Alcohol Heartburn: Yet Another Reason To Give Up Drinking

Alcohol and heartburn go together like Bud and Wiser.  If you only drink one glass a year, then you probably will not have to worry much about alcohol heartburn.  But if you drink everyday, then you are putting yourself in a very painful position.  Alcohol not only relaxes the muscles in your stomach and esophagus that holds your stomach acid in place, but it can also burn the lining of your esophagus.

In this article, we won't talk about alcoholism and alcoholics. That's a disease in and of itself, with stomach heartburn being the least of an alcoholic's problems.  This is more aimed at the occasional and social drinkers.  Please don’t use this article on alcohol heartburn in the place of your doctor's advice.

For The Occasional Drinker

If you only consume a few drinks a year and have been diagnosed with acid indigestion of acid reflux disease, then you are better off staying away from alcohol entirely, unless you can be sure it's really watered down and that you don’t fall asleep right away.  It's much easier for the occasional drinker to cut out alcohol altogether than for a steady drinker (someone who drinks at least twice a week).  Alcohol heartburn will then be something you can avoid.

For The Steady Drinker

align=justify>If you don’t already have a problem with alcohol heartburn, you soon will if you don’t cut out the booze entirely or only have it very occasionally.  This is especially important if you smoke.  Smoking will irritate your stomach and esophagus and putting alcohol on top of it is like pouring paraffin onto a fire (which is not recommended unless you really want a big fire).  Many studies show that quitting alcohol is easier than quitting cigarettes, so take it vice at a time.

Clinical studies have shown that when you drink just 12 ounces of red wine with a meal, you will have a much higher percentage of acid in your esophagus than someone who drank a non-alcoholic beverage with a meal.  These studies have been repeated using different alcoholic beverages such as white wine, whiskey, beer and vodka, and the results were the same.

The National Heart Burn Alliance recommends that those who drink socially always eat with their drinks in order to help avoid alcohol heartburn.  You also should never drink at least two hours before going to bed.  But it would be best to cut alcohol out of your diet altogether.  They did not condemn drinking wine at Christian or Judaic religious ceremonies, as you are usually only expected to have a small mouthful.