Expert: Rebos - 2/4/2006

Question
just wondering if drinking too much beer can give you gastric problems which lead to pains in the back?

Answer
Good afternoon Mark:

Thank you for your question.

I am not a doctor and cannot nor should I give you any medical advice. It has been the experience of some others that back pain may in fact be pancreatitis that sometimes radiates to the back. One of the causes of pancreatitis could be from drinking alcohol.

Remember, a 12 oz can of beer has the equivalent of 1 oz of 80 proof hard liquor. So...if you drink a lot of beer then you are drinking a lot of the hard stuff. In any case it would be wise for you to have a physical by your doctor and explain what your symptoms are.

If you have any questions about alcoholism of the non-physcian type, please do not hesitate to contact me again with more specifics. Thank you Rebos