It is possible to treat gastritis using medicines that soothe and heal the stomach lining if other means don't work. For people who misuse alcohol on a regular basis and who develop either acute gastritis or chronic gastritis, one way to potentially reverse the damage is to stop drinking.
Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein can help to heal the lining of your stomach and reduce inflammation. Take antacids. Over-the-counter antacids can help to neutralize the acid in your stomach and provide relief from symptoms of alcoholic gastritis.
Complications of Alcoholic Gastritis
For more serious cases, however, going without treatment can lead to additional health issues. Besides peptic ulcers and related anemia, for instance, alcoholic gastritis can result in the development of gastric polyps, abnormal growths of cells in the stomach lining.
Whether weight gain or an inflammatory condition such as gastritis is at the root of bloating after drinking alcohol, lifestyle changes, medications — or both — can help. It can take anywhere from a few days to a few months for the appearance of bloating to reduce, depending on the cause and severity.
Simply put, alcohol irritates your gut. Regular drinking can cause alcoholic gastritis, which includes symptoms like stomach ache, abdominal pain, hiccups, indigestion, loss of appetite, bloating and nausea. Alcoholic gastritis can be chronic or short-lived.
Increase Flavonoids. Foods containing plant compounds known as flavonoids like apples, celery, cranberries, onions, garlic, and tea may stop the growth of H. pylori, have antiviral and anti-histamine activity, and reduce inflammation to help heal gastritis.
Unless they are extremely serious, gastritis and ulcers can be reversed through treatment and abstinence from alcohol, although there will most likely be some scar tissue remaining in the individual's gastrointestinal tract.
Some of the effects of alcohol such as inflammation in the digestive tract, alcoholic hepatitis and early scarring in the liver are reversible.
Chronic gastritis is a long term condition that can lead to pain, nausea, bloating, and other symptoms. Chronic gastritis is one of the most common chronic conditions and can last for years or even a lifetime if left untreated.
Damage to the stomach lining is very common and will resolve on its own in most cases.
Available by prescription or over the counter, acid blockers include famotidine (Pepcid), cimetidine (Tagamet HB) and nizatidine (Axid AR). Medications that neutralize stomach acid. Your doctor may include an antacid in your drug regimen. Antacids neutralize existing stomach acid and can provide rapid pain relief.
Can I Drink Alcohol With Gastritis? If you have gastritis, you must avoid drinking alcohol. Your stomach lining is inflamed and in a state of damage, and drinking alcohol can cause it to become worse.
So what happens when you stop drinking? The good news is that the liver is the only organ that can restore and regenerate itself. Because the liver is in a constant state of regeneration, in many cases the healing process can begin within just weeks after foregoing alcohol.
After Six Months: After half a year without drinking, you will really start to reap the rewards. Your risk of developing cancer will decrease, and your liver function will have greatly improved.2 You'll also have more energy and stamina,1 and you may notice that your skin looks healthier.4.
By 4-8 weeks after quitting, your gut will start to level out. Your sleep-quality will improve. Though we may fall asleep faster when we drink, our brains actually increase alpha wave patterns, which cause our brains to be more active than they should be while we sleep.
After two weeks off alcohol, you will continue to reap the benefits of better sleep and hydration. As alcohol is an irritant to the stomach lining, after a fortnight you will also see a reduction in symptoms such as reflux where the stomach acid burns your throat.
Long-Term Health Risks. Over time, excessive alcohol use can lead to the development of chronic diseases and other serious problems including: High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems. Cancer of the breast, mouth, throat, esophagus, voice box, liver, colon, and rectum.
Most cases of gastritis improve quickly with treatment. Medication relieves symptoms for most people. For some, recovery may also involve permanent lifestyle changes. You may need to change the way you manage other conditions and quit or reduce substance use to prevent gastritis from coming back.
For acute gastritis, which subsides after a short time, a sick of a few days is sufficient. Chronic gastritis takes a long time to recover and sometimes involves sick leave of several weeks.
The Effect of Alcohol on Lungs
Heavy drinking can lead to pneumonia because alcoholics have lower levels of white blood cells that help fend off pneumonia. The damaged immune system cannot fight against the disease, which can cause intense chest pain, fever, painful coughing, and even death.