Alcohol intolerance occurs when your body doesn’t have the proper enzymes to break down (metabolize) the toxins in alcohol. This is caused by inherited (genetic) traits most often found in Asians. Compared to those without them, people with anxiety disorders—mental health conditions that cause frequent worry and panic—have lower levels of zinc, iron, and selenium. Your allergist may also use an oral challenge test to diagnose an intolerance or allergy. For this test, they’ll ask you to drink a sample of your suspected trigger. They’ll assess any symptoms you develop and might conduct blood tests.
General Health
- The most common cause is starting a new medication that inhibits the enzymes needed to metabolize alcohol, leading to new intolerance symptoms.
- In contrast, an alcohol allergy tends to be more serious, and if left untreated, can be life-threatening.
- Understanding alcohol intolerance is crucial as it helps you make informed choices about drinking.
- Intensive Outpatient Programs require less time at the treatment facility, typically a few days per week for several hours.
Alcohol intolerance can bring on immediate, uncomfortable reactions after you consume alcohol. The only way to stop the uncomfortable reaction is to avoid alcohol. If you have a non-allergic intolerance to alcohol, histamine, sulfites, or other ingredients of alcoholic drinks, your doctor may encourage you to reduce or avoid certain types of alcohol. There are other potential causes, such as the onset of certain health conditions, especially some types of cancers, that can significantly impact the body’s ability to process alcohol. These conditions can reduce enzyme efficiency or cause changes in the body’s reaction to toxins, leading to a sudden intolerance to alcohol where none was evident before.
Prevention
As a result, some experience anxiety as they look back on the events of the night before. Along with the other symptoms of a alcohol intolerance hangover, such as regret and embarrassment, anxiety can drive feelings of irrational worry, panic, or fear. In addition, researchers found people who score high on measures of shyness to be particularly susceptible to hangover anxiety. Alcohol impacts your intestines’ ability to absorb certain nutrients, leading to shortfalls in zinc, selenium, potassium, iron, and magnesium. If you have an alcohol allergy, your doctor will often advise staying away from alcohol at all times.
Alcohol and feeling sick
Scientists have not yet identified the reason for this association. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a chronic condition involving pain, insomnia, and severe fatigue that does not improve with rest. A 2023 study found that individuals with CFS are more likely to experience alcohol intolerance.
Westwind Recovery®
However, if you have a serious reaction or severe pain, see your doctor. Also, if your symptoms seem to be linked to an allergy or a medication you’re taking, see your doctor. Alcohol intolerance is a disorder of the digestive system and is often caused by genetic traits.
Start Your New Life Today
If you or someone else experiences serious signs or complications of alcohol intolerance or another reaction to alcohol, seek medical help. In some cases, what seems to be alcohol intolerance can be a reaction to something in a drink. This is because the condition is genetic, and the enzyme deficiency that causes alcohol intolerance occurs at higher rates in people of that genetic background. However, it is important to understand that while alcohol intolerance is more common in the Asian population, this enzyme deficiency can and does affect people of any culture. Data is limited, says Park, but a small 2012 study published in DA International found that about 7.2% of 4,000 participants were intolerant to wine and alcohol. In this article, we’ll explain the difference between alcohol intolerance and allergy, as well as the causes, symptoms and treatment.
Combining alcohol with certain medications can also cause reactions. Studies suggest that wine intolerance may affect as much as 7% of the population, which would make it about as common as gluten intolerance. If you’ve been Googling whether you might be intolerant to alcohol, it’s likely you aren’t just suffering from a bad hangover. The second turns acetaldehyde into acetate, which the body breaks down into water and carbon dioxide and eliminates. “You can become more tolerant of alcohol over time. This means when you drink, it does not seem to have the same effect, and you need to drink more to get the usual buzz,” explains Dr Fox. However, it can be questioned whether it’s realistic or attainable for someone to cut out drinking altogether, especially if it was a big part of their lifestyle beforehand.
Patient picks for Food allergy and intolerance
- This condition is usually genetic and is common in people of Asian descent.
- There are many reasons that alcohol triggers this hangover anxiety, colloquially called “hangxiety.”
- In addition, our therapists are experts in group therapy and individual therapy methods.
- When it comes to allergies to any component of an alcoholic drink, you must never consume it.
- Some research suggests that the gene change responsible for deficiencies in ALDH2 may have something to do with the domestication of rice in southern China many centuries ago.
This type of test will not show someone if they have a genetic alcohol intolerance. The Recovery Village Atlanta offers comprehensive addiction treatment for drug and alcohol addictions and co-occurring mental health conditions. Genetic testing may also be an option, providing a more definitive answer. This test can identify variations in the ALDH2 gene, confirming whether the intolerance is due to genetic factors.