When you first quit drinking you may find yourself making up stories about why you can’t drink. For Example: Telling people you’re allergic to alcohol. You do this to protect yourself from others finding out the real reason why you quit drinking.

There is such a thing as an alcohol allergy, but that may not be the actual truth about why you don’t drink. An alcohol allergy is very real and much like a traditional food allergy. Many people are allergic to nuts or dairy products, wheat or shellfish, and some are allergic to alcohol. Often it is the wheat, rye, or yeast that is found in alcohol that individuals are actually allergic to.

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People with true alcohol allergies will react the same way a person allergic to a food might.

They will have difficulty breathing, and may break out in a rash or hives. A more severe allergy may send a person to the emergency room.

Often, people will claim to be allergic to alcohol to mask true alcoholism. They claim that they have “one drink” and then black out, leading them too uncontrollably (and unbeknown to them) drink excessively. This is not an alcohol allergy. This is alcoholism. This is also denial.

People may fall for your alcohol allergy story, or at least they may appeared to, for quite some time.

Eventually, you will need to “man up” and tell the truth. “You don’t drink because if you do, you drink too much. That your life is better without alcohol. PERIOD!!!