Home

You & your doctor

Nutrition & exercise

Medication & treatment

Mind over matter

Practical concerns

Insurance

Links

Texas Children's IBD Center

  

 


Get the facts: Alcohol and nicotine


Alcohol can:

  • Cause nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding, mimicking the symptoms of IBD

  • Make a flare-up worse

  • Interact with medications

    • WARNING: Do not take any alcohol if you are on Flagyl, as you may have a violent reaction.

  • Increase bone loss

  • Harm your liver

    • Many medications prescribed to treat IBD already tax your liver, so it's important to take
      care of this vital organ.

    No alcohol required:
    Ideas for fun without drinking

    In and around Houston

    > Visit the Galleria

    > Take in a concert at Miller
       Outdoor Theater or Cynthia
       Woods Mitchell Pavilion

    > Take a road trip to the
        Kemah Boardwalk or
        Galveston

    > Visit the Museum District

    > Enjoy the rides at Astroworld

    Good ideas, no matter your geography

    > See a movie in a theater or
        rent a DVD

    > Go bowling

    > Hang out at a café

    > Enjoy the great outdoors at
       a local park or pool

    > Have a picnic

    > Take in a sporting event

    > Have a gathering at your
       place

    > Start or join a book club

You can choose to do something else or to drink nonalcoholic drinks. You might even want to learn bartending so you can make your own nonalcoholic drinks. If you’re drinking to cope with problems, you might find a better outlet through exercise or stress-releasing activities. Your life is yours to enjoy, and there’s absolutely no reason why you can’t. Fun doesn’t mean alcohol has to be involved; with alcohol or without are just different ways of thinking.
 

Smoking

Recent research has found varying effects of nicotine on the health of people with both Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. Nicotine has been used in high doses to treat previous smokers with colitis, without any conclusive results. So far, the harm done by smoking still is greater than any hypothesized benefits.

 

Here's what can happen to you if you smoke:

  • You can become addicted to nicotine.

  • You can have increased bone loss.

  • If you have Crohn’s, smoking can lead to increased activity of the disease (see http://www.ccfa.org/).

  • Smoking can cause cancer of the mouth, stomach, lungs and more.

 


 

© 2005 Texas Children's Hospital
 Terms of Use