Those who have IBS and celiac disease, which are both similar and have overlapping symptoms, will likely need to avoid drinking alcohol. Gluten, which can be found in some alcohol, is one of the IBS triggers that can cause digestive issues. Commonly referred to as alcohol use disorder , alcoholism is a form of alcohol use that involves a person’s inability to manage his or her drinking habits. Alcoholic drinking can spiral out of control and turn into problematic and uncontrollable drinking, which physically and emotionally affects the person. Like any other substance use disorder, AUD is considered a disease, and there are varying levels of use which range from mild, moderate, or severe. Depending on a person’s level of sensitivity, just one alcoholic beverage can be enough to trigger an IBS flare-up and cause alcohol-related diarrhea.
Without working through treatment options to stop alcohol use, IBS symptoms related to alcohol intake will continue to cause damage and pain. The evidence behind alcohol consumption and its direct relationship with IBS is currently unclear. Despite many types of alcohol being low in FODMAPs, about 1/3 of individuals who have IBS report experiencing symptoms from alcohol based on observation studies.
Burr RL, Heitkemper M, Jarrett M, Cain KC. Comparison of autonomic nervous system indices based on abdominal pain reports in women with irritable bowel syndrome. Food-related gastrointestinal symptoms in the irritable bowel syndrome. Aside from the possible central cause of CRF pathway dysfunction, alcohol itself may also directly influence IBS development.
To help those with IBS avoid flare-ups, there have been several guidelines on what foods or drinks should not be consumed. The most commonly known guideline is called “FODMAP,” which stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols. FODMAPs are short-chain carbohydrates and sugars that are poorly absorbed by the body. IBS is a chronic disorder of the gastrointestinal system where a person experiences abdominal pain, bloating, or frequent episodes of diarrhea or constipation. This disorder affects the large intestine, and while it can cause pain and discomfort, it does not do any long-term harm to the gastrointestinal system.
Tips for alcohol consumption if you have IBS
If big holiday meals leave you feeling bloated and uncomfortable, try the simple tips to stop it before it starts.
Take our free assessment to discover if hypnotherapy can work for you. If you are breastfeeding, you should discuss the benefits, risks, and appropriate use of alcohol while nursing. Alcohol can speed up peristalsis , further increasing the risk, severity, or frequency of diarrhea. Americanaddictioncenters.org needs to review the security of your connection before proceeding.
The symptoms vary, but usually include a combination of abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea, bloating, and gas. The guidelines say that if you are going to drink, moderate drinking for women should consist of no more than one drink a day, and for men no more than two drinks a day. For some people, completely avoiding alcohol may be the best solution. And aside from preventing IBS triggers, not drinking alcohol at all is typically good for your overall health. The FODMAP diet from Monash University has great tips for managing alcohol and IBS, as well as other foods and drinks. We are dedicated to transforming the despair of addiction into a purposeful life of confidence, self-respect and happiness.

The holidays are upon us and with that comes alcoholic beverages. While these are fun to drink, it’s important to know how alcohol and IBS interact. If you’re struggling with your digestion this holiday season, make sure to see Dietitian Julie Palmer, who has completed IBS FODMAP diet training from Monash University. Also known as ethyl alcohol or ethanol, drinking alcohol is a short chain of two carbons with an alcohol group on one end.
IBS and Alcohol: Can I drink alcohol if I have IBS?
GI pain/discomfort symptoms in the daily diary included abdominal pain, abdominal bloating, intestinal gas, nausea, stomach pain, heartburn, and indigestion. GI symptoms related to stool characteristics were diarrhea and constipation. In addition, number of stools and their consistency was recorded.

The daily diary included questions regarding GI symptoms, number of drinks of alcohol and caffeine consumed, number of cigarettes smoked, and level of stress. Heavy alcohol intake may exacerbate gastrointestinal symptoms in adults with irritable bowel syndrome ; however, the role of alcohol in IBS is unclear. This may be because that our cohort is not the same with normal population in sex and age, even the comparison group is a 4-folds of AUD patients selected and frequency-matched by sex, age, and index year. AUD is a male predominant disorder as our data revealed (male 90.1%) and therefore the 2 groups both contained a majority of male subjects who are less susceptible to IBS in the follow-up period. Previous studies investigating the association between IBS and AUD have yielded conflicting results.
You can even choose alcoholic beverages that might have less of an impact on your IBS. If you or a loved one are struggling with alcohol abuse, contact our helpline to learn about our addiction treatment services. Stress, emotional state, social factors, food, and drink all interact in a complicated way to increase the symptoms of IBS. However, IBS coupled with the prolonged use of alcohol complicates the diagnosis. IBS and alcohol use share similar signs and symptoms and are often co-occurring. Take the first step toward addiction treatment by contacting us today.
A number of clinical guidelines mention alcohol in their recommendations regarding the dietary management of IBS. Food slows down the release of alcohol from the stomach and reduces the potential for digestive symptoms. If you can’t eat a proper meal, try to have at least an appetizer or a snack to avoid drinking on a completely empty stomach. Ideally, you want to test how alcohol affects you by reintroducing it during a time when you feel your best in regards to your IBS and notice whether it makes your gut symptoms worse. If you are in the one-third of people who are triggered by alcohol, it might be best to avoid it and go for a mocktail or sparkling water mixed with a low FODMAP juice. With the holidays approaching, you might be wondering not just about how all those holiday meals and desserts may be affecting your gut but whether it’s ok to celebrate with alcoholic drinks. Even if you consume a low FODMAP alcohol, mixers in alcoholic drinks can often cause digestive problems too.
