Daniel emailed me to ask for my thoughts on the question “Can you have an alcohol allergy?” He recalled that I had mentioned I was allergic to alcohol in a talk I gave to a group of alumni of the Sunshine Coast Health Centre.
I was a functioning alcoholic when I was younger. But in my mid thirties I began having unexplained physical illness symptoms that eventually got me to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota.
During the prior year I had been hospitalized for a duodenal ulcer and later for a gall bladder attack, neither of which actually existed. I periodically got a sharp pain that ran from my left chest over my shoulder and down my left arm, so they checked me for heart problems. My heart was and is strong. I had periodic severe lower abdominal pain suggesting a hernia; I may have had a phantom hernia, but not a real one. My morning weight varied as much as 7 lbs with no change in activity, diet or alcohol consumption.
At the end of a week of testing, the Mayo Clinic doctors concluded there was nothing physically wrong with me, but I may have become allergic to alcohol. They suggested as a test that I stop drinking for five months and see what happens.
I stopped drinking and all symptoms were gone within a month.
Subsequent to that experience of three decades ago, especially in my work in the field of energy psychology, a new phrase has come into use. We now use the phrase “allergy-like reactions.” Yes, the immune system may be involved, but the mind is definitely involved.
In the 1970s the Mayo Clinic doctors called what I had an allergy. Today without immune-system testing they would probably say I was having an allergy-like reaction to alcohol.
Both allergies and allergy-like reactions can often be treated with energy psychology. I am not the expert on treating allergies with energy psychology; my colleague Sandi Radomski, author of Allergy Antidotes, is the expert.
However, I have had clients with violent allergic reactions to cats and dogs—trouble breathing, eyes swelling shut, etc.—completely overcome their allergy in the course of our doing energy work on other issues.
So in the end I don’t know whether I had developed a true allergy to alcohol or had developed an allergy-like reaction to alcohol. But I don’t think it matters. It was the kick in the pants that led to my recovery from alcoholism.
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Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. He focuses on healthy relationships and life after addictions. He is the author of Living with a Functioning Alcoholic — A Woman's Survival Guide.
www.NeillNeill.com
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
what is alcoholic neuropathy? Have heard the term and interested in understanding, It is just amazing when you read the comments from other people and it is like they are just describing the events of your own life.
thankyou
shaz
If I have 1 glass of wine or beer I have severe sneezing feel ill and runny nose, … I used to drink a bottle of wine easy. Now I have asthma, I’m sure the alcohol has given me it.
Im a recovering alcaholic,sober for well over 4 years now,as far as this allergic reaction to alcahol,YES,some people do develop terrible symptoms,even mental instabillity while drinking,but after quitting all the symptoms go away.I have walked this walk and I do talk the talk,Alcahol is poision,It will destroy every fiber of your being.Yet its the most deadly drug by far in the U.S.A.. but its legal.Now thats a social injustice in itself.This war on drugs is turning there head when it comes to alcahol,pot hasnt killed no where as many people as alcahol.
This happened to me. I had also been a functioning alcoholic. It first started with nausea. For over a year nausea and vomiting occurred daily. Then over a period of about a month I started developing hives and then these strange itchy bumps on my scalp. Then things spiraled out of control. My lips began to swell but in a truly bizarre way. My bottom lower lip would swell, but only on one side. After a benadryl, the symptoms would slowly disappear. Then the bottom lip would swell, top half and finally there was a situation where my lips got so large so quickly I was really frightened the skin might rupture. While all this was happening, the hives, scalp bumps and nausea and vomiting continued. My doctor was asking about personal care products, laundry detergent, soaps, deoderant, etc., while prescribing Prednisone to battle the histimine craziness. Then she suggested I stop the daily scotch drinking. I put down the bottle and almost like a miracle, all the allergic symptoms stopped within 36 hours. I haven’t had a drink since. I have been symptom-free since. Am I allergic to booze, specifically scotch, or less specifically to alcohol in general? I don’t know, but I won’t have another drink to find out.
I am 58 years old, but have never had high bp, high heart rate or really bad heart problems. I WAS told a had slight mitral valve prolapse which has never bothered me before. They also claim I have a heart murmur. Now as I am getting older they SAY I have high bp and I seem to have palpitations sometimes to where it makes me feel weird.
NOW also, when I drink a lot (a bottle of wine, or 4 cocktails or so) the next day, I don’t really feel like it’s a hangover, but that my bp is high and my heart rate is high. Sometimes, I had pins and needles in my arms and hands and cannot make a fist. Then I feel like I will pass out. I can’t even get up to get myself any water or anything.
I have gone to the ER about 4 times, and it SEEMS as though I RELATE it to the alcohol, but never had this problem before. The ER claims each time it’s anxiety or panic attack, but I have been in the medical field all my life and do NOT think I am experiencing this. I do have stress but handle it ok except drink too much to be numb, but I have done that for years with no problems. My liver was checked out to be ok as far as labs go, but they did say I had a fatty liver. They claim my heart is ok and they tried many bp meds which I hate to take–side effects, such as hair loss, tiredness, lethargy etc. I just don’t like meds.
I have started exercising and notice my bp went down to almost perfect for about the time I exercised. Then had few too many, but did not get as bad as the symptoms I normally would get. My stomach was bloated and bathroom problems. Could my age be it? Could I have developed some weirdo thing?? I am so afraid of having drinks with friends because I pray they next day I’ll be ok. HELP!!
Hi Louse,
When I became allergic to alcohol, I had all sorts of weird physical symptoms. What they told me at the Mayo Clinic was to stop drinking completely for five months and see what happens. I did, and within a couple of months, I felt great, so I’ve never gone back to drinking. And I have never had those symptoms again.
Pay attention to the best medical advice you can get, but in the meantime, if you suspect the long-term alcohol use is catching up with you, why not just stop drinking a see what happens?