How can I prevent Crohn's from ruining my social life?

As a 8 year Crohns survivor, at 38, I can't imagine how stink it is to be in your 20's and have all your friends going out and having a good time, drinking & parting and you are left looking after your health or wearing the consequences - which are really nasty.
My instinct says do it your way, be yourself. You don't have to explain your health situation to people who ask why you're not drinking, just say “Because I don't want to, but you go for it”. 
As someone who has had a Crohns-caused bowel perforation that almost killed me I have learnt that the kinder I am to my body and the more I look after it the better the symptoms are. So although at this time in your life it seems like your missing out, soak up every moment where and when you can and just enjoy the moments you do get with your friends - it will be better for you in the long run. What do they say? Life is a marathon, not a sprint. 
Having said that I can onky imagine how hard it must be…
Kia Kaha

I was diagnosed at 22 a few years ago now. I found it hard but talked to doctor about taking something to make sure the diarrhoea is under control (hopefully) for the night whilst your out. I reallly believe we still need to get out and socialise to ensure we don't get into a depressive state which is possible with every thing that goes on for us.

With regard to the alcohol - I never developed a taste for it because it makes me so sick but because I don't drink I do the driving. I just say “I don't drink because i prefer to drive and know I get home safe” - this reserved for people I just don't want to explain the situation.

Also see if you can have one really good close friend who you can really confide in who will be there to stick up and support you in any situation.

I do remember how it felt to try to be normal - but you will get there - I am now a grandmother.

Hi, i'm 27 and got diagnosed about 18 months ago- its gotten progressively worse over the last year and my social life has definitely suffered too.. It's funny I've read this post tonight- its Friday night and im home alone because im not feeling well! I get how you feel, it sucks. I just try to make the most of it when I'm feeling good and go out lots then (and try to make myself look really nice so I  don't feel so gross). Yeah I can't really handle drinking either- gives me even worse tummy pain and absolutely crappy hangover for days. If people ask why I'm not drinking I usually just say “I'm trying to be healthy at the moment” or “I want to get up early for the gym”- still sounds a bit boring but they can't really argue with it. Or i just drink lime and soda and most people think its vodka. Its good to have at least a couple of people who really know how you're going though. Also one thing I've found helpful is eating well before I go out, waiting til I've gone to the toilet and then no more food for the rest of the night. I also let close friends in on my poo dramas on a night out, bit gross but it can be funny, and then it's not quite so hard to deal with. Good luck, I hope things get better for you :)

I am lucky to not suffer from Crohn's Disease, however, my husband will be finding out in a few weeks whether or not his biopsies can diagnose it. He's always been very tired and sick, and all of our friends have been very supportive of him. Finding people who support and love you, who understand that you still want to be a part of the fun, is very important. My husband does a great job of pushing forward even when he feels terrible, but we also don't hassle him when he doesn't have the energy to go out or be social. 

I was wondering, when were you diagnosed? What was the process? I know that Crohn's can be hard to diagnose, and that an Endoscopy and Colonoscopy with biopsies can be inconclusive depending on the stage of the disease. My husband is 24, and we're fairly certain that he suffers from Crohn's, but I don't want to let this fall by the wayside just because one Gastroenterologist couldn't make the diagnosis. 

Thank you for posting. I hope that you are able to find the advice you need. Take care.

As a nutritionist I could suggest some dietary alternatives that have been proven to assist with reducing and preventing Crohn's flare ups.  Whist fibre is always an ongoing issue, especially with severe and/or chronic flare ups there is little disgussion on the impact of meat.

This small but very postiive study showed a semi vegetarian diet maintained remission in 92% of patients compared to the control group who had a relapse rate of 63% after two years. (1)

You can read the diet used in the link below to see if that helps you.

Turmeric has been shown to effectively and safely treat IBD / UC & CD (2)

2 Kiwifruit per day (3)

Avoid Titanium Dioxide (whitening nanoparticles found in hard chewing gum coating) (4)


Good luck, hopefully some of these suggestions can help.  


(1)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2877178/pdf/WJG-16-2484.pdf
(2)  http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2012/fo/c2fo30097d#!divAbstract
(3) Hammerle CW, Surawicz CM. Updates on treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. World J Gastroenterol. 2008 May 7; 14(17):2639-49.
(4)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10648120