Do you drink alcohol with your RA?
Just wondering, as I gave up drinking a while ago because it made my RA go bonkers for a week after and combined with my medicines, it was like one drink felt like 10.
How about the rest of you? Do you drink and do you find it helps?
Hi Dan, sometimes one glass of red wine but that’s it. I don’t feel worse afterward but during I get boiling hot, even in blizzard conditions. It’s just not fun anymore.
- red wine has always made me pink - even before RA. It has anti-inflammatory properties though. So from time to time I go for it, red nose notwithstanding. I take a shot at times too, and I dont have any problems after
Hi
no I don't drink. I have nonalcoholic drinks occasionally and maybe a glass of wine at Christmas with dinner. I do enjoy a nice Merlo or a Chardonnay, but I don't go out and buy it anymore, has been years now. A few years ago in the summer I drove to a town 45 mins away and was meeting other friends at a restaurant for dinner. I was early so got our table and decided to order myself a virgin ceaser. I so like ceasers. I throughly enjoyed that drink, but I could feel all the salt seeping into me and swelling up. I won't do that again.
Blessings
Casmere- I had trouble finding it in the UK sometime ago, did some research, and found an announcement by Campbells from 2023 that they were discontinuing it. 
well, nuts! I personally don't care for V8, but I know what it's like when a loved product is pulled from the shelves. It stinks!
I am sorry you aren't able to get V8 in the UK for the foreseeable future.
Best, Erin, https://RheumatoidArthritis.net Team Member.
Yep, I do, now. I didn’t when I was on DMARDs that could be liver toxic or when my liver enzymes were elevated. My liver is healthy now and alcohol is not contraindicated with my current meds. I hold it to 1-2 drinks, once or twice a week with a family meal, and make sure I also drink water. I do try to make it early enough in the evening to not disturb my sleep. Also, immediately after a massage, I have a glass of water then settle into the recliner with 1 beer and a snack. It helps me continue to relax and the 12oz of fluid help me flush my system. I love that ritual!
- excellent question. I've been guzzling low-alcohol Erdinger beer, which I can recommend. But I've also drunk a small to moderate amount of alcohol; not every day of course, and not - so far - pinpointed an effect on symptoms. RA fluctuates so much anyway, to be fair, day to day and even hour to hour, according to how much exercise one has taken and what medication, too. 
I'm glad you've found something you can drink that agrees with you! And, yes, we hear you on the difficulty in pinpointing whether certain things effect symptoms. As you've pointed out, RA fluctuates so much day to day (minute to minute) it can be tricky to make any connection. Thanks again for sharing! -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)
I too stopped yrs ago due to the all the medications. A special occasion is about the extent of it.
same here - liver toxicity from Mtx is a horrible thing. A friend with RA just ‘couldn’t/wouldn’t’ stop drinking alcohol despite the clear warnings on the medication packaging and ended up with damaging her liver🙁
I already have kidney disease (since birth) and structural abnormalities in my kidneys too so don’t need any other organs compromised.
I don’t need alcohol to have a good time but found that some ‘friends’ were very pushy about alcohol when I stopped drinking completely when I was diagnosed - got a lot of “ just the one won’t hurt” etc and an incident where someone swapped my alcohol free Prosecco (I bring my own bottle) for an alcoholic one, deliberately! Needless to say they are no longer part of my social life 🧐
I just don’t understand continuing a behaviour that is clearly stated to cause harm 🤷♀️
Hi
. Yes, anyone who would swap your drink with something with alcohol definitely falls into the toxic relationship category. They have no idea what kind of risk they could be putting someone in. You do what you have to to take care of you. Best, Richard (Team Member)
