Alcohol and heartburn go together like Bud and Weiser. If you only have a drink or two a few times a year, then you probably won’t have to worry much about heartburn related to alcohol consumption. But if you drink every day, then you are putting yourself in a potentially painful position. Alcohol not only relaxes the muscles in your stomach and esophagus that hold 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 heartburn symptoms 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 and heartburn as a substitute for your doctor’s advice.
For The Occasional Drinker
If you only consume a few drinks a year and have been diagnosed with acid indigestion or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), 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).
For The Steady Drinker
If you don’t already have a problem with alcohol and 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 one 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 Heartburn Alliance recommends that those who drink socially always eat some food along with their drinks in order to help avoid heartburn. But don’t follow it up with coffee, as this can aggravate the problem. As well, don’t drink alcohol in the two hours leading up to bedtime. But it would be best to cut alcohol out of your diet altogether, for a number of different health reasons.
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