Alcoholic Allergy
When I first quit drinking, I simply told people I was allergic to alcohol. I made this story up to protect me from others finding out the real reason why I quit. “No, I can’t. I’m allergic to alcohol,” was what I said when they offered me a drink. I was not actually that far from the truth.
There is such a thing as an alcohol allergy, but that is not what I have. 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 they are actually allergic to.
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 to uncontrollably (and unbeknown to them) drink excessively. This is not an alcohol allergy. This is alcoholism. This is also denial.
People fell for my alcohol allergy story, or at least they appeared to, for quite some time. Eventually, I decided to “man up” and tell it like it is. I don’t drink because if I do, I drink too much. My life is better without alcohol. Period.
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