JJames818

First post here....

I've never had issues with heartburn, acid reflux, or ulcers before in my life. I had a friend that had ulcers and suffered a lot but still DRANK HEAVILY. I have another friend who gets frequent heartburn, and will either deny drinks or drink very cautiously.

Lately, I've been drinking heavier than I have in my entire life. My work gives me a lot of free time, and I drank pretty heavily the last 5 nites in a row with friends. Every once in awhile, I'll do 3 or 4 nites a week, but this week was the heaviest by far

I find my stomach producing stupid amounts of bile I think, and Im off running to the toilet every 40 mins to an hour or so. Sometimes if I eat or drink something that agitates my stomach, I'm tossin it out in just a few mins. But even if I dont eat or drink anything (out of fear usually, but also a lack of appetite from a sour stomach), I am still dry-heaving.

What are some of the things that heavy alcohol consumption does to your stomach? Have I given myself ARD? Luckily, tomorrow I should be ok, as has been the case before.

Sorry to be so disgusting, esp for my first post lol, but this is getting insane. I just had to quietly slip away from a conversation with some co-workers and friends so that I could make it to the restroom in time. I am basically debilitated today, but with no HANGOVER whatsover.

THANKS!!!

Dee74

Welcome jjames

definite correlation. no question in my mind.

I think you'll find a lot of us here have had similar problems - but, on the good side, my problems all but cleared up once I stopped drinking.

get yourself checked out if you're concerned.
D

hypochondriac

Welcome to SR James

When I stopped getting hangovers the serious health problems started kicking in...

We're not supposed to give or ask for medical advice here, but the links between acid reflux and alcohol are pretty firmly established. I had stomach problems for years but I was also honest about my drinking. My doc basically said to stop drinking and smoking. He was right. Is giving up drinking something you would consider?

sugarbear1

I had to sleep with many pillows.... Igor was a real mess (I had so many stomach issues I named my stomach/digestive tract Igor)

Igor loves spicey food today!!!

GroundhogDay

Like you, I never had problems with heartburn or acid reflux before I started drinking heavily. It completely cleared up within 2 weeks of quitting alcohol. It was one of the main reasons that I stopped drinking. Still, I am going to mention it to my doctor soon when I go for my regular appointment. Like Dee says, it is best to get it checked out by a doctor. Self diagnosis has led me astray in the past.

JJames818

Thanks for everyone's feedback and tales!! Lol @ Igor....and naming ur digestive system. Ironically, its making me laugh, which makes my stomach hurt more. Its ok though

Sorry if I was unclear, I definitely do want to quit, and severely cutting back just HAS to happen. I usually get texts/calls from friends to come out on Wed, then Thurs, then the weekend. This week it started on Tues though...UGH!!

In regards to friends contributing to my self destruction, here is the problem I have with saying "no" to invites. When I wanna go out, and my friends say "no" I get pretty bummed. I, in turn, dont wanna bum them out when they invite me; it's kinda a vicious cycle. I think we all secretly want to go out on diff nites, and we are all afraid to bum each other out by saying "no" to each other lol. Pretty stupid, right? We live in a small town out here, and friends are few n far between, and very valuable.

That said, I cant keep doing this, and my friends will understand (and maybe secretly will start saying "no" more often too). This may sound half-ass to people that have completely quit, but if I can make it until Friday this week, that would be a huge WIN for me

Dee74

I spent years putting other people ahead of myself.
It wasn't entirely altrustic - I was scared if I said no once my friends would stop calling.

and you know - some did - which is how I knew they weren't really my friends.

They might be bummed, but they'll go out just the same, James.

Don't worry - real friends get you. The Real you.

D

wiscsober

JJames818

BarbieKen

Yes, I've been on a prescribed drug for acid reflux for over decade. On the other end (so to speak) it's been a trigger for too many arguments. I'm telling my husband, "No, we can't eat at.............., it's too far from home, the hotel etc. What if became , When I have to, so I lived on diahera pills daily !
Here I am 7 months sober, my Doctor suggested that I wean off "the" acid reflux drug. I' m feeling much more confidant about the D. Problem too!
I can only speak for myself, via my Doctor's recent advice. Yes, my alcoholic drinking of the last 7 years, probably caused my 'problems'.

EndGameNYC

You need to see a gastro specialist. The symptoms you describe are common with acid reflux, but are also seen in pancreatitis and liver dysfunction.

MrTumble

Yes, I got terrible acid problems at the height of my drinking.

