# Alcohol and IBS



## volatile (Jun 20, 2005)

I'd like to know if any of you can provide some advice so I can balance alcohol, social life, and being in good IBS condition.I'm 25 years old and about 4 years ago when I began doing all I could to erode IBS from me, I tried to shut out alcohol as much as possible.I won't argue that alcohol can be a trigger, but on the other hand, I became so uptight and obsessed with conquering IBS and that alcohol was evil, that it really destroyed my social life.I basically was in my apartment by myself all the time, being anti-social, because I was afraid to drink. I was afraid if I started drinking, my IBS symptoms would worsen.I pretty much became like the guy who buys a nice car but is scared to drive it because it might get dinged in the parking lot.Now my IBS symptoms are not life threatening. The main problem I have is bloating and mild-constipation. I have had a tendancy to obsess on my stomach, because I do go to the gym and weight lift, and being a 25 year old male, having a nice body is a MAJOR important thing for me.When I would have my body look like #### because it was bloated it would really frustrate me.Yet by giving up alcohol, I shortened my world and became isolated.I'm not asking to be able to drink 10 Bud Lights Friday and Saturday.What I'd like to do is to have some help in finding out what and how I can balance this so I am not so darn uptight, scared, and afraid to go out and have a few drinks or hey, even get blasted every now and then, yet not destroy my visual appearance in having the bloating get worse.If I keep isolating myself, I'm missing out on life, and I need to be able to loosen up.On HELP FOR IBS, they are helpful, but most are mothers in their 50s and they are out of touch with the reality of being a young adult and the need to GET OUT, which is why I asked here.Do any of you have advice as to how you can with IBS have alcohol in your life without the unpleasant effects...because socially...avoiding alcohol is just not realistic unless you want to be a hermit as a mid 20s male?After all, my main problem as is said is bloating, which is annoying, but moreso discomfort and cosmoetic, it's not like I have to go in my pants or anything of that more serious nature.


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## volatile (Jun 20, 2005)

I specifically would be interested in knowing1) How much and how often can I/you drink before it disrupts you for days? If I get blasted once a week...or I have 2-3 drinks 1-2 a week...is this within reason? Or is it out of the question to do consecutive nights or weeks? Would that likely disrupt you for days?2) Which drinks are the best ones to go for? I assume that beer would be out of the question since it is very strong and carbonated. This would leave spirits and wine. Which of those are usually IBS compatable? -Vodka/Gin/Whiskey/Scotch/Bourbon/Triple Sec/Rum/Liquour? -White/Red Wine I assumed that Vodka and Gin were the safe spirits, all others, more than Rum, were not so safe. For wine I thought White was best. Are these the case? Do brands matter?3) Which speciality drinks are good ones for IBS? -Cape Cod/Gin and Tonic/Gin and Ginger...any others? -I'm confused because at my house Ginger Ale would be fine as I could make it diet...but at bars...not so. Is Tonic OK?4) My other assumption was, since the more we drink the more likely it is to cause problems, wouldn't it be best if we drank fewer overall drinks and those drinks we had were stronger? Example: Instead of having 4-5 mild drinks....if you had 2-3 strong drinks that way you could feel buzzed...but it would be less overall drinks. Is that a good logic to follow for IBS?5) Any other tips? I really wish (Is there?) that an IBS and Alcohol guide was around...I really would think it would be a useful tool so that people like me aren't so anal and uptight about drinking to the point of social isolation, so that we have the education and insight to feel confident that we can go out, not be afraid to drink, have a good time, and smartley manage IBS.Thanks.


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## degrassi (Jun 10, 2003)

Sorry to tell you but there is no IBS and alcohol guide as its different for everyone. Some people can't drink at all, some can drink certain kinds of drinks and for some alcohol doens't affect their IBS at all. You really need to test it out for yourself. For me Alcohol isn't a problem. Having a few drinks actually makes me feel better when I'm out. It relaxes me so I'm not worrying about my stomach all night. I usually take a few Imodium before going as a precaution anyways. The only issues i've had with alcohol is when I get wasted my IBS-D can be bad the next morning. But being sick(having D) the next day can even happen for non IBS people. It also doens't matter on what kind of alcohol I drink, all are the same for me. I prefer drinking beer tho. So if you really want to drink then I would suggest testing it out sometime when you can have a few days free. Have a few drink and see what happens. Pick an alcohol you'd want and mix it with something that is "safe" for you to drink.


