You may already know that heavy drinking over an extended period can inflict considerable harm on your body. But are you also aware of the short-term health concerns that have been linked to alcohol use? For example, can you get a fever after drinking alcohol?
How Does Alcohol Affect Body Temperature?
In old comedies and cartoons, characters who got lost in snowstorms or swept away in avalanches were often rescued by hulking St. Bernards with small casks of brandy attached to their collars. Drinking the brandy helped the victim stay warm until additional help arrived or the dog led them to safety.
Even if you’ve never seen this type of scenario portrayed on a screen, you’ve probably heard that certain types of alcohol can be an effective deterrent against a dangerous drop in body temperature.
Unfortunately, that “survival fact” would be better placed in the “dangerous fiction” category.
Yes, having a drink of brandy, whiskey, or bourbon can prompt a brief warming sensation. But this temporary effect may mask a surprising truth: Alcohol use can lead to your core body temperature going down, not up.
The keyword in the previous sentence is “can.” Various studies have suggested the following about alcohol’s relationship to body temperature:
- Alcohol use will have a hypothermic (temperature-lowering) effect on the body.
- Alcohol may disrupt the body’s ability to regulate its temperature, which means that a person may become warmer or colder depending on environmental factors.
- Alcohol’s ability to raise or lower a person’s body temperature may depend on how much the person drinks and what time of day they consume alcohol.
If we don’t yet have a definitive answer to the question of how alcohol affects body temperature, what does this mean for the topic of today’s post? Can you get a fever after drinking alcohol? And if you can, what role does alcohol play in this outcome?
We’ll address these questions in the next section.
Can You Get a Fever After Drinking Alcohol?
Can you get a fever after drinking alcohol? Yes, you can.
Will that fever be a direct result of your alcohol use? Sometimes it may, and sometimes it may not.
There are several reasons why you might develop a fever after drinking, such as:
- You already had a condition that was causing a slight fever, but you didn’t realize it. The alcohol amplified the problem and intensified the fever.
- Alcohol can prevent your immune system from functioning at full capacity. Thus, after you’ve been drinking, your body may not be able to resist the types of infections that can cause fevers.
- Alcohol abuse can cause dehydration, which is one of the causes of hangovers. A powerful hangover may cause headaches, muscle aches, nausea, and what feels like a fever.
- If you abuse alcohol on a regular basis, you may also be engaging in other behaviors (such as smoking, leading a sedentary lifestyle, and failing to follow a nutritious diet) that can undermine your health and increase your risk of fever.
- As we noted earlier, alcohol may prevent your body from regulating your temperature. This dysregulation could cause you to become feverish.
- Alcohol abuse can prevent you from getting enough sleep. Fatigue and exhaustion may make you more susceptible to infections or diseases that cause fevers.
- Chronic alcohol abuse can cause substantial physical damage, including harm to the liver, heart, lungs, and other organs. As your body attempts to cope with these effects, it may be unable to protect itself from fever-causing infections or diseases.
- The presence of alcohol in your system can alter your blood pressure and disrupt your blood sugar levels, which can increase your risk of fever and other health problems.
- Alcohol can interfere with the effectiveness of certain prescription medications. If you have been managing the symptoms of a cold, influenza, or other conditions with medication, drinking can prevent your meds from working, which could trigger a return of your symptoms.
How Can You Avoid the Health Effects of Alcohol?
The best way to avoid fever and other alcohol-related health problems is to avoid alcohol completely.
If you have developed alcohol use disorder, which is the clinical term for alcoholism, this can be difficult to do. But when you find the right type of treatment, you can end your alcohol use and build a healthier future in recovery.
Treatment for alcohol addiction may involve detox, residential care, and outpatient programming. Within these programs, your care may involve elements such as:
- Individual psychotherapy
- Group therapy
- Family therapy
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Relapse prevention education
- Holistic rehab services
Given the many variables that can influence your care, it is important to find a provider that thoroughly evaluates your history and needs, then develop a customized plan just for you.
Find Help for Alcohol Addiction in Atlanta
Peachtree Recovery Solutions offers personalized outpatient treatment for adults who have become addicted to alcohol and other drugs.
When you choose our alcohol addiction treatment center in Atlanta, Georgia, you can expect to receive focused services and close personal support from a team of skilled and compassionate professionals.
Our team will work with you to determine which of our programs can best prepare you for successful recovery. Depending on your specific needs and goals, this could include our partial hospitalization program (PHP), intensive outpatient program (IOP), or outpatient program (OP). We also offer an evening IOP as well as gender-specific programs for both men and women.
When you’re ready to get started, the Peachtree Recovery Solutions team is here for you. To learn more or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Admissions page or call us today.