Does Drinking Alcohol Make Your COPD Worse?

Your best bet at slowing disease progression is to quit smoking, reduce your number of drinks, and work toward an overall healthy lifestyle. If the only time you develop breathing problems is after drinking alcohol, you should still see your doctor. The relationship between drinking alcohol and smoking is well established. Here’s a look at how smoking and drinking can cause, and possibly complicate, this lung condition. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) refers to a group of lung diseases that affect your breathing. Beyond direct respiratory effects, alcohol consumption can have broader systemic impacts that negatively influence COPD.

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Be honest about how often you drink and smoke. First, your doctor will review any signs or symptoms you’re experiencing. That’s why getting a diagnosis and beginning treatment as soon as you can are vital. If you haven’t seen your doctor in a while or if you develop suspicious symptoms before your next visit, make an appointment.

Signs that alcohol might be negatively affecting COPD include increased breathlessness, coughing, wheezing, or difficulty sleeping. Consult a healthcare provider before making any changes to alcohol intake, especially when on medication for COPD. For instance, both alcohol and steroids can suppress the immune system, and combining them may heighten the risk of infection. Adequate nutrition is important for overall health, including lung function and recovery.

Treatments for COPD patients affected by alcohol

Decreased ciliary activity prevents the effective clearance of thickened mucus, leading to a build-up in the lungs. The suppression of the CNS can weaken the drive to breathe, which is a serious concern for lungs already compromised by chronic airflow obstruction. For individuals managing COPD, alcohol consumption requires examining the physiological risks and potential medication interactions.

• As you can see, heavy alcohol use can be detrimental to anyone, including people with COPD, for a variety of reasons.
• Alcohol can increase the effects of anxiety or pain medications.
• And since sleep apnea is very common in people with COPD (known as overlap syndrome), this is a concern that affects a large number of patients.
• Furthermore, one study found that COPD patients who were discharged from the hospital and who struggled with alcohol misuse were more likely to require readmission within 30 days.

How Alcohol Abuse Affects Lung Health in COPD

Some research shows that people who drink alcohol in moderation are less likely to develop COPD or COPD symptoms than people who do not drink alcohol. “Drinking alcohol when you have COPD isn’t forbidden,” says pulmonary specialist Dr. Pichurko, “but if you drink, moderation is a must.” Drink only in moderation, eat a healthy diet, and drink extra water to prevent thickened mucus and dehydration. Additionally, alcohol contains a large number of calories, which can lead heavy drinkers to eat fewer nutritious foods or to become overweight. On a slightly different note, alcohol can also affect your lungs by making them more sensitive to cigarette smoke.

General Health

The authors of another study identified a link between regular consumption of alcohol and lung problems in otherwise healthy individuals. The authors of a 2016 study concluded that people with alcohol use disorder are more likely to experience lung injury and respiratory infections. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a group of conditions that make it hard for air to pass through the lungs.

And studies show that high levels of alcohol use may increase your risk for pneumonia, one of the main concerns people with COPD have. In fact, people who have an alcohol use disorder are more than twice as likely to have something called acute respiratory distress syndrome. It can make immune cells less able to fight off infection, break down the barriers that keep fluid and gasses in the right place inside your lungs, and make it harder for young lungs to clear our mucus. But the researchers weren’t able to say what the effect of heavy drinking (more than 60 drinks per month) was on COPD, since there weren’t enough heavy drinkers in the study.

Is There a Link Between Drinking and Getting COPD?

One thing that most researchers agree on is that heavy alcohol consumption can effect the lungs and can likely cause reduced lung function in people with chronic respiratory diseases. Beyond worsening lung functioning, alcohol can create breathing problems during sleep in people with COPD.Research showsthatheavy drinkingcan elevate the risk of sleep apnea by 25%. Since research shows that high consumption of alcohol over a long period can harm the body, including the lungs, people should avoid heavy drinking. While alcohol can’t directly cause COPD, chronic heavy consumption of alcohol can damage our lungs and our immune system, making it harder to breathe and increasing our risk of COPD.

• Alcohol may also interfere with the efficacy of antibiotics used to treat respiratory infections, a frequent complication of COPD.
• Alcohol-induced breathing problems during sleep can be especially dangerous for individuals with COPD, who normally havelower oxygen levelsthan most people.
• But that’s not the case for many people with COPD.
• It is also much harder for the cilia lining your airways to move that thick, sticky, bacteria-ridden mucus out of your lungs, significantly raising the risk of respiratory infections.

Are you ready to feel empowered and discover life beyond alcohol? Melody is here to help as you adjust to a life with less (or no) alcohol. Receive encouragement from people worldwide who know exactly what you’re going through! Our daily research-backed readings teach you the neuroscience of alcohol, and our in-app Toolkit provides the resources and activities you need to navigate each challenge. The most important thing to do if we have COPD is to quit smoking.

Is It OK to Drink Alcohol With COPD?

So alcohol may make COPD worse — but can it actually cause breathing problems? Glucocorticoids are used to manage chronic lung conditions, and antibiotics are used to treat bacterial lung infections. While any type of alcohol can cause these symptoms, wine appears to cause allergic reactions more than others.

Wine sensitivity can occur among people with COPD due to the histamine and sulfites in wine. Theresearch showsthat these reactions are more common among women and people with COPD. Verify your insurance today – treatment could be more affordable than you think. This is the best time of year to begin treatment.

Habits for Proper Mental Health

Reframe supports you in reducing alcohol consumption and enhancing your well-being. The Reframe app equips you with the knowledge and skills you need to not only survive drinking less, but to thrive while you navigate the journey. Our proven program has helped millions of people around the world drink less and live more. Many people with COPD can also benefit from pulmonary rehabilitation, which is a structured program of education, physical therapy, and social support. Contact a healthcare provider to get information about any pulmonary rehab programs near us.

Alcohol Can Reduce Sleep Quality and Increase COPD Symptoms When You Sleep

Thousands find freedom from does alcohol affect copd alcohol every year — and so can you. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. The Recovery Village has services available to treat alcoholism, withlocations across the country. Alcohol can negatively affect COPD and even increase the risk of death among individuals with this condition.

COPD and Alcohol: The Truth About the Risks

And there are other medications you might be taking, like antihistamines or antianxiety medications, that make you sleepy. But it might cause problems with antibiotics or oral steroids sometimes used to treat lung infections that can come with COPD. Han says alcohol doesn’t interact with many of the main COPD meds, which you inhale. It’s a good question to ask since alcohol can cause problems with a number of medications. “Chronic alcohol use can cause immune system changes that might be harmful,” Han says.

That makes understanding the relationship between drinking, smoking, and COPD hard to pin down. Some people with COPD also experience excessive mucus production, which can make breathing difficult. Allergic reactions to alcohol, such as sneezing, congestion, or breathing difficulties, can also occur and may exacerbate COPD symptoms. For someone with COPD, this additional mucus makes it harder to clear the lungs, leading to increased coughing and wheezing. The Recovery Village aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes.