Stomach and Foodpipe

Immediate effects of alcohol use

Being drunk can lead to nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, heartburn (when acid from the stomach rises up into the food pipe, due to alcohol causing the muscle around the outlet of the stomach to relax) and acute gastritis (inflammation of the lining of the stomach, which causes stomach pain, nausea, loss of appetite and indigestion).[4, 5, 17, 18] Vomiting and diarrhoea can result in dehydration, salt imbalances and the build-up of acids in the body, especially in combination with excessive alcohol intake.[5] Inhaling vomit can lead to bronchitis or pneumonia (infection of the lungs). Vomit can block the airway and windpipe when blood alcohol is very high and breathing and consciousness are impaired.[5]

Persistent vomiting and retching after heavy use on a single occasion can sometimes (rarely) rip the food pipe (a Mallory Weiss tear), which leads to vomiting of blood.

Long-term effects of alcohol use

Long-term alcohol use can cause cancer of the food pipe (oesophagus) and drinking 50g of alcohol a day (five standard drinks) doubles the risk compared to a non-drinkerA non-drinker is a person who self-reports that they do NOT drink alcohol (of any kind) now. [9, 16, 19]. However, the risk is much increased in people who drink alcohol who are also deficient in a liver enzyme that metabolises alcohol (East Asian populations are commonly deficient in this enzyme).[7, 16] The risk is also increased in smokers.[20] Chronic heavy alcohol use can also lead to chronic gastritis but it may protect against infection from Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria that cause ulcers of the stomach.[17, 21, 22] In cases of advanced liver disease due to prolonged heavy alcohol use, the veins to the stomach and oesophagus can swell and may burst, causing life-threatening bleeding.