I also miss an occasional alcoholic drink, but my doctor told me that there were two thinks I could not do, and that was to eat ice cream or drink alcohol. He said that taking creon or something similar would allow me to eat almost anything else. Ive since researched this, and it appears that alcohol and smoking can damage the pancreas. I was diagnosed 9 months ago and am managing my diet. It is possible to get creon at a reduced price if you go to the creon site and apply for a reduction. I pay $50 a month, and my insurance pays the rest. I'm finding that EPI is rather rare, so it isn't easy getting information. I've seen two nutritionist, who had never met anyone with EPI.