Everyone knows that alcohol works as a depressant when it enters the bloodstream, influencing the functions of your body. However, it also depletes your body of water and nutrients, which in turn increases inflammation. That exacerbated inflammation in the body can be directly linked to joint pain.
Alcohol increases inflammation throughout the body, which can be a reason for feeling that your whole body is sore after drinking. Inflammation can lead to feelings of malaise, which can make it seem like your body is achy and uncomfortable. Inflammation can also explain aching joints after drinking alcohol.
Drinking water, juice, broth and other non-alcohol beverages to reduce dehydration. Getting sleep to counteract fatigue. Taking antacids to help settle your stomach. Trying aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen or naproxen, to help your headache or muscle ache.
Whatever the cocktail of choice, too much alcohol can make some people's arthritis worse. Too much of any kind of alcoholic beverage can trigger flare-ups of gout, an agonizing form of arthritis caused by the buildup of uric acid in the joints.
A 2021 review of research notes that several studies determined that two to four weeks of abstinence from alcohol by heavy-alcohol users helped reduce inflammation and bring down elevated serum levels in the liver. In short: A few weeks off will help.
Why are muscle aches and muscle pain a symptom of hangovers? What is going on in your body to make your muscles sore? This can happen due to multiple factors including dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, the body's breakdown of alcohol into toxic metabolites and overall increased inflammation in the body.
For example, the liver will be overworking to process alcohol, you'll be tired from little and/or poor quality sleep, you're likely to be urinating more as alcohol is a diuretic, leaving you dehydrated and headache-y – and any post-night out vomiting can irritate the stomach for several days.
Too much of alcohol can affect blood supply. And without blood, the bone tissues die. The patient can develop symptoms such as pain in front of the thigh, knee, lateral part of the hip or groin," says Dr Deen Muhammad Ismail, head and director, institute of orthopaedics and traumatology, Madras Medical College.
Alcoholic neuropathy is a severe condition caused by excessive alcohol use. Damage to the nerves leads to unusual sensations in the limbs, reduced mobility, and loss of some bodily functions.
Because alcohol is a diuretic, drinking too much also causes the kidneys to release more fluids. Cervical lymph nodes may swell as a reaction to excessive amounts of alcohol, causing pain. Frequent neck pain is only one of the signs of alcoholism. Excessive drinking can cause a lot more than neck and shoulder pain.
The joint becomes painful and stiff with loss of movement in various planes of motion. The long term heavy drinking is a known cause of avascular necrosis AVN of the head of the femur. Most patients with alcohol-induced avascular necrosis usually belong to the ages of 50 years and above.
But your liver can only metabolize about one drink per hour – so if you're drinking more quickly than that, not all of the acetaldehyde gets broken down. In that case, the acetaldehyde is released into the blood stream to wreak havoc around your body, resulting in the awful feelings associated with a hangover.
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.
For men, binge drinking is 5 or more drinks consumed on one occasion. Underage drinking: Any alcohol use by those under age 21. Heavy drinking: For women, heavy drinking is 8 drinks or more per week. For men, heavy drinking is 15 drinks or more per week.
Alcohol is a toxin that can cause damage at the cellular, tissue, and organ levels. Consuming alcohol can trigger inflammation across the entire body, including in the gut, liver, face, joints, and brain. Alcohol can cause two types of inflammation: acute inflammation and chronic inflammation.
Tequila has far less sugar than most other liquors, which means less acne, inflammation, and broader cell damage to your skin after a long night of drinks. Plus, it's the only liquor on the list that can also claim some health benefits, including lowering blood sugar and decreasing bloating.
However, by day 4 without alcohol, most people will have got beyond any initial withdrawal symptoms. All the alcohol will have left your system by now, and your body will begin to bounce back. If you're not as focused on alcohol, you may be eating better, drinking water, moving more, and perhaps sleeping more deeply.
Generally, symptoms of alcoholic liver disease include abdominal pain and tenderness, dry mouth and increased thirst, fatigue, jaundice (which is yellowing of the skin), loss of appetite, and nausea. Your skin may look abnormally dark or light. Your feet or hands may look red.
Alcoholic liver disease is defined by three stages of liver damage following chronic heavy alcohol consumption: fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and fibrosis/cirrhosis (Figure 5).