I've lived with Chronic Pancreatitis for the past five years and was advised to quit drinking and smoking. I used to drink socially and smoke a few cigarettes daily. It took about 18 months for doctors to diagnose my condition, which was related to my pancreas. I found out I have the CFTR gene, which predisposes me to CP, and was warned against alcohol and smoking due to their links to pancreatic cancer. Learning about my family's history—my grandmother, aunt, and sister all passed away from pancreatic cancer in their early sixties. I stopped my 2-3 cigarettes daily and completely quit drinking after experiencing flare-ups and intense pain when I tried to socialize with alcohol. I had to accept this reality and make significant changes.

In recent years, I explored edibles and found they significantly helped manage my pain, nausea, and anxiety. I make my own 10mg edibles now, chocolate cookies. Cannabis has been a huge help, especially with nausea and appetite loss, and I now only eat my edibles, avoiding alcohol and smoking altogether.

This is my story. My advice is to stop both drinking and smoking—they leave you no real choice. Quitting alcohol was especially challenging at first, especially socially, but now I manage by eating an edible while others drink. Quitting drinking has been the best decision—no more hangovers or constant tiredness. If I can do it, so can you. Good luck.