Hello, I am in my 50s. I started drinking heavily 10 years ago. I just stopped last Fri. I knew there would be side effects like increased pulse, BP, shakes, etc..., but I did not know that GI symptoms were a part of it. I was not fat before I started drinking. Never have been. I put on at least 60 pounds since I started. My abdomen got huge. I felt really deformed with no self esteem.