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Alcohol

Curlyqueen

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Curlyqueen Rookie
Curlyqueen
Posted

Hello!

My 21st birthday was the last time I was able to drink alcohol. I must admit I drank too much but it was the last time I was able to drink alcohol with out get instantly drunk. After that birthday a lot of my symptoms began. My symptoms were mainly due to a b-12 deficiency and resolved with supplementation but returned and gradually turned into digestive issues. Most of my digestive issues have cleared up since going gluten free October '11 but I still can not drink alcohol. The first time I relized I couldn't drink alcohol I took 3 sips of beer( before going gluten free) and I could barely walk straight. I felt hot and kind of sweaty. My stomach was in such pain. My stomach felt like it was in knots and I was so nausea. After that I didn't try alcohol until after I went gluten free and had been feeling pretty good. The second time which was a few months ago I made sure I had eaten something and after a few sips( 2-3) I felt the alcohol. I guess it was the equivalent of a buzz but it wasn't pleasant feeling. My heart felt like it was beat fast. I felt kind of warm and slightly impaired. It took about an hour for it to go away. After it went a away I felt a little hung over but the next day I felt ok(not great but ok).

Every doctor I have told this too pretty much brushes it off but I'm concerned it is the symptom of a bigger issue. But I'm concerned for several reasons. In the past I was able to drink alcohol. I was still a light weight and lots of factors would influence how drunk I got. I never had a big tolerance but I could at least have one drink in a social situation. Now I don't want to go near the stuff. So I think there is a health connection. Maybe some pancreas, liver or maybe even kidney disfunction. Maybe a deficiency in digestive enzymes? I do not have celiac disease ( non celiac gluten intolerance) and I was told I have a leaky gut ( but no kind of testing was done). I also have other symptoms that suggest that it would be worth considering if this is an issue related to the pancreas as I have been experiencing hypoglycemic symptoms.

Anyway I was wondering has anyone else experience difficulties digesting alcohol? Are there any solutions to make consuming alcohol easier? Any advice, suggestion or anything would be GREATLY appreciated.

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bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

After I had been gluten-free for about six or seven months. i went to a friend's birthday party and drank tequila. Tequila had bee my drink of choice for many years and believe me, I could put away a LOT of it. But that night I had about two drinks over the course of four hours.

I was SO drunk and SO sick, I vowed I'd never drink again. And I haven't. And that's fine with me.

Curlyqueen Rookie
Curlyqueen
Posted
  • Author

After I had been gluten-free for about six or seven months. i went to a friend's birthday party and drank tequila. Tequila had bee my drink of choice for many years and believe me, I could put away a LOT of it. But that night I had about two drinks over the course of four hours.

I was SO drunk and SO sick, I vowed I'd never drink again. And I haven't. And that's fine with me.

Ouch! Yeah I have no problem with not drinking. I'm not a fan of alcohol in the first place but I'm just concerned it is the symptom of something else or the sign of something greater( at least for me). It might be that alcohol is not for those who need to be gluten free :-(. Thanks for sharing your experience. I know I'm not alone

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

Yup, your tolerance will change. Be careful out there. B)

Mateto Enthusiast
Mateto
Posted

I don't drink alcohol. I've had wine, beer, whisky/whiskey......never again. I never got drunk, I only had sips. It makes me instantly sick, so it's safe to say I'm alcohol-intolerant. But do be careful! Mouthwash has a different alcohol in it which can also make you (it does me) sick. You may want to see a doctor, but it doesn't seem to be causing you any side affects? Maybe you just cannot handle alcohol?

lovegrov Collaborator
lovegrov
Posted

My tolerance didn't change. I could still drink just as much as before, maybe even more as my weight went up. You are right in that a sudden intolerance or strange reactions to alcohol can also be a sign of something else going on.

rihard

Juliebove Rising Star
Juliebove
Posted

Yep! No alcohol for me. Two sips leaves me loopy. Wasn't that way many years ago but it is now. Gluten isn't an issue for me so I don't know what it is.

