Embarrassing question

Hey everybody! This is kind of an TMI question to some. But i feel like if i asked my doctor( that probably isn’t battling alcoholism) he would not be be able to answer. So…

My question is this; Anyone reading this that is battling alcoholism on any level ,

Do you experience diarrhea everyday ? What are some of your experiences? What helped ? Will drinking cause my digestive tract to be damaged if I continue? This happens to me whether I have 1 drink or 5 alcolic beveragesof any kind. (Laughable, but on paper I am a healthy adult with no issues to speak of.

This is why I come here I feel like someone here has some similar issues or experience and can lead me in the right direction of getting gut healthy. Thank you for reading if you got this far lol . :heart:

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Hi NewB,

Welcome to TS
All of my digestive issues became better since I stopped drinking.
You can also have a look here :upside_down_face:

Sober Poops

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I had terrible diarrhea while drinking, particularly those last years. It took 18 months to clear up after I got sober, but it did!

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Definitely, and it disappeared when i got sober. One more reason to stay sober.

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Not only does alcohol cause digestive issues, it has a detrimental impact on the heart, pancreas, and liver. Thinking of alcohol as a poison helped me solidify my decision to quit.

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Don’t let that notion deter you from talking to your doctor about your health! Just because your doctor may not have experienced something first hand doesn’t mean they wont know or understand.

Alcohol, and specific types of beers gave me terrible bowel issues, including cramps, pains, urge to go (all the time), frequent and relentless diarrhea.

It pretty much cleared up a few months after quitting. I found I have flair ups if I consume too much sugars.

Quit drinking, eat plenty of whole foods, plenty of water, and lots of fiber for good gut health. If problems persist, definitely talk to your doctor as you could have Crohns or other IBS issues.

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Yes. Idk how long you’ve been drinking, but I was for 20+ years. The last couple years, when most of my calories were from alcohol, that happened to me everyday. Multiple times a day. Your body doesn’t absorb any nutrients and it makes you even more dehydrated. I could tell my body was shutting down. I have over 7 months sober now and I haven’t experienced it at all since (beside one sickness I had). It will continue to get worse if you don’t stop.

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Thank you all for your responses . Ive been battling alcoholism for years ive had bouts of sobriety but this has been a recent concern of mine so all is appreciated.

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I have definitely experienced diarrhea due to drinking and have been a 2 to 3 times per week binge drinker. It would occur the day after drinking along with the hangover. It should clear up over time unless there is another issue.

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At my peak, I was getting IBS-type symptoms. I vividly remember crying while trying to rush home a few times because I REALLY needed to go. It got better after I quit coke, my digestion is at normal people levels now I’m completely off the booze.

This is a side effects of drugs and alcohol most people are too embarrassed to talk about, but I’m glad you brought it up.

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Yeh…i never had a solid for about 6 months once my drinking got really bad, now its back to normal

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Like most people who have commented, I’m part of the alcohol wrecked my GI/Digestive system Club. Got bad enough I had bloody stools for the last year. I was killing myself from the inside out and was essentially waiting to drop dead at any moment. Improvement started almost immediately. Now, I’m a month in and things are almost back to normal.

And please don’t let this stop you from seeing a doctor. Doctors are not peer support specialists, they don’t need to understand what we are going through to diagnose or treat. If I got cancer, I’m not putting off going to my doctor because he doesn’t have cancer too.
We are internet strangers, not medical professionals. So while we can all say it’s normal to go through this, I also encourage you to speak to your doctor just to have it documented and be sure there isn’t a bigger issue.
Hang in there!!! :muscle:t3:

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