Alcoholic gastritis comes about when excessive amounts of alcohol are regularly consumed by an individual and is usually a symptom of alcohol addiction.
It can be a very painful condition that also leads to long-lasting severe health problems. Treatment for alcohol-induced gastritis is available, and the sooner you act, the more damage you can prevent.
If you are suffering with alcohol addiction, contact us to see how we can help you. Rehab or detoxing are usually the most recommended action.
What is alcoholic gastritis?
To understand alcoholic gastritis we need to look at gastritis itself. This is a health condition where your stomach lining has essentially been eroded away. There are lots of things that can cause gastritis, and alcohol is one of them.
Alcohol-induced gastritis is where alcohol has attacked your stomach lining. In moderation, alcohol won’t cause long-lasting damage to your stomach. You may get an upset feeling after a night of heavy drinking, but this will fade within a day.
However, if you consume alcohol all the time, then the sheer amount of it in your body will target the stomach lining and cause it to become very irritated.
What are the symptoms of Alcoholic Gastritis?
Unfortunately, stomach pain is quite common for many people who drink alcohol. In some cases, it’s not alcoholic gastritis and merely a bad reaction to what you drank the night before. So, how do you know if you’re suffering from alcoholic gastritis?
Here are the main symptoms of alcoholic gastritis:
- Persistent stabbing pain in your stomach area
- A burning sensation in your abdominal region
- Pain gets worse after eating or drinking
- Frequent vomiting
- Blood in your vomit
- Acid reflux
- General irritated feeling in your stomach
It’s very important that you keep an eye out for these symptoms as you need to address alcohol-induced gastritis right away. When left for too long, it can cause severe health complications.
What happens when left untreated?
If you leave this untreated, then it’s possible the problem will keep getting worse until stomach ulcers develop and you have internal bleeding.
This is known as a condition called erosive gastritis, and it can cause dizziness, blood in your stool or vomit, and severe weakness.
You also have an increased risk of developing tumours in your stomach if you have alcoholic gastritis and don’t treat it.
How do you treat alcoholic gastritis?
Treating this problem needs to start by acknowledging the cause of it. Alcohol-induced gastritis is typically caused by binge drinking. As such, the chances are you may also suffer from alcohol addiction if you experience the symptoms of gastritis regularly.
In which case, an alcohol detox can help you treat both problems. Ridding your body of alcohol will help your stomach begin its natural healing process without triggering the symptoms again.
At our rehab clinic, we can provide assistance to help you get through your detox as easily as possible.
Further treatment for alcoholic gastritis includes special types of medication to heal the stomach lining, and improved nutritional habits.
If you avoid eating trigger foods, then your stomach can recover quicker and be back to normal before you know it.
Don’t leave alcohol-induced gastritis untreated for too long. Recognise the symptoms, then seek treatment for it right away.
If you are living with someone dealing with alcohol addiction, find out how you can help to support them.
