Marlie

I work with a person who admits she has a alcohol problem (she is alarmed at how much she drinks and can't stop). My question is, is coughing a sign of alcoholism? She coughs all the time but doesn't appear ill.

This seems like a really stupid question but I was just wondering.

suki44883

Not really. There are many reasons why a person would cough.

Taking5

Actually chest congestion and pneumonia is very common in severe alcoholics, even those that don't smoke. Smoking would obviously exacerbate this problem.

kptsj

Could be reflux or a hiatal hernia. My husband coughed all the time and found out he has a massive hiatal hernia. Medicine controls it.

Tally

My exA coughed constantly also. Stopped drinking and the coughing stopped for the most part. No idea why he coughed but he did, so much so that he would vomit sometimes. Yuk.

Thentram

It can be a sign. Drinking caused a lot of stress, anxiety, high blood pressure for me. One of the side effects was a constant feeling of something stuck in my throat which caused a lot of coughing.

totfit

Smoking kills more alcoholics than drinking, so the coughing may be a sign of smoking. Many alcoholics have very bad smoking/nicotine addiction also.

TakingCharge999

If she is ill she shouldn't be working, it may be contagious.

padanda

I believe it is a symptom of alcohol abuse. My mother has a recurring cough, I don't think it is hiatal hernia as she had a gastric sleeve done and they would've noticed the hernia during her surgery. The cough went away when she stopped drinking her first few months of recovery, but it's returned now that she started back up.

SmallButMighty

When I was suffering from anxiety, coughing was one of my physical symptoms.

Ariesagain

It could be postnasal drip from allergies exacerbated by alcohol. I used to have horrendous allergies and would sneeze and cough for hours every morning. I thought it was my pets and smoke from the woodstove.

Nope. Wine. I haven't had an allergy attack in 109 days of sobriety.

JD

Just an fyi, the original post was 6 years ago.

Ariesagain

Hope she's feeling better

hopeful4

I cough a lot, I have allergies