> I really would think it would be a useful tool so that people like me aren't so anal and uptight about drinking to the point of social isolation


I'm not exactly sure why you think not drinking is holding you back from being social. You can still go out and have fun without drinking.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Here is the general guideline for drinking for long term health.Men- Maximum 2 drinks a day. This is not on average 2 drinks a day, but 2 drinks per 24 hours. You cannot save them up and have 14 on Saturday.Women Maximum 1 drink a day. Again, not average but one drink.Even at the same body mass alcohol is harder on a woman's body than a man's because there are some gender specific differences in how we metabolize alcohol.Every time you drink more than that you do damage to the body that accumulates. It may not matter much when you are 25 but if you have to get loaded every weekend and drink a lot more than that you will pay for that by middle age with problems in your liver and blood vessels. If your sex life is an important part of your social life and intend it to stay that way, stick to the 2 drink maximum rule.Now if you drink fairly regularly and always stay under the maximum there alcohol seems to have some effects that may be healthy, just once you over that line you start causing damage. A little a good, but a lot is always bad. Unfortunately for a lot of people once they get a bit of a buzz they don't care about following the guideline so tend to always overdo it.If you have social anxiety to the point you cannot even talk to people or be around other people unless you are loaded you may want to seek treatment for that rather than trying to self medicated into submission. There are lots of other treatments for social anxiety and it may be worth talking to someone about that.Some IBSers will be sick for days from 1-2 drinks but most people can handle that much. If you can't stop after 2 drinks then you may also need to get some help.Which beverages people tolerate varies. Some people have issues with carbonation and the alcohol doesn't help with that. So some people can't have beer or any drink made with something fizzy. But usually the problem is the alcohol part, not the rest of the liquid so 2 shots of vodka or 2 glasses of wine or 2 beers may all cause the same amount of problems as they all have the same total amount of alcohol. With shots you can get it in faster, but the total amount usually determines if you have problems.


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## volatile (Jun 20, 2005)

Thanks.I'll clarify, it is not the social anxiety.It is just that I get very uptight about alcohol thinking that if I have any it will make me bloated and ruin my body, this is what I mean by uptight.I guess the anaology would be, I get like a girl (no offense) who becomes afraid to eat for fear that it will make her fat.Well that's I mean by uptight, I become afraid that if I have alcohol it will make me bloated and ruin all my hard work in the gym, so it creates this "mental barrier" where I am afraid to have even one drink.I'm asking and would like to get it were I can go back to have a few drinks casually and letting loose instead of isolating myself and being afraid to go out thinking it will lead to drinking and then bloating.The other questions I have1) So I guess from what you say....you can have alcohol and successfully manage IBS....but it will vary based on WHAT you can drink...HOW much you drink...and HOW often you drink?2) Again, which drinks are the best ones to go for?I assume that beer would be out of the question since it is very strong and carbonated.This would leave spirits and wine.Which of those are usually IBS compatable?-Vodka/Gin/Whiskey/Scotch/Bourbon/Triple Sec/Rum/Liquour?-White/Red WineI assumed that Vodka and Gin were the safe spirits, all others, more than Rum, were not so safe.For wine I thought White was best.Are these the case?Do brands matter?3) Which speciality drinks are good ones for IBS?-Cape Cod/Gin and Tonic/Gin and Ginger...any others?-I'm confused because at my house Ginger Ale would be fine as I could make it diet...but at bars...not so. Is Tonic OK?4) If you have 2 STRONG drinks, would that pose no more a problem for your IBS symptoms, normally, than if you have 2 AVERAGE drinks? I would like to get a buzz...but also not compromise the integrity...hence if I can get buzzed with just 2 strong drinks as opposed to 4-5 average drinks....that would be nice.Thanks.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

