Alcohol causing abdominal distress

Hi I posted here a month or so about a problem I was having with abdominal pain/bloating and got some good help with it but the problem doesn't seem to have gone away permanently.

Here's my issue: I'm a 33 year-old male. After drinking alcohol (mixed drinks, beers, etc.) the next day and for several days afterwards I have uncomfortable bloating feeling in my lower abdomen and often a swelling/stiff feeling in my on the left side of my lower abdomen.

If I stick to a very bland diet of only water to drink, low sugar, nothing spicey diet, it will subside and eventually
go away, but any more alcohol just re-agitates the problem all over again.

Now I know the simplest, most common sense answer is "well, don't drink alcohol anymore" but I'm worried
this may be a sign of something worse (an infection of some sort) or just some sort of allergy or intolerance
of alcohol that I should just get used to and deal with.

[dbab]

I have diverticulosis and alcohol really does a number on me.  If I drink alcohol, like beer for a day or two, say on the weekends, I will really pay for it come Monday.  I will have cramping and bloating and be really miserable for a few days.  An attack of diverticulitis will start with pain in the lower left abdomen.  Usually, relief comes from eating a very bland diet.  You might want to get checked out with a gastro doctor and see if you have diverticulosis or possibly just irritable bowel syndrome.  Alcohol will also cause problems if you have irritable bowel.  Good luck.

[gusb234]

How do they usually screen for this to see what is the problem? Is it treatable or will alcohol have to remain out of my diet for good (I have no desire to drink any now, believe me...not worth days of discomfort and bland food).

[keetog]

I was suffering similar complications. Regular drinker all of the sudden could not handle more than a couple sips.  After 45 min I would start bloating and feeling like I was poisoned.  After doing almost every test my gastro could think of- they finally did the Hydrogen Breath test.  And I tested Positive for a Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth.    I have done two rounds of antibiotics including Xifaxim.  
And now I CAN DRINK AGAIN!