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Posted 9/30/2011 9:48 PM (GMT 0)
I'm so sad. I think I have to give up alcohol and become entirely teetotal. I don't even drink that much; probably a glass of wine once or twice a month, but I really really love good quality drink. My boyfriend collects wine and, as I'm 25, the vast majority of my friends all socialise by going out together, either to the pub or by going partying.

But I feel increasingly worse every time I drink :( Last night I had a small beer and a glass of white wine, and today I've felt awful; so nauseous, bad diarrhoea, very upset stomach. It happens every time I drink and I think I just need to make the step to becoming fully teetotal.

It makes me sad though. I am young! I want to go and party and have fun! I so resent this disease, when I can't just have a normal Friday night out like my friends. We had a work event yesterday and everyone was out getting drunk, I felt so left out and some people don't know I have Crohn's, and they can really try and pressurise me into drinking (lots of 'oh one won't hurt' comments).

Has anyone else here stopped drinking? How do you handle the reactions of other people to you not drinking? And how do you handle boozy social and work situations?
Posted 9/30/2011 10:44 PM (GMT 0)
I don't drink alcohol.  It's never really been a problem.  When people are sober they'll playfully pick on me, but no one actually cares.  When they're all drunk they generally can't tell whether I'm sober or not.  At parties/clubs/bars I just try to always have a (non-alcoholic) drink in my hand.  Coke is good because it just looks like a rum and coke.

There are a lot of pros to stopping - drinking isn't good for your health, it's expensive, and it impairs your judgement.  Add on that it's giving you trouble with your Crohn's and I think it's a great idea!

You can come party sober with me sometime.

Post Edited (Jonny Five) : 9/30/2011 4:47:23 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/1/2011 1:00 AM (GMT 0)
I do drink alcohol, but I have come to realize that I can't drink near as much as I used to. One beer a night is enough for me.

I find that there is a strong co relation with how much food is in my stomach when I drink to how I feel. Also, different types of alcohol affect me differently. Whiskey and Scotch give me a nasty headache, while rum, vodka, and tequila don't. Beer and hard ciders are no problem for me and my system in moderation.

My advise is to find how different things affect you. If drinking is important to you, try different types of alcohol. I you can live without it then do it. Be safe, and remember you only have one body and one liver. treat it kindly.
-ZZ

ps- everything in moderation (including moderation)
Posted 10/1/2011 1:46 AM (GMT 0)
I have been through this also. I was 23 when I was diagnosed, newly married, and it was immediately apparent that my drinking days were behind me. I would have 1 or 2 every now and then, but it just wasn't worth it. Plus I was so tired all the time, alcohol didn't help. I became the designated driver, and learned to find the more sober friends to talk to. I am not a huge group socializer, I like small groups or one on one conversations. It's a better conversation when you are sober :)

Later on, I didn't drink because of being pregnant, having small children, and again, tired all the time!

Then I started with severe abdominal pain, and even 1 drink just hurt too much. I would take a pain pill (narcotic!) just so I could have a drink. It really wasn't worth it. That was from 1992 to 2008 or so.

Then I got an abcess in 2009, which turned into a fistula. I was on Flagyl for 18 months, no drinking at all. I have just barely started back drinking 3 months post surgery (starting about July). I made a big deal about it with my friends - Hey this is my first glass of wine in 2 years!, Hey this is my first pina colada! Etc. It was a summer of firsts, so even though I still don't drink much, it was fun doing it that way. But to be honest, I have gone so long without drinking I just don't care that much anymore...

It sucks, but that's life with this stupid disease rolleyes

Good luck - I have lots of sympathy but no solutions...

Sudsmom
Posted 10/1/2011 1:52 AM (GMT 0)
Luckily I can drink. I normally stick with beer but will do liquor every now and then. I don't notice any difference in crohn's symptoms with different alcohol, just different hangovers when I drink excessive. After a few drinks though I don;t feel like I have to go #2 anymore and I feel good, maybe even normal. So I probably drink more often than I should.
Posted 10/1/2011 2:36 AM (GMT 0)
No alcohol with all these meds so hard on your body, alcohol would be a bad combination
Posted 10/1/2011 3:36 AM (GMT 0)
I really think it depends on the person and what you can/cannot tolerate with crohn's. I mean, how do you explain that I can have all vinegars except rice wine vinegar? It's just weird! I drink red wine mostly and it does nothing. But I'll have tomato sauce and get heartburn. I'm lactose intolerant and recently, discovered that I've become gluten-intolerant. As a result, I have less bloating. But...coffee? I'm ok as long as I don't go caffeine crazy and am not in a flair. Same with booze. You really do have to experiment. I'd do it when you're tummy's feeling pretty okay. Stick to one drink (I think most people can tolerate vodka.) and see what happens. Lots of sugar such as cranberry or orange juice may not be good combo. Straight booze - lol  Good luck to you.
Posted 10/1/2011 3:41 AM (GMT 0)
The drugs we take are hard on our organs. My pancreas has been damaged so I don't drink. Never drank a lot but once in a while I could use a stress relief beer or two. You will adjust I think. You are smart to listen to your body.
Posted 10/1/2011 12:12 PM (GMT 0)
Sovawanea, party on. Just learn to do it without alcohol. Actually, parties are more fun when you can remember them the next day.