If you are so wound tight that alcohol will trigger your IBS then just don't drink alcohol.The stressing out about the bloating can make you bloat.1. Some IBSers cannot drink anything, some can have one or two, anything more than that isn't good for your long term health anyway so should be off the table even if some other IBSer can have 3 or 5 before all heck breaks loose.2. There is no type of drink that is safe for IBSers. Typically it is the grams of alcohol not anything else that causes the problem. That being said some people seem to do better with clear hard liquor than anything else, but it varys too much to give you an answer called you can have X number of Y drinks safely.Usually the problem with alcohol is the unrelenting diarrhea more than a couple of hours of bloatedness while you sleep it off. Most people find the day or two pooping their guts out isn't worth the momentary pleasure. However if you do something that increases the pain in the gut you won't be able to suck it in so will be bloated compared to your normal held tight state.You may not even tolerate anything, but it is hard to tell the stressing out from what you fear will trigger your IBS symptoms.3. Again no universally safe drink.4. It is based on total grams of alcohol, not total ounces of drink. 2 shots is the same as 2 glasses of wine as 2 beers in how much alcohol you are taking in. Your body reacts the same to the grams of alcohol no matter how dilute they are.The only advantage to 2 shots compared to 2 beers is you can get 2 shots down a lot quicker than 2 beers, or at least most people can unless you like doing beer bongs.No matter what is causing such stress if you can't just let it go on your own you need to get help to do it.Lots of people don't drink. If you work out a lot just say you don't want to break training and have water or whatever else is safe for you that won't stress you out way more than the alcohol could relax you. If you are wound tightly enough it will take way more alcohol than you want to be drinking anyway to get you loose.I really never drink when I am out because I usually have to drive myself home and I can be a bit loopy from a single drink. I also don't want the empty calories as they don't really fit in my diet. I will have a beer or glass of wine in the evening once I am home and know I don't have to go out anymore.


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## IanRamsay (Nov 23, 2008)

Hi MateI had a pint of stella when i was 16 or so. it was the first and last alcoholic drink i ever had. im now 30. i dont think alcohol is evil or the poison of teh masses etc etc, but at teh same time i also cant see what point it serves, especially as it is basically poisoning your system as soon as it gets in (hence the hangover, temporary gastritis, dehydration, liver loading etc.). if you feel unwell from ibs as it is, having a few drinks and making it worse for a day or longer seems like madness to me. IBS forces us to change sometimes mate. the changes that we have to make may not be easy or happy ones, but ultimately that may make life a bit easier to live with. you must do what you feel is right based on your own tollerances to alcohol and its after effects. although i recon your mates wont think anything less of you if you just have a ginger ale or coke. and if they do give you some jip for it, bin em and find some new friends.all teh bestIan


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## Guest (Sep 6, 2009)

I laughted at your post because I am actually a mother of 3 children but I am 45 and I completely understand your drinking concerns. In fact, I stressed about it all week because my husband and I had plans to go out to watch a college football game yesterday and I was concerned about the alcohol and how it would affect my IBS (I am a newbie to IBS).I only had 1 beer (over the course of an hour) and within about 20 minutes of finally finishing it, I started having really bad stomach cramps. It really bummed me out. I'm not sure if it was the beer, the hot wings, or the worry that brought on my symptoms.The whole social thing I completely understand. I agree with the other posters that you are probably (and me too) going to need to experiment to see what / if any alcohol will not bring on terrible symptoms. I feel for you because at your age (and believe it or not my age as well) it is hard to be very social with IBS. You have my shoulder to cry on because I understand your frustration.Take care.Barb


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## S_LIne (Jun 26, 2009)

I stay away from lots of beer I will have a pint or two but thats it. I can drink as much alcohol as I want and I don't have any issues with it. If you stay with a high quality alcohol that may help to. I only drink Gin and tequila and never felt bad the next day I feel great actually. Try one kind of drink a see what happens then move your way on


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## volatile (Jun 20, 2005)

Thanks.KathleenI never really get D from drinking, the biggest problem is bloating.I stay away from beer as that is heavy and carbonated.My main problem is I obsess and worry too much about the affects of alcohol like a girl does about her weight, and I'd like to just knock it off, have a drink or two (which won't kill me).You're telling me, if I understand, that when it comes to alcohol and IBS, it varies way too much to give a general rule of thumb guideline...but that for the most part, with experimentation, casual social drinking and successful management of IBS is NOT mutually exclusive?Also...I am still confused about what you mean by dilution and grams of alcohol.What I wanted to know is, if I have 2 average drinks (say 80 proof vodka and tonic) vs 2 strong drinks (say 150 proof vodka and tonic)...would they both likely be the same in terms of IBS effect?


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## volatile (Jun 20, 2005)

mom23gs said:


> I only had 1 beer (over the course of an hour) and within about 20 minutes of finally finishing it, I started having really bad stomach cramps. It really bummed me out. I'm not sure if it was the beer, the hot wings, or the worry that brought on my symptoms.


