This really surprised me. I had been experiencing major gastrointestinal issues for years while I was drinking, and my doctor said it was lactose intolerance. I cut out dairy entirely and it helped a little, but I had diharrea every day regardless and nothing helped. I’m happy to report that after getting sober I can now drink milk, eat cheese, and enjoy a milkshake without any side effects whatsoever. I suspect it’s something to do with my gut microbiome or whatever it’s called.
Figured this might be a tiny sliver of hope for some folks, so I wanted to share. IWNDWYT!
Yeah, the GI issues can run deep. It took a couple years to get my heartburn under control, but that is finally manageable now.
The shits sucked though and those did resolve fairly quick. You will find that it is a common affliction among professional drunks, actually.
I only skimmed your profile, but it seems you were an every day, drink till you blackout type, similar to me. (No judgement, at all.) I bring this up because, if you haven’t already, be honest with your doctor about this. Alcohol will wreck your gut and cause all kinds of weird imbalances, especially after you quit. It may help your doctor to take that into account, s’all. (I don’t know your age or gender, but a colonoscopy may be in your future. That is a good thing, and it wouldn’t surprise me if one was recommended.)
Embrace these wins and remember this feeling you have. (The first few dozen times I quit drinking, I never really embraced how good it felt. I do now and it’s an awesome motivator for me.)