TL;DR — Drinks with an alcohol content of 15% or higher can cause constipation by slowing down your intestinal movement. Alcohol also dehydrates you, which makes it harder to poop.
You’ve heard of the dreaded beer belly, whiskey dick, and DADS (day-after-drinking sh*ts). Butt what about beer bloat that just won’t move along? If you’ve ever woken up after a night of heavy drinking with a gut that feels like a concrete block, you’re not alone.
Hangovers are rough enough without adding constipation to the mix, right? So, does alcohol make you constipated? The short answer is yes—but it often depends on what you order at the bar.
Keep reading to learn how the sauce can slow down your digestive system and what you can do to stay regular when it’s time to imbibe.
Does Alcohol Make You Constipated?
Yes—alcohol can definitely cause constipation, especially if you’re consuming drinks with an alcohol content higher than 15% (we’re looking at you, hard liquor). Booze slows down your digestive system, zaps your fluids, and messes up your gut microbiome—a cocktail of factors that clog your pipes.
Alcohol Can Induce Peristalsis
Drinks with an alcohol content of 15% or higher can slow the motility of your intestines and cause constipation, according to a 2016 review. The scientific term for this effect is “peristalsis.”
On the other hand, drinks with a lower alcohol content can actually speed up the transit time inside your gut, causing explosive diarrhea.
If you’re planning on drinking whiskey, vodka, gin, rum, or cocktails, you may also want to plan for some extra time on the toilet the day after.
Alcohol Dehydrates You
Drinking alcohol is like hitting your body's "dehydrate now" button. It messes with your vasopressin, the hormone that tells your kidneys to hold onto water. With vasopressin out of the picture, your kidneys start dumping fluids like they're going out of style.
The result? You’re peeing more often than a racehorse, which leaves your body in a state of desert-level dryness.
When you don’t have enough water in your system, your stools turn into little hard pebbles that are impossible to pass. Translation: you’re gonna be sitting on the can for a while.
Alcohol Throws Your Gut Bacteria Out of Whack
Your gut is home to trillions of bacteria that keep your digestion on point. But alcohol is like a bull in a china shop when it hits your gut microbiome, wrecking the delicate balance. This bacterial chaos can lead to constipation—or worse, have you oscillating between blocked and on-the-go.
How to Prevent Constipation from Alcohol
So, you’re not ready to give up your weekend brews. Fair enough. Here are a few ways to keep your bowels in check even if you're knocking back a few too many.
1. Drink Plenty of Water
For every drink of alcohol, pound back a glass of water. It’s the easiest way to keep your system from drying out.
2. Eat More Fiber
Ditch the loaded nachos and late-night Taco Bell runs (easier said than done). Instead, load up on fiber-rich foods like veggies, whole grains, and fruits. Fiber is mandatory to keep things moving smoothly.
3. Get Some Exercise
A little movement goes a long way in helping jostle your turds loose. Plus, you’ll sweat out some of that booze, which is a win-win.
4. Take a Laxative or Stool Softener
If all else fails, don’t be shy about bringing in the big guns. Laxatives and stool softeners can give your intestines the push they need to get things back in gear.
5 Other Ways Alcohol Affects Your Bowels
On top of pausing your regularly programmed pooping schedule, here are five other ways booze wreaks havoc on your gut.
- Bad Gas: Alcohol turns your gut into a fermentation factory, cranking out room-clearing farts like it's got a quota to meet.
- Diarrhea: Booze has a way of hitting the fast-forward button on your digestive system, so make sure you locate the nearest bathroom at the bar.
- Stomach Pain: Alcohol cranks up stomach acid production, leaving you with nausea and brutal tummy trouble.
- Gastritis: Drinking too much, too often is like slowly peeling away the wallpaper in your stomach. Eventually, the lining gets so raw it can’t handle even the mildest of insults—like another shot of tequila.
- Ulcers: Keep pouring alcohol on that inflamed stomach lining, and you’ll get ulcers: tiny open sores that turn your gut into a ticking time bomb.
DUDE Wipes Are the Best Drinking Companion
Alcohol may be the life of the party, but it’s also the culprit behind your bowels’ misery. Whether it’s clogging things up or sending you on emergency trips to the can, it’s clear that booze and bowels don’t always mix. That’s why it’s essential to keep DUDE Wipes on deck.
The last thing you want is to be stranded in a bar bathroom stall with a roll of dry sandpaper (or worse, no sandpaper at all). When your gut is going through hell, DUDE Wipes are like heaven for your hole.
