by Nicole M. Myers

Created on: January 14, 2008

Alcohol allergies though rare, can be quite serious. They can impact your health as well as your social outings. It may sometimes be hard to recognize an allergy from a "hangover." Your body is treating alcohol as an enemy, and releasing antibodies to fight the invasion. Below is a list of symptoms to watch out for. If you suspect you may have an allergy, please see your doctor.

1.Rashes
2.Flushing
3.Headaches
4.Stomach aches
5.Cramping
6.Diarrhea
7.Heartburn
8.Nausea
9.Vomiti ng

Most doctors won't diagnose you with an alcohol allergy, rather they will call it an "intolerance to alcohol. A rare allergy like that with alcohol, most of the time, don't have treatments available. Sometimes the allergy has to do with ingredients in the beverage, for instance, wine. An ingredient called sulfur dioxide, a preservative, found in most wines, is known to create symptoms of rashes and/or flushing of the face and body. This is common for those of Asian decent, as a genetic disorder. In this case the body is unable to digest the alcohol. For many allergy sufferers, one drink is all it takes to trigger the symptoms of over-indulging. This can happen right away or with in an hour or two, which may be why it can be misunderstood as a "hangover."

There are a few ways to lessen the severity of your symptoms. Keeping yourself hydrated with lots of water, will help to flush the alcohol from your body, and bring good fluids back into your cells. Water will also help to diminish the pain of the cramps and stomach pains. If you were vomiting and having diarrhea, hydration is crucial, to your physical well-being. Eat some saltine crackers. This will settle your stomach, and absorb the alcohol in your body. Alcohol leeches salt from your body, and the salt on the crackers is an easy and tasty way to bring your salt levels closer to normal. The salt will also allow your body to reabsorb water easier. Caffeine and nicotine will only exacerbate your symptoms, and dehydrate you more. Try to avoid these while you recover.

Since there are no treatments for an alcohol allergy, you've got to learn to live with it. You can either avoid alcohol all together, live with your allergy, or find a drink that doesn't cause you to suffer. Cutting back on the amount you drink, can also help you to handle it. Most people with an alcohol allergy avoid it completely.

Allergies are serious business, and are nothing to mess around with. Learning to live successfully with your alcohol allergy is just the beginning. Once you know understand the symptoms, and know the facts, the rest of it will take care of itself. See your doctor immediately if your symptoms change.

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