Heavy drinking is a different matter. Alcohol in copious quantities irritates the stomach lining, making it red, raw, and inflamed. Areas of bleeding may develop. This condition, known as gastritis, is also caused by H. pylori, and excessive alcohol consumption is widely considered to increase the risk of developing an ulcer. It can also keep existing ulcers from healing. Ulcer Risk: What Is Excessive Drinking? No one has yet linked ulcer risk to a specific number of drinks consumed over particular period of time, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has guidelines that you can use to determine if your drinking is at a level considered dangerous to your health. Current recommendations state that adults who drink should do so in moderation: Women should consume no more than one drink per day, and men should stop at two drinks per day. For these recommendations, a drink is defined as:
12 ounces of beer8 ounces of malt liquor5 ounces of wine1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor such as rum, gin, vodka, or whisky
All of these drinks contain slightly more than half an ounce of pure alcohol. Ulcer Risk: Tips For Reducing Your Drinking If your doctor finds that your drinking is causing gastritis or making your ulcer worse, he or she may advise you to stop drinking entirely, at least until your stomach lining heals. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) offers the following tips for people who want to stop drinking, but feel they may have a problem doing so:
Keep a diary. For at least one week, write down every drink you have, along with the day, time, and place. This could help you identify certain drinking patterns you have, or certain circumstances in which you tend to drink.Set a goal. Choose the day that you will stop drinking. Write it down and post a reminder where you will see it regularly.Reduce temptation. Keep only small amounts of alcohol at home, if any.Learn how to say no. Practice polite ways of declining when a drink is offered. If there’s no other way, avoid people who pressure you to drink.Stay occupied. Fill the time that you might ordinarily spend drinking with other activities.Get support. Ask family, friends, and your doctor for help in reaching your goal. If your drinking is already heavy enough to inflame your stomach, you may need help quitting. Consider entering a treatment program or a support group like Alcoholics Anonymous.
Perhaps your doctor hasn’t advised you to quit entirely, but you’d like to cut down to reduce your risk of other alcohol-related health problems as well as gastritis. The NIAAA offers these suggestions:
Goals and diaries can help here, too. Determine not to drink more than an average of one drink per day if you’re a woman or two drinks per day if you’re a man by a certain date.Know what you’re drinking. Learn what a standard shot of spirits and a five-ounce glass of wine look like so you can monitor your intake. Similarly, track the volume of beer you’re drinking by checking the can or bottle.Pace yourself. Sip each drink slowly, with at least a one-hour interval between drinks. Never drink on an empty stomach, or your body will absorb the alcohol too rapidly.Take occasional “holidays” from drinking. Try going for a day or two, or even longer, without imbibing at all.
Taking these steps to cut down on your drinking will better help you manage your ulcer and help you heal not only more quickly, but more thoroughly, too.