I would not based on what you had say you can't have alcohol.I would have felt like #### too if I ate and drank what you did.Buffalo Wings are almost always fried, full of fat, and usually they are made with butter. That alone would have screwed up my stomach.Also...for me...beer is usually the least easily tolerated.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Everyone has a different definition of "casual social".For general health men should have no more than two drinks in a day. If you consider that casual/social then that fits. If you mean getting pretty darn wasted but not blacking out then that is probably more than anyone should drink.Some IBSers will tolerate one to two drinks pretty well. Some poeple can't have ANY alcohol even a couple of sips sets them off.I can't predict if you can have zero, one, or two and be OK. I just can't. I know you want some absolute answer but there isn't one.A 12 ounce beer equals a glass of wine equals a shot of most things (100 proof or less) or a mixed drink made with a shot.It is the grams/ounces of pure alcohol per drink that matters. Not how many total ounces of beverage the alcohol is in.


> In the U.S., a standard drink is defined as the equivalent of 0.6 ounces of pure alcohol. That generally corresponds to: * 12 ounces of beer * 5 ounces of wine * 1.5 ounces of spirits


http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/alcohol...cohol-per-drinkIf you drink 1 shot of 180 proof everclear that is like two shots of 90 proof vodka. Your body doesn't know if you had one shot or two lower proof shots. You get the same increase in blood alcohol if you consume them in the same amount of time.The only thing more concentrated alcohol usually does is let you get more in faster so you'll probably have a faster spike in blood alcohol levels. Whatever puts you above your limit will be bad no matter what it looks like in the glass.


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## volatile (Jun 20, 2005)

Kathleen...thanks.Your defintion of casual social is what I was thinking of, so if I understand correctly, you feel this should be fine, and if so, glad to see.From time to time people may get blasted...and I would expect to pay for it....but most of the time...casual social.I would be interested in hearing about what spirits and what drinks people can tolerate (bloddy mary/gin and tonic...etc.)


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## sir_psycho_sexy_13 (Aug 16, 2009)

i know how you feel i'm struggling to give up alcohol, while it may have many bad points esp for us IBSers, there's no denying it's anti depressant qualities. i didn't consider myself to have a drinking problem i don't drink 1/4 of the amount my friends do..but i signed up to drinkaware website and kept a diary of my drinking for a couple of weeks and its well above the government guidelines, but i find i still drink (albeit a lot less) when i know my symptons will kick off the next day, does that mean i have a problem? i don't know. I usually find if its a good night then the pros outway the cons, but i do worry about the long term effects and whether alcohol can make ibs worse over time or does it merely aggravate it temporarily?i'm 22 living in the big drinking culture that is England!


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## miss peaches (Sep 7, 2009)

I totally feel what you are saying, I mean Im in my 20's and I looooove the get "smashed" every so often. But in college I learned the hard way my body and tolerance levels. For one I can't drink wine because of my GERD symptoms. Even though I do it from time to time, Im prepared for a rough night. Also, when I get officially drunk I will have diarrhea the next day, sooooo I never get drunk unless I know I have uninterrupted access to the bathroom the next morning. They say alchohol relaxes the very thing that keeps us uptight, so we have attendancy to get symptoms when we drink, but I agree with one of the other posts that obsessing about it just onsets the sickness. If I think im going to get sick, i usually do. Since I assume the next morning Ill be sick, I usually am. The mind is very powerful and I've been told that the mind does alot of the controlling of IBS symptoms. I understand the fear of going out. I still deal with that...I still struggle with not wanting to go out and get "sick" and ruin the night. sometimes I just get over it and other times I stay in feeling sorry for myself. It sucks dude, I know. You don't want life to pass u by but u dont want to be a party pooper of the DD all the time. So all I can say is you really have to learn your body and trust yourself. Some nights will be good and other won't, just know that upfront. you go out, and anticipate one of those "good nights" and if it turns out to be a "bad one", chop it up to a loss. But you will see that you will have more good nights than bad. I don't have any profound medical advice like the others, its just my experience. i've had IBS my whole life and have done things experts said I couldn't do, I've done the mexico spring break thing...twice, vegas several times, a host of drunken festivals, and so on. I have some horror stories but a lot of great memories and pictures. I consulted my doctor and my conscious, but WTH I like to drink, so I deal with the consequences and try to have a blast.


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## S_LIne (Jun 26, 2009)

If I am having a rough day where I had abdominal pain I would get drunk and it would go away. The only time I get D the next day is if I have a lot of beer which most people get any ways. I never felt better than when I was drunk which I thought was kind of odd.


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## anth (Jun 3, 2006)

i always feel much much better after drinking alcohol. maybe my ibs is all stress related and being aware of it? next day im usually a little crook but i find it is worth it.


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