Body feels tender after drinking

 

 This always happens to me the day after I get really drunk. My whole torso, especially, feels bruised and tender. It hurts to touch, and even putting my bra on this morning was brutally painful, as my whole ribcage was sore. I tried to look this up with google, but couldn't find out much about the reasons for it. I was wondering if anyone else ever experienced it, or knows why this happens. Kind of feels like a bad sunburn all over..

I get it in my back and occasionally my chest too. Don't know why, but I guess it's punishment for abusing our bodies. Oops! I'd kind of like to find a real explanation too though...

Yes this happens to me as well, it feels sometimes like when my breasts were still growing (from what I can remember lol). Then other times its like someone has physically beat me up and it hurts to breathe deeply around my diaphragm. It probably has something to do with extra fluid and retention but I would also be very interested to find out what is going on really.

Alcohol (amongst other things) is a diuretic. Means your kidneys work overtime producing excessive amounts of fluid when you drink alcohol. This, in turn, dehydrates the body. Dehydration then leads to the classic hangover symptoms of the thick tongue, bad headache and also the body will retain fluids.... swell up, bloat, and the skin feels tender to the touch.

If you binge drink regularly you can incur physical damage and this accumulates over time. This puts you in the way of diseases such as cirrhosis, pancreatitis & heart disease.

So drink responsibly.... It's easier to permanently damage your body than you think.

Man thats a buzz killer...

I notice this, too. But more so my liver is tender (this is on the right side of your torso area). It always worries me because I feel like I'm killing my liver. 

I drink about once a week, and when I do I always seem to drink more than I should (I know this isn't good). I just hate the damage I do to my body though!

When I wake up the day after I drink beer or liquor, my calves are always SO TIGHT. No matter how much I stretch, I can't get the feeling out, and it will sometimes last for several days. It never happens with wine though...

my chest often feels tight, like I have insane anxiety.  Someone once told me a hangover is like 80% guilt from like what you did so maybe thats where its coming from?  I've never had my entire body hurt like that though...

The calf thing is directly connected to your organs. Certain muscle groups and organs in the body share blood vessels, nerves, etc (not the best medical explanation) so when your liver, or colon, or small intestine, or whatever other organ is intoxicated, you often feel it in different muscle groups. It's just like when people have heart problems and they get intense pain, or tightness in their left arm.

I used to get the calf thing every time I drank, but if you make sure to down 2 or 3 glasses of water before you pass out, it should help.

Original Post by jennc2:

The calf thing is directly connected to your organs. Certain muscle groups and organs in the body share blood vessels, nerves, etc (not the best medical explanation) so when your liver, or colon, or small intestine, or whatever other organ is intoxicated, you often feel it in different muscle groups. It's just like when people have heart problems and they get intense pain, or tightness in their left arm.

I used to get the calf thing every time I drank, but if you make sure to down 2 or 3 glasses of water before you pass out, it should help.

Good advice. Thanks!

jennc2, thats interesting, never knew that!  Just another reason to <3 calorie count =)

I get the same feeling but what I realized was that it is not the alcohol, but what was in the drinks or what I ate while drunk.  Sugar causes the same body tenderness/bruising/inflammation for me and when I was drinking I would sometimes have sugary drinks and then I would over-indulge in sugary things while drinking (cookies, chocolate, etc.)  I used to think that it happened from certain types of alcohol because it didn't happen EVERY time I drank, etc.  After doing elimination diets and really paying attention to what I was drinking and what I ate each time, my doctor and I figured out that it is the sugar that does it to me, not the alcohol.  We had it narrowed down to gluten or sugar and I tested negative for gluten intolerance and didn't have a problem with the gluten elimination diet.  Now, if I drink too much I really have to watch what I eat in order to avoid the pain.  If I stay away from sugar then I'm okay.  I would try and see if you are affected by one type of alcohol as opposed to another (beer v. vodka v. wine, etc) and track what you eat while drinking... you maybe surprised! 

Original Post by linzerbeth:

I get the same feeling but what I realized was that it is not the alcohol, but what was in the drinks or what I ate while drunk.  Sugar causes the same body tenderness/bruising/inflammation for me and when I was drinking I would sometimes have sugary drinks and then I would over-indulge in sugary things while drinking (cookies, chocolate, etc.)  I used to think that it happened from certain types of alcohol because it didn't happen EVERY time I drank, etc.  After doing elimination diets and really paying attention to what I was drinking and what I ate each time, my doctor and I figured out that it is the sugar that does it to me, not the alcohol.  We had it narrowed down to gluten or sugar and I tested negative for gluten intolerance and didn't have a problem with the gluten elimination diet.  Now, if I drink too much I really have to watch what I eat in order to avoid the pain.  If I stay away from sugar then I'm okay.  I would try and see if you are affected by one type of alcohol as opposed to another (beer v. vodka v. wine, etc) and track what you eat while drinking... you maybe surprised! 

 Thats really funny...The last two times it happened was when I drank apple ciders! They have something like 30 or 40 grams of sugar per bottle, and I drank like, 7-8 over a long period of time (which was on vacation and I've learned never ever to do that again!) I took it easier the second time and only drank 3, and I was hurting the next day, but not as bad.. Beer is fine, wines ok too, but the ciders kill me! I thought it was because I drank so many and they are 7% each, but I think it definitely could be the sugar. Thank you for your insight! I will stay clear of sugar and sugary drinks from now on!!

Original Post by dplatzer:

my chest often feels tight, like I have insane anxiety.  Someone once told me a hangover is like 80% guilt from like what you did so maybe thats where its coming from?  I've never had my entire body hurt like that though...

 My chest always hurts too! Sometimes it's really bad. It feels like someone is pushing down hard on your chest or squeezing your heart. I think it may be bad heartburn, but I've never suffered from that before so I can't compare sensations.

I generally take antacids, it helps a bit...

It's alright, you'll be OK once it gets to pass out time . .  . .