Lining your stomach

When you were younger you were most probably told many times to make sure you lined your stomach before you went out drinking. There were many suggestions of what to use – but the most popular has always been a glass of milk. The reason for doing this may vary – some people say that it will prevent a hangover, whilst others just believe that it will make the alcohol experience more pleasant. How true is this?

Firstly, it is important to remember that unlike food, alcohol does not have to be digested before it can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Alcohol molecules are small and pass quickly and easily into the bloodstream. Some alcohol is immediately absorbed through the wall linings of the stomach and into the bloodstream. The rest moves into the small intestine. All in all alcohol makes its way through the digestive system pretty quickly. However, on its way it can cause problems.

One of the major problems is that alcohol irritates the lining of the stomach. When it becomes irritated the stomach secretes a protective mucus and gastric juices. These juices don’t affect the alcohol that much, but they do dilute its concentration in the stomach and can also delay the stomach emptying as it would usually. This can lead to stomach aches, nausea or vomiting. If your stomach is empty when you drink, the irritation will most probably be worse. Food, particularly those full of protein such as milk, meat or eggs, appear to protect the stomach lining by slowing down the absorption of alcohol because the stomach has to break it down with gastric juice to start the process of digestion. The advice of ’lining your stomach’ before you drink, therefore, seems to make pretty good sense.

The irritation in the stomach caused by alcohol can also lead to further problems. In between the stomach and the small intestine is a small valve-like structure called the pyloric sphincter which controls the flow of food between those two parts of the body. It is also sensitive to trouble signs in the stomach. If something is upsetting the stomach, there’s a good chance that it probably isn’t the sort of thing your body wants your bloodstream to absorb too quickly. So, when the stomach gets irritated, the sphincter will start to get very selective about what does and doesn’t get through. At first, the irritation isn’t enough to kick the pyloric sphincter into action. However, if you don’t watch how much you’re drinking, the irritation level gradually builds (even though there’s food in the stomach) and the sphincter can shut. When this happens the alcohol gets trapped in the stomach. If you continue to eat or drink while the sphincter is closed, this can lead to vomiting and a very unpleasant experience.

So it would appear that eating a small meal, or at the very least, a glass of milk, before you drink alcohol, could help prevent things from turning nasty.

Remember:  If you do not want any negative consequences, do not use the drug and no matter how many times you have used a substance – never be blase!