When ever I have more than a couple of drinks, I wet the bed.  I am a
30 year old male, in good health.  It started in my mid 20's, but only
if I binge drink.  But now it happens almost every time, that I have
more than a couple of drinks.  I dont know if this is a sign of a
medical problem.  and is there any thing that can be done to stop
this, short of not drinking at all?

Dear helpme2005-ga

Thank you for allowing me to answer your interesting question. 

Relax, you're probably ok. We cannot provide medical advice of
diagnose people?s symptoms in this forum, but from what I found from
researching your problem is that alcohol causes or directly
contributes to urinary incontinence ? even in healthy people ? in MANY
different ways. What immediately struck me is that you don?t have to
have some undiagnosed medical problem in order to be affected this
way. Some people are simply sensitive to the affects of alcohol.

Take a look at this site that lists a dozen or so quotes from various
reputable sources about how alcohol can affect a person?s bladder,
kidneys, brain and delicate chemical balance and be the underlying
cause of urinary incontinence (especially in bed at night). Here are
some excerpts to show you some of the things this site says

?Drinking alcohol can dull the nerves in the bladder and keep them
from signaling the brain when the bladder is full. Without this
message the bladder overflows. Alcohol (beer, wine, etc.) sometimes
can cause the bladder to become too active. This is called ?urge
incontinence.? (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and
Kidney Diseases pamphlet, Jan. 1997)?

?The pituitary gland secretes a hormone that regulates the amount of
urine produced. When it is affected by alcohol, too little of the
hormone is released and causes more urination. (?Understanding
Alcohol,? 1992 book by Jean Kinney.)?

?Urge? incontinence: Alcohol can act as a trigger or an irritant, and
avoiding alcohol is sometimes enough to restore continence. (The
Center for Women?s Healthcare, Weill Medical College of Cornell
University, March 2000)?

June Russell's Health Facts
Alcohol - Kidney and Bladder
http://www.jrussellshealth.com/alckid.html

Medical professionals seem to agree that alcohol can be an irritant of
the urinary system in many people, and the implication is that it may
in fact be an irritant in ALL people but that many people are simply
more sensitive to it than others, and this is where uncontrollable and
sometimes embarrassing urge problems arise. Universally, almost all
medical professionals on the face of the earth will immediately advise
patients to avoid, or strictly limit their alcohol intake if urinary
incontinence is a problem.

In addition to the physiological irritation it causes to our organs,
alcohol can quickly fill the bladder, usually resulting in frequent
urination. A person who has a bladder with an already limited capacity
(or who already suffers from polyuria ? excessive urination) may find
it harder to hold back while consuming alcohol. To make matters worse,
another side effect of alcohol is that it tends to affect the urethral
and bladder nerves and can also affect a person?s awareness of how
urgent the need to urinate really is. This miscalculation ? even in
sleep ? can overstretch the bladder wall and weaken the muscle lining,
which in turn can sometimes result in unconscious bedwetting or
accidental pant wetting.

There are indeed some medical problems that can manifest themselves as
urinary incontinence, but if you already know that the problem is
present whenever you drink and is absent whenever you abstain, my
research indicates that an undiagnosed medical problem is probably not
the culprit here. As always however many of us end our research into
medical matters with the logical caveat:  If you are concerned about
your health be sure to see your doctor.


I hope you find that my answer exceeds your expectations. If you have
any questions about my research please post a clarification request
prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating and your
final comments and I look forward to working with you again in the
near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher



INFORMATION SOURCES

JUNE RUSSELL'S HEALTH FACTS
ALCOHOL - KIDNEY AND BLADDER
http://www.jrussellshealth.com/alckid.html


HOLY NAME HEALTH MANUAL
http://www.holyname.org/health_information_resources/health_manuals/Men/urinary.htm


SEARCH STRATEGY


SEARCH ENGINE USED:

Google ://www.google.com


SEARCH TERMS USED:

alcohol 

?urinary incontinence?

?urge incontinence

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Request for Answer Clarification by helpme2005-ga on 30 Aug 2005 10:20 PDT

are there any sujestions on how to stop this, any medications?

---

Clarification of Answer by tutuzdad-ga on 30 Aug 2005 10:52 PDT

To offer a suggestion would be tantamount to offering medical advice,
which we cannot do (see disclaimer below). At the risk of sounding
insensitive and unintentionally facetious my first instinct of course
is to suggest that you simply avoid alcohol.

The treatments for urinary incontinence are many depending on the
underlying causes. It would be impossible for anyone to suggest what
route you might consider unless they had medical training and knew the
details of your specific medical problem. For more information about
medication and treatment you?d definitely need to contact your
physician rather than rely on information obtained in an online forum.

Regards;
Tuutuzdad-ga

I never heard of your poblem but when i drink i go to the mens room
alot, sometimes i go +7 times. I always try to go to the mens room
before i go to sleep that might help you a bit but i do suggest you
ask a doctor when you have a chance.