Other methods of managing IBS
This can lead to excess acid in your stomach, which can cause more damage to your digestive tract. When those who suffer from IBS mix alcohol into their diet, the results can be extremely uncomfortable. Alcohol disrupts bowel movement and irritates the gastrointestinal tract. Mixing an already alcoholism after gastric bypass surgery fragile system with alcohol amplifies symptoms, which can lead to increased cramping, bloating, or diarrhea after drinking alcohol. Swanson GR, Sedghi S, Farhadi A, Keshavarzian A. Pattern of alcohol consumption and its effect on gastrointestinal symptoms in inflammatory bowel disease.
Luckily, there is no guesswork when it comes to consuming alcohol. Alcohol is always a trigger for gastrointestinal upset, and pairing alcohol and IBS together can have some painful outcomes. Irritable bowel syndrome can be a lifelong condition with varying degrees of symptoms that interfere with a person’s work, travel, and social activities.
You may need to eat lower FODMAP foods for a few days while your gut heals. While this episode doesn’t address alcohol and IBS directly, there’s some great science about drinking. Even some light drinking can lead to an IBS flare-up, so those diagnosed with IBS should avoid alcoholic beverages and mixers which can have high fructose corn syrup.
- Although there are limited studies available evaluating the effects of alcohol and IBS, there is evidence to show that alcohol can negatively affect digestion.
- Alcohol is a “gut irritant”, which can either slow or speed up motility and trigger constipation or diarrhea .
- This is not recommended as an average over several days, but rather the maximum amount consumed on any single day.
- These can give you a better idea of what type of bevvy is okay to pick up this summer (or year-round!).
- The OHPHP Dietary Guidelines define binge drinking as having four or more drinks on a single occasion if you are female and five or more drinks on a single occasion if you are male.
Although we need more research on this topic, some studies and anecdotal evidence tell us that about one-third of people with IBS feel alcohol is a trigger for their symptoms. Alcohol is a “gut irritant”, which can either slow or speed up motility and trigger constipation or diarrhea . If you see an association between drinking and your IBS symptoms, you may choose to abstain. You can keep in mind that the silver lining of this choice is that not drinking alcohol at all may end up being good for your overall health and serve to protect you from more serious diseases. Associations between alcohol intake and GI symptoms were stronger for women with IBS-diarrhea than for IBS-constipation or IBS-mixed.
Practical Tips
Unlike the questionnaire methods used in previous studies, we analyzed inpatient claims data from a national database and conducted a 10-year follow-up. When deciding whether to drink alcohol or not, it’s worth considering the national guidelines regarding maximum alcohol consumption. The U.S. dietary guidelines for Americans recommends alcohol be consumed in moderation—no more than one drink per day for women, and two drinks per day for men. This is not recommended as an average over several days, but rather the maximum amount consumed on any single day.
Hypnotherapy
This can increase their side effects and thus IBS symptoms, such as bloating, gas, and stomach pain. Alcohol affects the working of your digestive system in many ways. Heavy alcohol use can cause significant damage to the digestive system organs and the lining of the tissues. Even moderate alcohol use can have a negative impact on digestion. Alcohol has a weakened effect on the esophageal sphincter which can lead to acid reflux.
Statistical Analysis
Not only could they have a high-FODMAP sweetener (like high-fructose corn syrup), but the carbonation may trigger bloating as you are ingesting extra air. In addition, the gas in the bubbles increases the rate of alcohol absorption in the blood. For women facing breast cancer, hormonal treatments can come with their own challenges, one of the most bothersome being hot flashes. Vaping has been a popular alternative to smoking cigarettes for years and is especially prominent among young people. The first electronic cigarette was developed in China back in 2003, but the use of vapes has significantly spiked in recent years. Refer our programs to your patients and track their progress remotely.
Diarrhea, constipation, and stomach pain occur more frequently and severely in heavy drinkers. If they are not addressed individually, they can cause long-term damage to the body. When food is digested, nutrients are chemically broken a brief history of alcoholism down through the digestive tract. They eventually pass through the intestines and are excreted from the body through stool and urine. Alternate alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic low FODMAP drinks such as water or mineral water.
Also, participants were asked to report feelings of anxiety, depression, desire to be alone, tension, and hopelessness, rating their response on a scale from 0 to 4 . Events, celebrations, holidays, and other spaces take up a lot of room with alcohol. Even though it can have detrimental effects for people’s health, they persist on drinking a lot. For a person with irritable bowel syndrome , this can become complicated. Many people who have IBS avoid alcohol due to the fact it may be a trigger for symptoms. Alcohol and its metabolites are known to affect the GI tract motility, absorption, and permeability.
This may also serve to dilute the alcohol, causing it to be less irritating to the lining of your digestive system. People who are over the age of 65 should limit themselves to no more than one drink a day. According to the Centers for Disease Control the interactive association between sodium intake and Prevention, one standard drink per day is not known to be harmful to a breastfeeding baby, especially if the mother waits at least two hours after a drink to nurse. Verywell Health’s content is for informational and educational purposes only.