Can anxiety cause alcohol intolerance?

Hi. It’s Jenny at AnxietyBoss.com. Our question today is from Alex in Helena, Montana. Can anxiety cause alcohol intolerance?

There are some people who love to brag about how much alcohol they can down without it affecting them. While others like to brag about how much they drink, causing them to throw up the next day. Not being able to hold down alcoholic drinks at a party can be a stress provoking issue for some, but can anxiety cause alcohol intolerance?

Well, what is alcohol intolerance? Common symptoms of not being able to tolerate alcohol can be anything from nasal congestion, to headache, nausea, a rash, and even low blood pressure. These symptoms are caused by a reaction to something in the alcoholic drink such as preservatives or grains.

Beer and wine contain histamine, an allergen which is produced during the fermentation process. It is this histamine which can trigger nasty and sometimes dangerous allergic reactions. With alcohol intolerance, the gut becomes inflamed about half an hour after consuming the grains and this can lead to an adrenal stress response.

Malfunctioning adrenal glands lead to an inability to handle stress, as well as other debilitating symptoms. We need strong adrenal function to handle stress. An important stress hormone produced by the adrenals is cortisol, which helps us cope with anxiety. However, when the adrenals are exhausted, they don’t produce enough cortisol, which leads to a person being more susceptible to disorders such as allergies, chronic pain, and even asthma. Emotional reaction is linked to the body’s immunity level.

Anxiety can cause alcohol intolerance, but once the body is detoxified and anxiety is attended to, it is amazing how quickly we can recover. Stress can take years off us and cause our bodies to malfunction. There are a number of safe, non-drug remedies which work well for anxiety. If you feel you can’t overcome anxiety on your own, get professional help.