broke off. I was so confused. I was only about 29 at the time. Too young to be have these kinds of dental issues if you ask me.

Luckily, the dentist was able to see me the next day. A few hundred dollars later and I had a whole tooth again. The dentist just said this is something that happens to people who grind their teeth or chew ice or bite into something like an apple.

I went with that at the time. Then another tooth chipped.

It wasn't until I had been sober for about a year that I realized exactly what it was. I was listening to an audio book about sobriety and they were talking to binge drinking and vomiting. Did you know that the acid in your stomach breaks down the enamel of your teeth over time?

My binge drinking and vomiting over 10 years completely broke down my enamel to the point where my teeth were breaking.

When people think of how alcohol affects the body, most go right to the liver. It is so much more than that. It affects your heart, brain, skin, digestive system, kidneys, and yes, even your teeth. So the next time you go take a swig of alcohol, give this some thought. Imagine all these organs begging you for a break. Imagine your body as your best friend or family member and treat it like such.

We only get one vessel. Let's start treating it like we love it.