Crohn and drinking

Hello, my sister has been diagnosed with crohn s disease for two years now, shes 19 and for the past 2 years she barely had a drink. But recently she began heavy drinking once a week and getting really drunk. Her doctor did not forbid alcohol to her , but this kind of drinking really worries me.what are your experiences with crohn and drinks? Please help, thanks a lot.

Welcome to the community. There has been a lot of debate regarding alcohol and Crohn's disease. In my opinion, if you are in remission and have the occasional drink, that's ok. But if your disease state is active then I would personally suggest staying away from it. Especially since alcohol can cause nutrient deficiencies which is something so many with Crohn's already struggle with.

I have to agree with David. Some people with crohn's have even experienced worsening of their illness from drinking and drinking can numb the pain and make you unaware of symptoms as well as dehydrate you and dehydration alone can cause a lot of problems.

I think she is playing with fire, alcohol can be an irritant to the digestive track. I remember of healthy friends who experienced diarrhea the next day after heavy drinking when I was your sister's age. This is certainly not something we want to trigger when we have a CD diagnosis. Try to encourage her to drink less on those night and that you worry for her.