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Guest retes231
Guest retes231
Posted

I also get drunk easily everytime I drink alcohol. It also makes me very sick that it made me never want to drink again.

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

For many years, if I wanted to, I could drink 2 Bombay Sapphire martinis ice cold/up (that's a lot of rocket fuel ) and feel "just right". :)

This was before I was very sick from celiac disease and lost 90 lbs.

I did not touch alcohol for 2 years because I was ill and my gut was a mess.

Now, I am a wimp. Cannot do what I used to do.

I asked the doctor his thoughts. Is it because I have minimal body fat now? Is it because of gut malaborption? is it because I am so "clean" in my diet? Do I suddenly have an intolerance for booze?

He said "Who knows. Maybe your tolerance level has changed because of your gut alteration." He was just speculating.

So, I rarely drink now and when I do, I have about 1/5 of what I used to have and make sure I EAT.

Austin Guy Contributor
Austin Guy
Posted

I find alcohol to be very irritating to my digestive system so I stay away from it. It fires up the leaky gut very quickly.

sjpatt37 Newbie
sjpatt37
Posted

Prior to going completely gluten free, I had a fairly decent tolerance of alcohol.

After, my tolerance changed tremendously.

This was at first a surprise, but, not an unwelcome one.

Since growing older the desire to drink until drunk, gave way to a pleasant having a cocktail or two without ever getting to the point of sick.

For me, it's now one or two drinks, occasionally... Most of the time I never make it to drink number 2.

I do agree with many of the others, a sudden and drastic intolerance may point to something else going on.. Be very careful.

lovegrov Collaborator
lovegrov
Posted

Not to scare anybody, but a sudden weird reaction or intolerance to alcohol is a symptom of Hodgkin's. With that said, I imagine the odds are MUCH higher that it's something else. However, if you have other symptoms or strange stuff happening along with this sudden intolerance, see a doctor.

richard

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      My only proof

      By Mari · Posted

      Years  ago a friend and I drove north into Canada hoping to find a ski resort open in late spring,We were in my VW and found a small ski area near a small town and started up this gravelled road up a mountain. We  got about halfway up and got stuck in the mud. We tried everything we could think of but an hour later we were still stuck. Finally a pickup came down the road, laughed at our situation, then pulled the VW free of the mud. We followed him back to the ski area where where he started up the rope ski lift and we had an enjoyable hour of skiing and gave us a shot of aquavit  before we left.It was a great rescue.  In some ways this reminds me of your situation. You are waiting for a rescue and you have chosen medical practitioners to do it now or as soon as possible. As you have found out the med. experts have not learned how to help you. You face years of continuing to feel horrible, frustrated searching for your rescuer to save you. You can break away from from this pattern of thinking and you have begun breaking  away by using some herbs and supplements from doTerra. Now you can start trying some of the suggestions thatother Celiacs have written to your original posts.  You live with other people who eat gluten foods. Cross contamination is very possible. Are you sure that their food is completely separate from their food. It  is not only the gluten grains you need to avoid (wheat, barley, rye) but possibly oats, cows milk also. Whenever you fall back into that angry and frustrated way of thinking get up and walk around for a whild. You will learn ways to break that way of thinking about your problems.  Best wishes for your future. May you enjpy a better life.  
    • marion wheaton
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    • trents
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    • BlessedinBoston
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      No,Lindt is not gluten free no matter what they say on their website. I found out the hard way when I was newly diagnosed in 2000. At that time the Lindt truffles were just becoming popular and were only sold in small specialty shops at the mall. You couldn't buy them in any stores like today and I was obsessed with them 😁. Took me a while to get around to checking them and was heartbroken when I saw they were absolutely not gluten free 😔. Felt the same when I realized Twizzlers weren't either. Took me a while to get my diet on order after being diagnosed. I was diagnosed with small bowel non Hodgkins lymphoma at the same time. So it was a very stressful time to say the least. Hope this helps 😁.
    • knitty kitty
      My only proof

      By knitty kitty · Posted

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