Often, people experience pain in their kidneys after drinking alcohol. This pain can get worse the more you drink. But why do your kidneys hurt after drinking?
If you have an alcohol addiction, our team at Promises can help. Call us at 844.875.5609 to learn about our addiction treatment programs.
Kidney Pain and Alcohol: Why Do Your Kidneys Hurt After Drinking?
Your kidneys are two organs shaped like beans that sit on either side of your backbone and just below your ribcage. These organs are in charge of filtering waste from your blood and regulating your body’s water and mineral levels.
Every time you drink alcohol, your kidneys go into overdrive in their effort to eliminate alcohol from your blood. To make things worse, drinking alcohol also suppresses a hormone called vasopressin, which regulates how often you urinate. That’s why you have to go to the bathroom more often after drinking.
When you urinate, you’re losing fluids, which means drinking alcohol can lead to dehydration. Dehydration also affects your kidneys.
All of this leads to your kidneys hurting after drinking. You can experience symptoms like:
- Sudden stabbing or sharp pain in your upper abdomen, sides, or back
- Pain that worsens at night
- Soreness under your ribcage
- Dull, aching pain in your upper abdomen, sides, or back
You can also experience nausea, trouble sleeping, vomiting, and other symptoms.
Long-Term Effects of Alcohol Abuse on the Kidneys
Although most people know that kidney pain and alcohol often go together, not everyone’s aware of the consequences long-term alcohol abuse can cause on these crucial organs.
Alcoholic kidney disease (AKD) is a serious and chronic condition that occurs from prolonged and excessive alcohol consumption. With AKD, the kidneys can swell.
This can then lead to the accumulation of fat in the kidneys, leading to fatty infiltration and impaired kidney function. In the last stages, fibrous tissue replaces kidney tissue, which is irreversible. Now, alcoholic kidney disease has become chronic kidney disease.
Chronic kidney disease is a progressive and irreversible disease that leads your kidneys to stop functioning. This can then cause all manner of health issues, including electrolyte imbalances, stroke, and life-threatening kidney infections. When chronic kidney disease progresses to end-stage renal disease, the kidneys can no longer do their job.
Glomerular disease is another long-term effect of alcohol abuse on the kidneys. Alcohol can lead the glomeruli, which are tiny filters in the kidneys, to thicken with scarring. This leads to kidney impairment.
Another issue you can struggle with is renal tubular acidosis (RTA). Chronic alcohol consumption can interfere with your kidney’s ability to maintain an acid-base balance. It means your body can become toxic, leading to vomiting, loss of appetite, and electrolyte imbalances.
Avoid Kidney Damage by Getting Help
If you have an alcohol use disorder, the best thing you can do for every organ in your body, as well as for your mental health, is to turn to an addiction treatment program.
At Promises, we allow you to find the exact program you need. We have programs suitable for people who are just starting their recovery to programs that help you transition to lower levels of care. We can also accommodate clients who have attended recovery programs in the past and require ongoing assistance.
When you turn to us, you’re not just getting help for the symptoms of the addiction. You’re getting the chance to relearn how to be sober and what may be preventing you from achieving long-term recovery.
Begin Your Sobriety with Addiction Treatment at Promises Today
Alcohol addiction is a dangerous disease that can put your life at risk—but there’s help available. At Promises, we offer the kind of programs that can lead you back onto the path to sobriety. Contact us today by calling 844.875.5609.