alcohol

Wow...it's been sooo long since I;ve been here!!! I'm back and I'm crying for help. I need direction for resources; where can i find something substantial written about the effects of alcohol vs chrone's disease; everything about it....i'm not sure what's wrong now...but i am desperate....PLEASE HELP!!!

signed

sick again:(

yes, I've googled it...unfortunately i am not very computer savy:(

Okay, I did experiment with wine and I find that red or rose wine does nothing to me, but white wine is a killer. Hope it helps.

I have found that my CD has never been exaserbated when I drink alcohol, I wouldn't worry to much about it.

thanks guys but do any of you know where i could find anything documented online???

i find all the replies really interesting to this question. i wanted to add my experience to this thread.

my H is the crohnie, and a alcoholic. 2 drs have refused to treat him until he stops drinking. both told us alcohol is very bad on his stomach and bowel. with his drinking, he also does not take his meds as directed, which is like 4 times a day. so he stays in a flare, bleeding with D, all the time.

interesting how one dr will say its ok, and one will say bye to the patient who drinks.

they did say one beer is ok, or one glass of wine. he drinks like 3 6 packs or a entire bottle of wine at one time.

so he now has no gastro dr at all and wont until he goes to rehab.

possibly it depends on how much one drinks, how often, and how compliant one is with the meds and diets. since my H is not compliant, its a waste of time, and money. these meds are not cheap, might as well pour em down the toilet...so to speak. when one month supply lasts 3 months, its obvious he isnt taking them as directed.

my H has crohns in his stomach also, and its documented what alcohol does to the stomach lining,it just tears it up worse.

Alcohol is obviously not great for certain parts of the body, small or large doses, your body has to work to get rid of it. Small doses obviously will not have a huge effect since you can get rid of it easily but in my opinion i would try to avoid it as much as possible whether it be large or small amounts. If you think of it as a row of light bulbs, you could have all the light bulbs on and have lots of light, or just have one on for a little light, but in the end every combination is going to use energy.

Another thing some ppl like myself have to keep in mind is some drugs are very taxing on the liver and kidneys (i am on imuran and pred, imuran has a very strong toxic effect). By giving your liver and kidneys extra work such as processing alchohol on top of metabolizing all those meds, it doesnt make for a great combination for your body, whether your body can handle it or not and obviously if your body isnt removing toxins, its not going to help the rest of your body one bit....have it if you cant live without it, but in my own opinion avoid it if you can, i havent had a drink in forever and i think thats why i dont get practically any side effects from the drugs i take because everything other then my intestines are functioning perfectly

There are two good reasons why alcohol and any illness associated with the gastrointestinal tract are not a good mix -- One, ethyl alcohol is corrosive, adding an irritant to an area that is already inflamed and damaged, and Two, almost all alcoholic drinks contain elements (gluten, sugars, etc.) that may not be a good mix with a delicate digestive process. And there's a third -- many of the medications commonly used in IBD react badly to alcohol. Basically, alcohol is a toxin, not a nutrient. There's really no sensible reason why anyone would ingest it, much less anyone with a GI disease.

I was a social drinker, when we out to eat or on holidays or parties, but now I'm on 6mp and afraid to drink. Actually, life is cheaper and easier. I really only miss it in Mexican restaurants, when I really want a margarita. So I say don't drink, your health is more important. You can enjoy life without alcohol.

Thank you all for your replies; it helps a bit; i guess that every chronie reacts differently:( This makes it very hard to assess.

No problem here dear...lol...i work far too many hours to have time for any kind of problem...i did like to use alcohol to unwind; super high stress job and it works; but as of late...i don't feel very well after just one drink (not necessarily MANY); this is why i wanted some resources...i find the best source of info is usually found by myself, but i am having trouble with this one!!

Alison, glad to hear it is as you say. Like I said the Immuran has stopped any enjoyment for me. My mother was never a drinker and she takes the same drug and says the same thing. So you may have to find another way to unwind. I hear Kickboxing is good for that :)