Many might consider chest pains after drinking alcohol as a complication of booze intake. The fact is that the alcohol might just be a trigger for a predominant disease in hiding. Hangover upper body ache can generally be defined as any form of ache experienced in the chest after rounds of alcoholic beverages. Whether the pain is experienced a few hours after drinking or after a 2-day hangover, it is still a health threat. Left untreated, moderate to severe cases of esophageal spasms can negatively affect your quality of life.

In many — if not most — cases, abstaining from alcohol can be enough to help people recover from alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy. In cases where people don’t recover fully by abstaining from alcohol, most people will still see noticeable improvements in their symptoms. In some cases, even just reducing alcohol intake to light or moderate levels can also lead to improvements. However, not drinking at all is still the best course of action whenever possible.

Supportive care for withdrawal is especially important because some of its symptoms can be severe or even life-threatening. A healthcare provider can also connect you with available resources and refer you to other specialists and experts who can help you reduce or stop your alcohol intake. In this condition chest hurting after drinking alcohol can be due to the forced expansion in the size of the heart and the thickening of muscles surrounding the heart.

Heart Attack and Drinking Alcohol: Know the Symptoms

The definition of binge drinking is consuming, on a single occasion , four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men. Available research shows that drinking 80g of alcohol (about 5.7 drinks) or more daily for at least five years can greatly increase your risk of developing this condition. Alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy is a relatively uncommon condition, occurring in about 1% to 2% of people who consume more than the recommended amounts of alcohol. However, drinking too much alcohol often leads to a host of serious side effects. Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, is a chronic heart problem where the chambers of the heart are out of sync.

Sometimes the allergy is really because of an ingredient in the beverage, such as grains or preservatives, and not the alcohol itself. If a sharp pain strikes your chest but improves as you move around a bit, you may be looking at a case ofheartburn or some other gastrointestinal issue. An estimated 15 million Americans a day experience heartburn, which brings an uncomfortable burning feeling in your chest and may be accompanied by a sour feeling in your throat.

How alcohol can cause acid reflux disease is not fully known. Theories include alcohol damaging the esophagus and stomach lining, as well as alcohol changing how your stomach functions. The prognosis of esophageal spasms varies, based on the severity of your symptoms.

Can chest pain after drinking alcohol be caused by a heart attack?

If this sounds like you, you may have alcohol use disorder . Alcohol addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease that requires more than just your willpower to overcome it. You’ll likely need professional detox to stop drinking and residential or outpatient rehab to make positive behavioral changes that will help you stay sober. Sometimes, pain in the lower chest can also be a sign of pancreatitis. If you have chronic pancreatitis, alcohol consumption can make it worse and damage your pancreas even more.

• This can result from heavy drinking, such as consuming 4–5 drinks per day for several years.
• Since chest pain can indicate conditions like a heart attack, they’ll also want to perform tests to rule out a heart condition.
• Chest pains caused by a heart attack, however, come on suddenly and can occur at any time.
• You may wake up the next morning feeling dehydrated, sensitive to light, and nauseous.
• Your heart’s shape is part of how that timing works, and when parts of your heart stretch, it can disrupt that timing.
• Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Chest pains from drinking alcohol can be attributed to one of the most popular of the holiday heart syndrome; Atrial Fibrillation. Habitual, moderate, and even first-time drinkers can experience chest pain from drinking alcohol due to atrial fibrillation. This condition can begin 12 hours after the last shot to 36 hours after overindulgence. Upper body aches after alcohol may continue for as long as 24 hours. Severe chest pain after drinking alcohol can be attributed to numerous causes.

How to tell if chest pain is serious

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Alcohol-related cardiomyopathy may cause symptoms similar to congestive heart failure. Angina is chest pain due to a temporary reduction of blood flow to the heart. eco sober house rating This prevents the heart from getting enough oxygen, causing pain or discomfort in the chest. Angina usually signals underlying heart disease and blocked arteries.

What is alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy?

Other symptoms are often present, such as heartburn, difficulty swallowing, or nausea. Read on to learn about the possible causes of this pain and how they’re diagnosed and treated. Rarely, severe pain after drinking alcohol is a sign of a more serious disorder, such as Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Some people have what’s called “silent heart attacks,” where they don’t experience any pain at all.

A hiatal hernia can have several causes, including age-related changes and injury. It can also occur from persistent pressure applied to the area due to coughing, vomiting, or straining during a bowel movement. About half of people with lymphoma will have enlarged lymph nodes. These nodes are not usually painful to the touch, although they can ache. Some alcohol intolerance cases are linked to the use of certain medications.

Causes & Other Complications

Liver cancer can cause pain but it tends to be located in the upper right side of the abdomen rather than in the chest. However, if you are experiencing any frequent pain, no matter where it is located, it is always advisable to speak to your doctor. To find a dedicated treatment sober house boston program for long-term alcohol recovery, contact us today. Some people experience leg pain after a heart ablation procedure at the insertion site of the catheter. This blood pressure increase peaks after 60–90 minutes and then returns to its starting level after 2–4 hours.

Persistent chest pain after drinking could be due to an underlying medical condition that needs medical attention. It is important to speak with your doctor about any chest pain you are experiencing, even if it’s mild and only occurs after drinking alcohol. This may sound obvious but if you are experiencing chest pain after drinking alcohol, it is advisable to stop, see if the pain subsides, and if it doesn’t, seek medical help. To reduce the likelihood of experiencing acid reflux after drinking alcohol, your best bet is to limit your alcohol consumption, especially if you’re already prone to these issues.

The FDA considers doses up to 400 mg per day safe for most healthy adults. Doctors are not sure what causes EoE, but it may be the result of an allergic or immune reaction. For example, certain foods, pollen, pet dander, or dust may trigger symptoms. Not everyone who has GERD experiences all of these symptoms.