The Real Reason Why Alcohol Messes With Your Poop
If you've ever woken up after a night of heavy drinking and immediately ran to the bathroom to, erm, relieve yourself, take comfort in the fact that you're not alone.
Let's put it all on the table: hangover poop is a real thing. There, we said it. Thankfully, Thrillist spoke to gastroenterologists recently to find out why drinking has such a sh*tty effect on your bowel movements, so at least now we know why it happens, and how to prevent it (sort of).
First of all, here's what's happening: Alcohol is a diuretic, which is why you have to pee a bunch when you drink. The ethanol in alcohol also increases gut motility (everything's moving faster), and as a result that mixed drink can get to your colon before it's broken down, where the bacteria in your stomach feeds on it. Combine this with the fact that your colon has less time to absorb water (again, thanks to the ethanol), and you often wind up with bloating or diarrhea. Lovely.
While arguably not as bad as throwing up, no one wants to wake up like that. The easiest solution, of course, is to not drink so much, Dr. Urvish Shah told Thrillist. Meh. Plan B? Pay attention to your body and take note of which drinks bother your stomach the most.
Malt liquor tends to cause the worst post-booze bathroom runs, but beer can be just as bad, since your body produces enzymes to break down all the carbs a cold one contains - the complex carbs in beer are especially likely to move quickly through your system without breaking down, leading to more diarrhea or gas. If you notice these drinks hurt your stomach, try wine or clear spirits instead.
There's another preventative measure you should be doing anyway - eating before you imbibe. Alcohol is pretty acidic, and having food in your stomach helps reduce irritation in your intestines. Moral of the story, don't skip out on dinner because you're trying to rage. More food = less chance of loose stools.
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