Why Our Kidneys Don't Like a Hangover

Welcome 2026!

This year marks 20 years since my last drink of alcohol. 

I had my first and only night of drinking on my 21st birthday and alcohol saved my life. 

You can read more about that night here. 

I never suspected I had kidney issues until they failed to filter alcohol out of my body. 

The emergency room doctor said that if alcohol didn’t bring the issue to light, a pregnancy would have and then I’d be losing a lot more than one organ.  

So as much as I’m grateful for all the shots I took that night, I never took them again and encourage you to consider doing the same. 

Dry January is the perfect month to support your kidney health by taking a break from the bottle. 

When we are out socializing and celebrating, it’s easy to forget about our two little filtering beans. 

Our kidneys don’t like the taste of alcohol and here’s why: 

Function Disruption

You know how your reaction time is slower after a few drinks? Well, this causes our kidneys to slow down too. 

Our kidneys #1 job is to filter our blood. Alcohol makes them slow on the job; it decreases our kidneys' functionality making them less able to filter as much blood. 

Dehydration: H2O is cool 

Our kidneys also regulate how much water our bodies need. When alcohol joins the party, it soaks up the water in our body, resulting in drying out our kidneys. No one wants to live in a desert so pass the water please. And for an added boost, check out my favorite electrolytes here. 

High Blood Pressure?! No thank you!

Just after 2 drinks, our blood pressure rises. High blood pressure puts more pressure on our kidneys to work harder. Working harder isn’t smarter; it results in wear and tear. What a pain! (literally!)

And binge drinking is even worse! Multiple drinks in a short amount of time raises our blood pressure to dangerous levels causing a sudden drastic drop in kidney function. 

Acute kidney failure is not worth winning a game of Beirut. 

Healthy Liver = Happy Kidneys!

Everything we put in our mouth goes through our liver before filtering through the kidneys. Chronic drinking strains our liver. A tensed liver means the rate of blood flow to our kidneys is unbalanced, adding more work for our kidneys. 

These two organs have to work together. Sans the toxicity so they have a lasting relationship. 

Give Dry January a try. After 30 days, the habit may stick and you may become a Dry January all year long kinda person. 

Your kidneys will thank you. 💕

As always, I’m not here to preach and tell you what to do; I’m only sharing so you feel less alone. Thank you for taking the time to read: I’m so happy to spend my kidney health journey inspiring, empowering, and connecting with YOU! 🌟

As always feel free to post below any comments and/or questions you may have.

Namaste and Lots of Love! 🤟🏻