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| Living With an Alcohol Allergy |  It is difficult to recognize an allergy to alcohol from a “hangover”. In actual fact, an alcohol allergy is quiet uncommon for the most part, but people can have an allergy to the components that go into making the beverage.
Most people think that they are just having a real bad hangover day and they simply promise never to over drink again. In actual fact, you could have an allergy to alcohol. There are many reasons for alcohol allergy, such as a preservative called sulfur dioxide or the wheat used in alcoholic beverages. Some wines also have components that can result in rashes and flushing.
Medical experts do not come out and say you have an alcohol allergy; as a rule, they call it intolerance to alcohol.
Alcohol Allergy Symptoms
- headache
- skin itching,
- stuffy nose,
- stomach pain or cramping,
- heartburn,
- vomiting or nausea.
If you have ever overindulged the night before, you may have any one or more of these symptoms. For many people, one drink containing alcohol can cause any of these symptoms, either right away or within hours after drinking. That’s why so many people feel they have a “hangover” the next day.
There is good news - you are able to learn to live with an alcohol allergy, although it requires some simple thoughts. Some choose not to drink at all. This helps avoid any symptoms and requires no further treatments. In case you enjoy a drink now and then, you are either going to have to live with the allergy or try different alcoholic beverages until you find something that does not affect you this way. Restricting yourself to a few drinks instead of many drinks may also help the severity of the alcohol allergy symptoms. Other than that, refraining from alcohol is the only way to avoid a problem completely.
There is no treatment for alcohol allergies, but if you have symptoms the morning after, you can do a few things to reduce the severity of the symptoms. Drinking plenty of water to re-hydrate the body is essential to overcome the nausea and stomach cramping. Eating saltine crackers for the salt will also settle your stomach and allow the body to absorb the salt loss due to overindulging. You should avoid drinking caffeine and smoking, which can intensify the symptoms of the alcohol allergy. Food and water are vital to recovering from a night of drinking alcoholic beverages.
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