First of all I am so very sorry you have this. But knowing it’s an infection as the cause, (MAC) is a better thing than a cancerous tumor. I understand the fear associated with all of it. Not sure I understand why you would want to continue drinking. Or is it you know you should stop to start the meds, and you are fearful of the meds? Alcohol causes GERD which basically can lead to MAC. I’m sure a drink of wine every now and then may be ok , but you should consider becoming a tea totaller before and after the meds . I used to enjoy a shot of Brandy for years at night for a number of reasons. ( ten kids and teaching for 43years, and we used to live where there were two seasons - winter and not winter- Brr). When I heard that about MAC and GERD and alcohol I never had another sip. When friends would ask me why I didn’t drink I just said , “alcohol makes me pregnant” and with ten kids ( even though 6 are special needs children from China) they never asked me after that. Seriously, a cavity is bad, but there are things we can do to help ourselves. Taking the Big 3 is one of them. And there are new medications out there. The reason it’s not heard of as often is because research for cancer is big- not so much for some lung diseases that are rare even if more people are getting diagnosed. And then there is the money issue. More and more doctors are learning about NTM by necessity. Arikayce cured me of MAC after several years, but all that depends on your ID doctor - not a pulmonologist. You need an infectious disease doctor as well as a good pulmonologist and preferably at the same place. Hopefully someone on this site can steer you in that direction. I would imagine DC has top notch ID doctors and pulmonologists. Try not to be afraid- I know it’s hard - trust me I know that !! Being informed is way better than worrying!! Wishing you peace of mind and good medical care that cares about you. ( irene5)