# Alcohol works same as antibiotic?



## infamous1 (Jan 12, 2008)

Hello, Since a long time i have bad stools and horrible gasses. My docter said I have IBS. Trying alot of probiotics and stuff and results are ok but not great...but with newyear I drunk alot of strong alcohol (33%) and after that I eat alot of things I really shouldnt because that is always increasing my symtoms. The next day I woke up and expected to feel horrible but didnt feel that bad..just a little bit of gas and a good stool! This wasnt the first time my situation improved after drinking alcohol so I was wondering: does alcohol kill bacteria in my SI and is my situation improving becuase of that???


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Unlikely, alcohol is absorbed really quickly so wouldn't be in the part of the GI tract where the bacteria live. I think in the lab to sterilize with alcohol you want more like 70% or higher and even if it is 33% going in you would add more water to it in the GI tract diluting it even before you absorb it.If you tend to constipation alcohol is something that tends to loosen up the stools, but that isn't universal.More likely it is how the alcohol effected your nervous system and that happens to be in a way that makes your symptoms better even though it can make symptoms a lot worse for other people.


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

One thing here is IBS effects the large colon if your were diagnosed with IBS.alsoDr Drossman's comments on foods for IBS Health.Shawn,To say that people with IBS may get symptoms from food intolerances is an acceptable possibility, since the gut will over react to stressors of all types including food (high fat or large volumes of food in particular). Futhermore, there can be specific intolerances. So if you have a lactose intolerance for example, it can exacerbate, or even mimic IBS. *Other examples of food substances causing diarrhea would be high consumers of caffeine or alcohol which can stimulate intestinal secretion or with the latter, pull water into the bowel (osmotic diarrhea). *The same would be true for overdoing certain poorly absorbed sugars that can cause an osmotic type of diarrhea Sorbitol, found in sugarless gum and sugar substituted foods can also produce such an osmotic diarrhea. Even more naturally, people who consume a large amount of fruits, juices or other processed foods enriched with fructose, can get diarrhea because it is not as easily absorbed by the bowel and goes to the colon where it pulls in water. So if you have IBS, all of these food items would make it worse. However, it is important to separate factors that worsen IBS (e.g., foods as above, stress, hormonal changes, etc.) from the cause or pathophysiology of IBS. Just like stress doesn't cause IBS, (though it can make it worse), foods must be understood as aggravating rather than etiological in nature. The cause of IBS is yet to be determined. However, modern research understands IBS as a disorder of increased reactivity of the bowel, visceral hypersensitivity and dysfunction of the brain-gut axis. There are subgroups being defined as well, including post-infectious IBS which can lead to IBS symptoms. Other work using brain imaging shows that the pain regulation center of the brain (cingulate cortex) can be impaired, as well as good evidence for there being abnormalities in motility which can at least in part explain the diarrhea and constipation. So finding a specific "cause" of IBS has grown out of general interest in place of understanding physiological subgroups that may become amenable to more specific treatments. Hope that helps.Doug So Kathleen is probably right it "worked" by relaxing your nervous systems. I have to say I know IBSers who say alcohol helps there IBS and drink pretty freqently and I still see them with d all the time. Some beers may even increase certain bacteria perhaps. alcohol is something that IBSers are told to avoid for the most part and drink in moderation. Some people have issues with carbonation as well.


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## Puppy3D (Jul 28, 2004)

I don`t drink alcohol often but I was at a party some time ago, and drank a lot and the day after I had horrible gas volume.For me, alcohol makes gas worse. I big No No for me.


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