Hi, I am 15 days without a drink today and I was curious to see if anyone else had bloating when they stopped drinking too? I was a binge drinker weekends thurs thru sat usually and would need all of Sunday to recover if not more. Maybe a beer each night after work sometimes not. So I was definatly a big drinker and i was hoping for weight loss as i also started low carb with lots of lean protein and veggies which usually always makes me drop weight quickly but I have never done that sober and now I am a week in with low carb and I just feel so bloated all the time I drink only water and coffee or diet soda for the extra boost in the morning. I’m hoping it’s just my body adjusting to not having alcohol adjusting and retaining water for now. Just curious if anyone else has experienced this.
Thanks!
Veggies contain a lot of water and fiber. You’re body just needs to get used to it
It is possible that after being dehydrated your body is now just trying to hold onto any and all water it gets in case the alcohol comes back. Eventually the body realizes that this isn’t just short term and will start to let go a bit.
I’ve been sober nearly 2weeks I was wondering the same I’m bloated I put it down to eating properly now body is not used to it
Also, your gut flora re adjusting to sobriety, so you have lots of microorganisms dying off cuz no alco to feed on… And that process creates gass x
JustL I was reading that maybe the acid level in my stomach is off from all the booze and that taking a digestive enzyme for a while would help to digest food so it doesn’t get stored and backed up.
Congrats for the two weeks… it would feel so much better if it didn’t feel like I was gaining weight when actually treating my body right for once and giving it healthy foods!
I have 27 days with no drinking, and I have the same issues, I’m eating healthy, or not eating at all, I believe I have ibs due to all my alcohol compsuption, I hope that it gets better with time
Old thread. But I’m experiencing the same issue. I m day 6 without a drink and I wake up bloated. But I start feeling normal again an hour or so later. Do I need to be taking any stomach/acid relief pills before sleeping?
I feel my body was so used to having alcohol at night that my body is naturally producing whatever counter during my sleep.
Any insight or suggestions?
When you drink alcohol it causes inflammation and light burns along the entire gastrointestinal tract, right from your throat to your stomach. This happens every time you drink and usually heals in 1-2 days after drinking a small amount, often these light burns go unnoticed. When you drink regularly however the alcohol causes more servere irritation and even ulcers in the GI tract. When you stop drinking the pain from this inflammation can be increased, one because there is no longer alcohol to numb it and two because it begins healing. Healing of the GI tract can cause discomfort, diarrhoea and bloating. You are probably experience bloating due to this, it can appear worse overnight if gas builds up while you are still and gradually decreases over the morning as you get moving around. It usually gets better after a few weeks to a month. I’m no Dr though so see your Dr if your concerned
This does make sense. I was just worried I might done some irreversible damage. But I’ll give it another couple of week, and then see my physician if it hasn’t gotten any better. Thanks for your response!
I have exactly 27 days sober too but the bloating and gassy feeling I always attributed to drinking and now that I am not I don’t understand that I sill feel uneasy in my tummy. And not to be gross I’m totally constipated and never ever had that problem after bottles of wine:(
I have been sober for 3 months. The bloating has not gotten better. I can’t fit into anything.
I’m at 21 days and still feel bloated at times. I’m taking a daily probiotic now and it has really helped!!
It’s a generic from CVS. I started with the lower bacteria counts, because my dr said they could make you feel a little ill at first, and just worked my way up. Started with the adult low count gummies
I should’ve been clearer- I’ve only tried the generic CVS ones lol I’ve liked all of them! It’s not a women’s specific or age specific one, I’ll have to take a picture of it lol
Drink cayenne pepper in warm water with lemon and apple cider vinegar… Do this every morning as soon as you wake up… It’s not nice to drink so buy maple syrup and put one teaspoon of it in to make it easier to drink… One teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Make sure it’s the one with "the mother " written on the label. Half a fresh lemon squeeze and as much cayenne as you can handle… The more the better the effect. It’s very hot spicy but your mouth adjusts to the heat after a week or so and you can keep increasing how much cayenne you add… Make sure you have toilet paper at home 
Ahh, I’m so happy I found this old thread:raised_hands:t2:I struggle with this every time I attempt sobriety. The post-quitting bloat is a HUGE reason why I go back to drinking. I had no idea other people experienced this too. Everything else you read talks about how you should feel less bloated, so I’m always like WTF 
I’m def going to try all of these suggestions!
If bloating means in the way of holding on to much fluids in your body (not only fat) than that is awkward and inconvenient… 
And I know all about it. But it has a reason, like the body mostly has. Tissues and cells hold on to extra water in order to heal. it needs the extra fluids for the cellular processes to get back on track. (look up the natural laws of self healing)
This realisation helps me to respect the body a little more, since it is also me who fucked it up.
It takes time to detox and there may be other underlying patterns. For me I have an auto immune disease so when I eat to much sugar or junk it still responds the same. feels sometimes like my body is not mine, even the calfs feel bloated
Hello everyone, I’m new here. I’ve struggled with drinking for years. I just turned 40 and as of writing this, I’m 37 days sober from the booze. My normal weight is between 150-160lbs and right now, I am 174! I am bloated as Hell and hating it. I’ve been exercising, eating healthy, keeping sugary stuff to a minimum and trying to get plenty of sleep. I’ve taken some multivitamins and some Innosups cleansing stuff to try and empty my gut. How long is this going to take for the bloating to disappear? I am ordering some probiotic powder right now. DO I need to see a doc? I feel like there’s a damn bowling ball in my stomach and it really sucks. I know this happens when you quit, it’s happened to me before but went away quickly. This time, even after a month it’s still bad, did I ruin my body? Any suggestions would be awesome.