I don't drink and I find that doesn't crimp my social life at all. Being sick, on the other hand, will seriously affect your social life. So you don't want to make yourself any sicker.

You can sit in a bar and drink a Coke, or if you can't tolerate that (actually, Coke is kind of irritating to the guts) then orange juice, or maybe Sprite. Nobody needs to know what's in your cup. You don't have to get plastered drunk to have a good time socializing. Some will make fun of you if you aren't drinking, just say you've got some serious stomach problems, or get easily hungover, or whatever. Most people can accept that. If they can't accept that, then you probably don't need them as friends.

Post Edited (ozonehole) : 10/1/2011 6:16:57 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/1/2011 1:07 PM (GMT 0)
I used to have a few shots once a week or so before my intestines were able to handle it.

It seems like it triggers a flare for me now. We can party sober lol.

A few beers may be okay though depending on the brand.
Posted 10/1/2011 1:54 PM (GMT 0)
For whatever it's worth, it's not necessarily the Crohn's which is causing your intolerance to alcohol. The tolerance range to alcohol is absolutely ginormous: some people can drink stupid amounts without ever getting sick or ill and others are under the table, so to speak, after one shandy.

Easy example: Both me and my brother have Crohn's, but I have never have had a good head for alcohol and he has. Alcohol has never seemed to make any difference to our Crohn's, really, nor our respective tolerances towards it.

Everyone is different, though, so admittedly it's perfectly possible that alcohol could trigger symptoms in some people with Crohn's, just as certain foods do. It's one of those things you have to play by ear. I hardly drink any more and don't miss it at all: nobody puts pressure on me to drink, which I appreciate. I used to resent (even before I got Crohn's!) not being able to keep up with the serious drinkers, but it's something which doesn't bother me anymore. So I'm sitting there with a diet coke, while everybody else has moved onto their 2nd bottle of wine: I don't even like wine >_>

Incidentally, one final thought: long drinks or cocktails may well be kinder to your system than acidic wine or bloat-inducing beer. If I really want a drink when I'm out, I'll occasionally have a cocktail as a treat.
Posted 10/1/2011 3:58 PM (GMT 0)
Loads of responses! Seems like NiceCupofTea is right and everyone varies; I'm jealous of those guys that don't find it a problem. The issue I have is that every time I have even a very small amount (1 glass wine, 1 bottle beer) the next 2-3 days I have very bad D & cramping, and food just goes straight through me (green stool, undigested food and all the associated joys). It also seems to directly result in blood and mucus. I think I am just one of those unfortunate souls that is badly affected by it :( It's got worse as I've got older and my Crohn's has had more flare ups, and I am nervous now that if I have a big night out and drink a lot it might trigger a flare.

Ozonehole - I really like your perspective. You are totally right. Being in a flare is MUCH worse than being in a bar with a Diet Coke and definitely restricts me more! I like that positive attitude; I think I just have to see this as a step towards managing my disease effectively.

So it looks like no more booze. That still makes me sad and I will definitely miss being able to drink a lovely glass of white wine... I think I just need to be strong, and to make it clear to my friends as well.
Posted 10/1/2011 4:13 PM (GMT 0)
Hey sovawanea do you only drink beer and wine? The reason I ask is those never liked me and my crohns system, but I was able to handle rum okay.

I myself no longer drink because I am on strong pain meds all the time and the two don't mix. But I agree with the rest, grab a sprite or coke and carry it around. No one will know whats inside:) Hugs!
Posted 10/1/2011 11:19 PM (GMT 0)
I had to make that choice too recently, as it literally burned on the way down. I rarely drank much to begin with (I am the ultimate lightweight!), but after that, I was devastated honestly.

It felt like I was losing yet another part of my 20's (at 22, it was like...I didn't even get a year in as a legal drinker!). But, I've managed so far, and once in a great, great while, can manage a very well-mixed drink.
Posted 10/2/2011 4:42 PM (GMT 0)
Hey girlzilla - yep can definitely sympathise! Part of me feels like I am losing my youth. I already have a lot to care about versus my friends my age, with managing my disease and making sure I get all the right nutrition and medication. This just feels like another weighty decision!

But I think at the end of the day it's the right one. I am sure every once in a while (3-4 times a year) I'll probably go and get properly drunk. But on a day to day basis, for the sake of one beer, frankly it's not worth it! Nice to know I'm not alone...
Posted 10/2/2011 5:53 PM (GMT 0)
Sovawanea, I agree. It's hard to balance wanting to be a young adult while you still can, while managing responsibilities that most people don't have until they're elderly (with regards to diet, medications, etc). I've discovered that the best way is to still go to bars and such, and just order either a virgin drink if they will make them (which they usually will) or pop or something. You still feel...less excited (? I don't know how to put it haha), but you do feel better because you're out there with your friends anyways :)

Yeah, I think as long as you're cautious, you could do okay every once in a great while. :) You're definitely not alone! I think that younger Crohnies do tend to talk less on these forums because...it's embarrassing for us. But, it's important that we do talk, as it helps us realize that although it sucks hardcore, we're not alone :)
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