GracieLou

I had no heartburn or stomach issues of any kind but I developed a chronic cough. I had bronchitis last year in April and after I got over it I could not shake the cough. It was really bothersome. I coughed all day at work, at home, at night. Cough drops helped a bit but cough syrup really did not help much. It was like a constant tickle that would not go away.

Then someone mentioned acid reflux cough. I looked it up and it matched all my symptoms. I bought some omeprazole (generic Prilosec) at Walmart and started taking them and it took about a week but the cough was gone. The gagging and coughing at night was also gone. At my next doctor appointment I mentioned it as I was worried about talking it long term but the doctor said it was fine.

Since I quit drinking I stopped taking them about a two weeks after and the cough is still gone. No gagging or coughing at night and I have stopped snoring too.

hypochondriac

Saying no to going out is not your only option here. I felt like I had the same problem really so I went out and didn't drink! It was really tough though, so I started being proactive and calling my friends first, asking if they would like to do something like meet for a coffee. Anything that takes place during the day and doesn't/can't involve alcohol. It has taken me a long time but now I feel able to go out without drinking and be comfortable. There is no harm in taking a bit of time out while you recover. It doesn't sound like your stomach is going to give you a choice over this anyway. It needs time to recover, social niceties be damned x

JJames818

Ahh..I was wondering what else could be included in the list of alcohol related gastro disorders.

As per usual, my stomach feels MUCH better today. Once I get showered, moving, and grab a healthy meal, I'll probably feel great. I have a lot of work to do today and tomorrow and know that alcohol will be THE LAST FKN THING on my mind. Once that work is done though, its important for me to remember days like yesterday: writhing in pain, unable to hold down meals, running for the restroom, accomplishing ZERO, etc.

Also, I want to do some research into pancreatitis and liver dysfunction, but as stated, will be super busy the next 2 days. If someone doesn't mind, do the symptoms of either of those reduce even after just 24hrs of not drinking?

THANKS!!!

JJames818

Haha totally....thanks for sharing hypochondriac!!

We have a friend who is older than us and hangs out with us from time-to-time (even at the bars) who DOES NOT TOUCH ALCOHOL. He just never got into it, and came from a family that WAS HEAVY INTO IT. I think he saw early on what it does, and to this day claims to have had roughly 4-5 alcoholic beverages his entire life!!!

When he joins us out at nite, he drinks soda, sometimes even water. It kinda sucks that the bartenders go, "Are u fkn kidding me??!!" (but with a smile) LOL...A couple of the bartenders are our friends, and also ironically, THEY DONT DRINK EITHER

Here's an unfortunate story about a failed attempt to not drink while out with friends from about 4yrs ago though. We're at a house-party, and I vowed to myself to not drink that nite. My friend (who was drinking) starts "joking around" with me, calling me some hillbilly name from the show "King of the Hill" while surrounded by a bunch of minorities. I have an easier time deflecting jokes, playn verbal tennis...just verbal rough-housing really while drinking apparently. Sober, I started to get agitated, asked him politely to stop, kinda got made fun of for askn him to stop and not "playin around", and finally SLAPPED HIM in the face in front of about 15 ppl (a punch would have gone too far IMO). A fight would have commenced if friends weren't there to split us up. Stressed, I sed FCK IT and grabbed a beer. When the booze hit my lips and started to kick in, I thought, "Why was I being so serious???!". I went and immediately apologized to my friend, literally, for not drinking earlier and trying to be sober. SMFH.

I want to start another thread somewhere about the detox period, and the dangers of it. I wouldn't want to be in a bar or at a house party and try to stay sober without at least 3 weeks sober I think. I think my body/brain is so conditioned to socialize once the liq kicks in that I struggle without it. I'm hoping that detox n therapy would help my brain rewire itself to have just as much (if not more) fun socializing unintoxicated.

THOUGHTS??

silentrun

I would get acid reflux so bad when I drank I would throw up acid. I also had a bout of gastritis. It has gone away since quitting.

hypochondriac

It could be withdrawal from alcohol which made you more agitated. It is quite common to experience anger when giving up drinking. I know I did, big time. I don't think it is fair on sobriety though to judge it's merits on a few incidents you had when you weren't drinking. Try a protracted period of sobriety and see how you do then? I have found I am much calmer these days but it took a while to get there x

Vandermast

most certainly....after my last 1 and a half year relapse I could hear the acid splash up my pipe when i burped....it does heal however if you stay dry, you might haemorrage if it is severe enough and you drink

SoberArtistGirl

Definitely. I'm 5 years sober and still have it.