Alcohol is a popular choice for those who turn to substances to mitigate their pain; however, its effects on the body can be especially destructive for those with chronic pain. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism suggests that as many as 28% of people experiencing chronic pain turn to alcohol to relieve it. Each year, millions of Americans struggle with chronic pain; and while most are able to manage their pain via medications, therapies, or other methods, some turn to alcohol to self-medicate.
- This hypothesis is supported by observations that problem drinkers are more likely to report pain conditions and heightened sensitivity to painful stimulation than the general population.
- People usually avoid it when it hurts to move; however, being sedentary increases stiffness, making subsequent movement more painful.
- Poor sleep will hinder your body’s ability to heal and make your pain symptoms more potent.
- A model of how alcohol intoxication and withdrawal, trauma (stress) and injury transition to the corresponding disease states of alcohol dependence, anxiety disorders/depression, and chronic pain through actions upon an overlapping set of neural circuits (symbolized by the outer oval).
- Learn and practice the skills of accepting and living with the full range of life’s discomfort & uncertainty as gracefully as possible.
Spinal and supraspinal circuit structures
Mixing alcohol withbenzodiazepines, such as mixingXanax and alcohol, is also dangerous because alcohol has an “agonist-like” effect (in that it initiates a physiological response) when paired with benzos like Xanax. Pairing the two increases risk of cardiac or respiratory problems, as well as increasing the risk of alcohol poisoning. Many people live with anxiety, fear, or addiction without realizing how much it’s affecting their daily lives. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, unsure about your symptoms, or just looking for answers — we’re here to listen, without judgment. Whether you are struggling with addiction, mental health or both, our expert team is here to guide you every step of the way.
Fibromyalgia Symptoms
If you or your loved one is using alcohol to cope with fibromyalgia symptoms, it’s important to get off of alcohol and begin a healthy symptom management program. At The Recovery Village Kansas City, we help people successfully stop using alcohol as comfortably and safely as possible. One study found that in people over the age of 50, the greater the amount of weight gain, the higher the association with an increased risk of chronic lower back pain. The empty calories in alcohol can contribute to contribute to weight gain, especially when paired with a calorie-heavy diet. Plus, heavy drinking and binge drinking have been shown to increase your risk of having obesity. Dr. Hollins says that if you follow guidelines for moderate drinking and don’t currently have back pain, there’s no reason to believe that alcohol will cause you to develop new pain.
It can relate to an underlying disease or health condition, an injury, medical treatment (such as surgery), inflammation, a problem in the nervous system (neuropathic pain), or even an unknown cause. Unfortunately, people tend to try to medicate chronic pain with alcohol as well, and this can be extremely dangerous. An estimated25 to 28% of peopleuse alcohol to alleviate pain, whether it is the acute pain of an abscessed tooth or chronic pain from arthritis or an injury. If you use alcohol to ease your pain symptoms, you are also more likely to use them in combination with other compounds, both legal and illegal. Although alcohol doesn’t directly alleviate pain symptoms, inebriation does confuse the central nervous system enough that pain sensations are less sharply interpreted.
Homeostasis makes sense within a chronic pain: why does alcohol worsen it physical system that maintains stable features to match an environment that is unchanging notwithstanding irregular and temporary perturbations. However, with the emergence of a chronic environmental stressor or persistent repeated exposures to physical insults the maintenance of a “normal” homeostatic baseline no longer makes sense. To adapt to these new persistent environmental demands allostatic processes are engaged that predict the optimal physiological parameters needed to achieve stability 105. Thus, unlike homeostasis which maintains optimal parameters within steady state “normal” levels, allostasis is a dynamic whole-body process involving the prediction of optimal levels of functioning based on anticipated demand from changing environmental variables. This concept of maladaptive allostasis in brain stress systems have also been advocated to explain addiction and possibly chronic pain.
Allostatic load, chronic emotional pain, and alcohol dependence
Protocols using intermittent chronic alcohol exposure in rodents have been used successfully as reliable and valid animal models of drug and alcohol dependence. Preclinical studies on chronic pain and AUD provide new insight into the reciprocal influences between the common morbidity of pain and alcohol dependence and potential treatment strategies 45. A model of how alcohol intoxication and withdrawal, trauma (stress) and injury transition to the corresponding disease states of alcohol dependence, anxiety disorders/depression, and chronic pain through actions upon an overlapping set of neural circuits (symbolized by the outer oval). Under normal, homeostatic conditions (symbolized by the upper inner oval), alcohol intoxication produces emotional and sensory pain though a compensatory opponent response (i.e., withdrawal) to an initial rewarding and analgesic action. Emotional and sensory pain comprise the initial response to trauma and injury that may be followed by a compensatory analgesic/euphoric response when terminated. When the initiating condition is not resolved (i.e., chronic alcohol intoxication and withdrawal, untreated injury) homeostasis can no longer be sustained.
Medical Disclaimer
Let’s explore why drinking to ease chronic pain is a prescription for double trouble. The premise that thoughts have significant effects on feelings and behavior and that shifts in thinking lead to emotional and behavioral changes is the basis of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT techniques help identify and change unhelpful cognitive patterns and beliefs, such as discounting the positive in a situation by focusing on the negative, thinking in rigid black-and-white/all-or-nothing extremes, and placing unreasonable and unrealistic expectations on oneself, other people, and situations.
How Alcohol Affects Fibromyalgia Symptoms
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) are evidence-based approaches that incorporate mindfulness practices. ACT emphasizes building psychological flexibility and emphasizes values-congruent practices, while DBT emphasizes the development of emotional regulation and distress tolerance skills. These approaches transform our relationship with our thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations, including pain. This can change the quality of our experience in ways that change the subjective experience of pain as well as the suffering precipitated by it.
- It also helps prevent loss of range of motion, which can lead to other problems and limitations.
- AUD patients with pain also are likely to report current opioid use (Witkiewitz & Vowles, 2018).
- Drinking enough alcohol to “relieve pain” can mean drinking to the point of blackout, and this is an exceptionally unhealthy way to deal with pain, whether acute or chronic.
- Regarding ratings of discomfort versus intensity of pain, alcohol alleviates discomfort at lower doses and to a greater extent than intensity, suggesting the effect of alcohol may vary across components of pain.
- Instead, many point to the social aspects of mild alcohol use which may impact pain conditions.
Endorphins in the brain reduce the experience of pain, and exercise increases endorphin release in the brain. Therefore, incorporating exercises if possible into an overall pain management approach may be beneficial to your quality of life. At Tulsa Pain Consultants Consultants, we utilize a wide array of approaches to assisting our patients with pain that includes medication, alternative and complementary medicine approaches, and noninvasive surgical interventions. While study findings published in Arthritis Research and Therapy suggested that low and moderate alcohol consumption alleviated fibromyalgia symptoms in some study participants, heavy alcohol consumption was revealed to worsen fibromyalgia symptoms. For those struggling with chronic pain, it’s crucial to seek guidance from healthcare professionals to develop a comprehensive pain management plan.
Using Alcohol to Relieve Your Pain: What Are the Risks?
Though few studies have reviewed Pilates as a method of pain relief, there is good clinical evidence that it may be particularly useful for neck pain. It can be modified or used with special equipment if you have specific physical ailments. It also can be done without special equipment to improve awareness and control of movements, posture, and strength. When consistent with one’s capacity, physical exercise increases mobility, strength, and functioning, can decrease pain sensations over time, and improve quality of life. People usually avoid it when it hurts to move; however, being sedentary increases stiffness, making subsequent movement more painful.
