Fair Enough Question Right?
Can you DRINK ALCOHOL for your flared up Ulcerative Colitis?
If you are someone like most of the world who enjoys a nice cold beverage, or even a nice alcoholic room temperature beverage from time to time or maybe more than that, and you have UC, surely you’ve asked this question before. I know I sure have. Let me start by saying this, I don’t think anyone can answer this with 100% certainty, but my quick answer is Yes. But, if you do decide to drink alcohol, you might get more flared.
For me personally, I used to drink about one or two beers per day, and a very occasional glass of either red or white wine, and an even less occasional mixed drink with some spirit and tonic or OJ etc… Once I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, my alcohol slowed down, but definitely did not stop completely. I was all flared up, very severe, with heavy and nasty uc symptoms. I was going to the bathroom 10-20 times per day, and bleeding like crazy. Nothing in the form of formed stools was anywhere to be found anywhere in the bathroom I used. Yeah, it was pretty nasty days. So, you get the visual as for my colitis symptoms, but my drinking went on to some degree when I was feeling up to it. I never thought my drinking could have any major effect on my uc until a while later.
It wasn’t until August 11th 2009 when I met another girl who had UC for ten years that I started to really end my alcohol drinking for the sake of trying to get my colitis into remission. The girl told me that the sugars were the major problem for my digestive system and colitis. So, without wanting too much of an explanation, I told her I would stop the nightly beer drinking. She told me if I really had to, maybe an occasional vodka was alright as it is low in sugar supposedly. So I stopped. This girl had HORRIBLE colitis like me, and was symptom free for over two years and now running marathons. So I had to listen to her.
And that is what I did. I cut out the drinking nearly 100%. There is all kinds of ideas on drinking and colitis for sure. I am no doctor, won’t ever be one. I am not a dietician, won’t be that either. But, I do have ulcerative colitis. I did used to drink often. I don’t anymore, and I don’t plan on starting that lifestyle of drinking everyday ever again. That’s pretty much it. For the most part, I quickly noticed my UC going away after August 11 last year. Not until May this year did some symptoms return as I mentioned in a previous post. But, I am not too worried about it. Its still just 1-2 bowel moves per day. I like my diet, and I’m sticking to it. No beers though.
This post is turning into opinions instead of answers to the original question. How about this, if you have ulcerative colitis, and you are in a flare, and you drink alcohol, why not try to stop drinking alcohol for a few weeks and see if you feel any improvement. If you do, or if you don’t, please make some comments on this post. thx
One last thing. I surely miss drinking a beer for lunch everyday while working in Czech. I think we even put down Vodka shots every once in a while during lunch too…
written by:
I started site shortly after being diagnosed in October of 2008 with severe pancolitis (when my whole colon was inflamed).
For me, it was a very rough start with severe symptoms. Getting bounced from medication to medication was not easy or too helpful. But, I did meet another UC’er, changes several parts of my diet, and of course the rest is history.
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