Intolerance To Alcohol

[MJS]

Every time I drink alcohol, be it just a couple glasses of wine or a more greedy portion, I seem to get sicker.

When I first started drinking, this never happened. I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease about 4 years ago and have been on the gluten-free diet ever since. I should note that my reactions to everything overall seem to be getting worse (accidental CC, dairy make me feel much more awful these days than they did just a year ago.) Each time I drink alcohol, my body's response is more extreme.

I'm in college, and I would like to be able to go out with my friends and have a good time. My response to alcohol is a tiny bit different than that to gluten. I get the same bloating, cramping, headache, stomach pain, and diarrhea as I do with gluten. However, my stools are a different consistency and less odorous after alcohol consumption (sorry for the gross details, but I really want to figure this out!) Last week, I drank on Saturday night and I did not start feeling normal again until Wednesday.

I know there is no gluten in what I drink. I am very careful. Last week I had Bacardi rum and Cuervo tequila. A few weeks before that, I had white wine. The time before that, it was vodka. All of these are gluten-free, yet made me sick. It has gotten to the point where I am scared to drink, and it makes social events awkward.

If anyone has had a similar experience, or has some idea of what's going on, I'd appreciate your input!

[meatslayer]

Every time I drink alcohol, be it just a couple glasses of wine or a more greedy portion, I seem to get sicker.

When I first started drinking, this never happened. I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease about 4 years ago and have been on the gluten-free diet ever since. I should note that my reactions to everything overall seem to be getting worse (accidental CC, dairy make me feel much more awful these days than they did just a year ago.) Each time I drink alcohol, my body's response is more extreme.

I'm in college, and I would like to be able to go out with my friends and have a good time. My response to alcohol is a tiny bit different than that to gluten. I get the same bloating, cramping, headache, stomach pain, and diarrhea as I do with gluten. However, my stools are a different consistency and less odorous after alcohol consumption (sorry for the gross details, but I really want to figure this out!) Last week, I drank on Saturday night and I did not start feeling normal again until Wednesday.

I know there is no gluten in what I drink. I am very careful. Last week I had Bacardi rum and Cuervo tequila. A few weeks before that, I had white wine. The time before that, it was vodka. All of these are gluten-free, yet made me sick. It has gotten to the point where I am scared to drink, and it makes social events awkward.

If anyone has had a similar experience, or has some idea of what's going on, I'd appreciate your input!

Alcohol is very hard on your stomach and bowels, my Celiac doctor said I should not drink. I did not drink for some time, experimented a couple of times (greedy) and felt like crap.... just like you report, seemingly hungover (extreme) for days. I think it's something you might have to phase out of your life. It effects everyone different. Good luck.

[ravenwoodglass]

You may unfortunately have to forgo the alcohol. You may simply not have healed enough yet for your system to tolerate it.

Something else that may factor in... Do you drink at all at home? If you do say have a couple glasses of wine after dinner get as sick as you do when you drink out in a bar? If you can drink and not react at home it may be the mixers or the 'speed bar' or CC are getting you. I don't drink out much but when I do I have them rinse the glass or use a disposable cup. I ask for ice in it and my own neat shot and a bottle of coke or 7 up to mix myself. The reason I do this is because many bars use the same shot glass for all the alcohols. Gluten free or not and there can be residue in the shot glass. I also find I can control how much alcohol I consume better that way. That shot can be added to with multiple bottles of my mix if I choose to do so. No one knows.

[GF Jeannie Marie]

I have had problems with alcohol also. I find that if I drink Ciroc vodka (made from grapes) mixed with real orange juice or real cranberry juice I do just fine. I have a hard time finding it in bars but you can always smuggle your own stuff in. It sucks when you can't have a drink & everyone else is.

You may have other food issues bothering you that come up from drinking that may be in your drink choices or the cross contamination.

Experiment with different types of alcohol & different brands & diferent mixers.

GOOD LUCK!

[Olivegirl]

I also have the same problem with alcohol. It makes it really difficult when you want to go out drinking with friends but are sick for days afterward. Try sticking with lighter coloured drinks (white wine, clear spirits etc) - apparently they contribute less to hangovers than the darker drinks.

[gf-soph]

I used to be able to tolerate alcohol fine, but alcohol was the first thing to consistently make me sick after my first GI problems surfaced 5 years ago. I still can't really drink, I have managed 2-3 drinks on just 2 occasions in the last 3 years.

Most of the time if I even try to drink the first sip just sits wrong and I can't drink it, or I will get violently sick after 1 drink. It is really irritating on the stomach.

Maybe you will be able to start drinking slowly when you have healed more, but for me it isn't worth it.

[MJS]

Thanks so much for all the replies!

I was really interested to see that other people have had the same reactions as I have. I think I might stop drinking alcohol (as much as it pains me haha) because it's just not worth the suffering. I am positive that my drinks are gluten free (I make them myself, in my apartment), so this just might be the way I will have to go on.

If there's a truly special occasion, I might just pop some Immodium and go for it.

If anyone has any other suggestions/similar experiences, I'd still love to hear them.

[mushroom]

I always have to be different!! Before I figured out my gut problems, when I was really flared up, the only way I could quieten it down was to coat my stomach with neat scotch - I guess it burned the lining into submission (lol).

[acavazos2]

I always have to be different!! Before I figured out my gut problems, when I was really flared up, the only way I could quieten it down was to coat my stomach with neat scotch - I guess it burned the lining into submission (lol

 

Every time I drink alcohol, be it just a couple glasses of wine or a more greedy portion, I seem to get sicker.

When I first started drinking, this never happened. I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease about 4 years ago and have been on the gluten-free diet ever since. I should note that my reactions to everything overall seem to be getting worse (accidental CC, dairy make me feel much more awful these days than they did just a year ago.) Each time I drink alcohol, my body's response is more extreme.

I'm in college, and I would like to be able to go out with my friends and have a good time. My response to alcohol is a tiny bit different than that to gluten. I get the same bloating, cramping, headache, stomach pain, and diarrhea as I do with gluten. However, my stools are a different consistency and less odorous after alcohol consumption (sorry for the gross details, but I really want to figure this out!) Last week, I drank on Saturday night and I did not start feeling normal again until Wednesday.

I know there is no gluten in what I drink. I am very careful. Last week I had Bacardi rum and Cuervo tequila. A few weeks before that, I had white wine. The time before that, it was vodka. All of these are gluten-free, yet made me sick. It has gotten to the point where I am scared to drink, and it makes social events awkward.

If anyone has had a similar experience, or has some idea of what's going on, I'd appreciate your input!

You have to be careful when you go to a bar, a lot of these bars will put well spirits in their labeled top shelf bottles to make money. So for instance, they will take a cheap well vodka, probably made from wheat and contains wheat, and put it in a Ciroc bottle. Trust me it happens.