Yes, I suffered horrendous stomach issues while drinking (gastroparesis, vomiting blood, constant daily vomiting, extreme gas, constipation mixed with diarrhea, and my favorite- GI tract at one point completely stopped). Stopping drinking helped resolve some of those symptoms.
I am almost three years alcohol free and the muscles in my tract no longer coordinate which means sometimes I can't swallow sometimes (this really sucks if I have attempted to swallow food and it is just stuck in my throat, or I have trapped air and I can't belch), gastroparesis is not as frequent but still happens which results in me vomiting entire meals, my colon is super sensitive so everything is painful as it moves through, and I have severe and extreme constipation. I once went a month trying to resolve the constipation naturally (diet, exercise, water, massages) without laxatives and I literally went four weeks without defecating. I looked nine months pregnant and it was pure hell. The doctors weren't much help. I ended up taking a ridiculous amount of laxatives and did a few other things but it took two weeks to recover.
I have been working with a GI doctor and just got a referral for a different GI doctor as I have an idea of what is going on and I need a doctor who will be more proactive with me. Up until two months ago I have been suicidal off and on for the last year and a half as this has destroyed my life. To prevent severe pain and then the vicious cycle of backing up I had to rely on both prescription and nonprescription laxatives which then tied me to the bathroom because they are not predictable.
I had to quit a job because there was only one bathroom for both men and women and it was too embarrassing. At one point the plumbing for our floor completely failed and I had just destroyed the toilet and it wouldn't flush. They didn't get that fixed for three weeks and it was horrible. The bathroom door was across the hall from our office door and people kept going in and using the toilet to both piss and shit and then they would leave the door open so the smell was traumatic.
At any rate I found alcoholism does very real destruction of the GI tract, and it doesn't seem to totally heal upon gaining sobriety, at least in my case. I think it's largely due to nerve and receptor damage. Many symptoms can be lessened with a diet conducive to your situation, plenty of water, and valid and consistent exercise. I have lived with and documented my situation for almost three years and have finally found a nonmedicinal solution that works for the time being. I think alcoholism also distorts the gut biome as if I eat sugar I begin to bloat with gas immediately, and then will continue bloating to where my stomach increases in diameter 13 inches. In short I think nerve damage caused some motility issues and hypersensitivity, and I think I have SIBO along with h. pylori. I frequently have to live on liquid diets, and try my best to avoid sugar as the consequences are horrible. Because there is a motility issue in my colon I have to now give myself 2 liter enemas of hot water to flush the organ out, or everything backs up which just causes unbearable gas pain as the bacteria will continue to produce gas the longer it sits there blocked, and I can't release gas when constipated. These issues have almost been the end of me but I am actually hopeful that with the help of a second doctor I can get the transit study I need, and I can get antibiotics to wipe my gut flora and begin again. Six months ago I was considering having my colon removed so things are definitely looking up. I share all these gross details to one, answer your question, and primarily two, in the interest of harm reduction. Many alcoholics don't consider their tract and usually focus on their livers which is false logic. Alcoholism has pervasive and systemic affects on the body and people need to know. I never really thought about it until I got sober and was in for a very rude awakening.
Regarding your situation, when was the last time you had an endoscopy? Do you take any proton pump inhibitors or anything to lower the ph in your stomach (these will have other adverse effects elsewhere)? Does GERDS or Barrette's esophagus run in your family? A close friend of mine had similar issues to you and didn't stop drinking and the outcome was not favorable. Feel free to ask specific questions regarding your situation either in this thread or in a pm...others can benefit if it's in the thread. I think overall your situation is far more dangerous than mine. How are you doing with your drinking?
