Alcohol Intolerance?

When i was younger, I used to drink quite a bit. Not once did I wake up with any sort of hangover symptom... until about two years ago. Now, every time I even take one little sip, I will wake up with a severe stomach ache and a mild headache. I know this sounds just like I have got a hangover, but I do not believe that it is, considering I used to NEVER get hangovers.Recently, I have been looking into if it is an allergy or not. I have read through many sites and they all basically say the same thing. It is either Oriental Flushing (which I am not oriental) or (lack of) something in my body (ALDH) does not agree with alcohol and will not convert the toxic alcohol to acetic acid. I am wondering if someone can clarify this for me; do i have an intolerance to alcohol, an allergy, or do i just get really really bad hangovers?

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the forum!
Alcohol taken over a long period of time can cause both fatty liver and liver problems and it can cause acidity and GERD both. GERD can cause stomach ache along with a headache. Liver problems can also cause stomach ache.
You may have developed alcohol intolerance. This can be confirmed by an allergy test. However symptomatically it looks more like a hang over or a GERD or a liver problem. Hence before the allergy test rule out the other two possibilities. Get a liver function test done.
Hope this helps. It is difficult to comment beyond this at this stage. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!