Finally connecting the dots between your drinking habits and poor gut health may feel disappointing, especially when you’re dealing with ongoing stomach discomfort, poor digestion, or unpredictable bathroom habits. In this article, you’ll learn what gut health means, how drinking can affect it, and how St. Joseph Institute can help you restore balance with nutrition and whole-person care during residential recovery in Port Matilda, PA.
What Is Gut Health?
Your gut is more than just your stomach. It includes your intestines and colon, too. All three work together to break down food, absorb nutrients, and remove waste. But, when people talk about gut health, they’re usually referring to that delicate, diverse balance of bacteria and other microorganisms in your digestive system, often called the gut microbiome.
Here’s a microbiome breakdown:
- Hundreds of bacteria, viruses, and fungi species live in your large intestine. Some of them may contribute to health problems, but many are essential and helpful for your microbiome, keeping your tummy happy and settled.
- A well-balanced microbiome helps break down food, supports nutrient absorption, and keeps your body running smoothly.
- An imbalanced microbiome can wreak digestive havoc.
But gut health doesn’t just stop at digestion. Research continues to uncover connections between gut health and your immune system, mood, sleep, heart, and even the risk of chronic illness. The foods you eat, your daily habits, and even stress levels in recovery may all affect your gut health over time.
How Can Alcohol Consumption Impact Gut Health?
Your digestive system is the first part of your body exposed to alcohol when you drink, and the more alcohol you consume, the likelier your gut is to face long-term challenges.
There’s even a nasty domino effect that researchers have identified with long-term drinking and gut health. First, frequent heavy drinking triggers gut inflammation, which spreads to other parts of the body, and other organs, like your liver, can take a dangerous hit that then degrades your body’s overall quality of health over time.
Here are some other ways drinking may interfere with your gut health:
Digestive Irritation
Heavy drinking may inflame your stomach lining, leading to painful gastritis, ulcers, or difficulty absorbing key nutrients like B vitamins.
Pancreas Problems
Drinking too much may harm your pancreas or trigger pancreatitis, which interferes with the release of digestive enzymes your body needs.
Diarrhea
Alcohol can pull extra water into your intestines, making stools loose and uncomfortable. This disruption may also lead to food passing through too quickly.
Inflammation
Alcohol may inflame your intestines, speeding up digestion and leaving you with cramps, bloating, or urgency.
Tips For Improving Gut Health in Recovery
The encouraging part about gut health is that it may often improve once you focus on healing. And it’s worth the effort since a balanced digestive system can help your body and mind feel more resilient when cravings or challenges come up in recovery.
Here are some practical tips to support gut health in and beyond your treatment program:
- Manage stress. Stress can show up as stomach pain, constipation, or diarrhea. Relaxation practices like deep breathing or meditation may help calm your gut.
- Move, move, move. Movement may help your gut microbiome thrive. Even walking or light activity could have you seeing real differences over time.
- Go for whole foods. Whole fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains may prevent harmful bacteria from taking over, while also lowering inflammation.
- Fiber, fiber, fiber. Fiber feeds healthy gut bacteria and keeps your appetite and digestion regular. Try including foods like beans, nuts, whole grains, leafy greens, and berries.
- Catch your z’s. Poor sleep may throw off your gut bacteria and make it harder to feel steady during the day. 7-9 hours a night could be a good long-term goal.
- Water, water, water. Water helps with nutrient absorption, protects your digestive tract, and keeps stools moving. Aim for steady hydration throughout your day.
Find Support For Alcohol Use Disorder in Pennsylvania
Poor gut health doesn’t have to be a lifelong struggle. With care and effort, your digestive system can usually balance itself out, leaving you stronger in both body and mind. If alcohol has left your gut in distress, recovery can help you feel better than you may think possible.
At St. Joseph Institute, both our Port Matilda and Wexford, PA, facilities are ready to provide clients with holistic support that includes nutritional guidance, personalized care, and a compassionate team ready to walk with you through whole-body recovery. Contact us today to begin your journey toward better gut health.
