Do you drink when you're sick?

Depends how sick.

When I'm so sick it's painful just to get out of bed, no way.

When I have a mild cold, you bet I do. The sort of cold where I can't go to work because I might be contagious, but I can still work from home, and I can't work out but I can still play video games. No reason not to drink.

 

No, I want to enjoy the flavors and aromas of the beer and can't do that when sick. So it would be a waste of my time and money and, even worse, it could slow down my recovery.

 

nay for me theres no point if you have a cold because you cant smell or taste the beer your drinking and thats kind a big let down. If your throwin your guts up then its just stupid.

 

How else am I going to get better?

 

no...honestly if it kills you to take a few days off from beer while you're sick then there is something else wrong with you

 

Just think about my situation, and be grateful it's only 10 days.
I'm pregnant. Now brews until mid-april!

OP: I never drink when sick. Alcohol depresses the immune system. (I seldom take OTC meds, so drug interactions aren't an issue.)

 

I don't get sick very often, and it's usually a chest cold/upper respiratory infection (damn cigarettes!). For whatever reason, the only thing that sounds good when I have it is cider. It usually takes me about a week to get over it and a six pack of Woodchuck Amber will help get me through it!

 

Yeah, that would be one hell of a sickness. Probably Ebola or something.

 

I have never done so, I'd have to say it just seems like a bad idea. If you want to it's your choice, I'm just chiming in. When I'm sick, the only beer and ale I'm drinking are root and ginger, respectively. If it's just a mild cold with some sniffles and a cough yeah I'll drink a beer, but if I'm bedridden or vomiting and have a fever then I think I'd rather not have a beer.

 

Generally I don't. Mostly because I don't want to drink good beer if I can't smell / taste it.
Most of the illnesses I get are colds, obviously. IF it's not too bad, I still don't want to give my system any other issues than fighting it off. I will drink a lot of Orange Juice (ok, sometimes with vodka thrown in) to get the extra vitamin C.
For worse colds, I'll take Dayquil / NyQuil or Sudafed and again don't want to risk any further issues. I like my liver too much to even remotely have a chance of affecting it.
Anything else, the flu, stomach bugs, etc, I don't feel like eating / drinking anything, though I will force myself to drink water or tea with honey.
Anything else, well, I take that as it comes. If I am taking any kind of medication, either prescription or over-the-counter, I abstain from all alcohol.

 

I don't drink when I'm sick. It just makes me feel worse and I can't properly taste the beer.

 

Wow, your situation is the almighty test. You deserve a beer shopping spree after it's over lol And the immune system point you made is a good one. I guess another thing to keep in mind is that alcohol dehydrates which is a no-no

 

When I have a cold/sore throat I do not drink. The ability to smell and taste is significantly affected. It just seems like a waste of good beer. The residual sugars and dehydrating effect of alcohol seem to make a mild pharyngitis worse. It is okay to take a break from beer once in a while.

As far as medication goes, I try to avoid acetaminophen in general. I have also seen cases of perforated gastric ulcers caused by NSAIDs. Taking some of these OTC medications with alcohol just isn't a smart idea. For every bad outcome, I am sure there are dozens if not more who do just fine. For additive effects with sedatives, I would also be cautious. Be smart, know your limits and surroundings.

 

I usually don't drink beer. However, someone earlier gave the ingredients for a hot toddy, which happens to include bourbon. I usually make myself at least one of those. I don't know how much better it actually makes you, but I'll be damned if I don't feel better!

 

I do not drink when I'm sick. I always take med's that when consumed with alcohol are bad for your liver. Just take a break people...

 

You're already sick, how much more could beer do..?

 

wow. I can't imagine not drinking any beer for a whole 9 months .

 

Chicken noodle soup or Vietnamese Pho and single malt scotch is my weapon of choice.

 

I generally don't drink at all (for pretty much every reason that's already been posted). But I might have a Hot Toddy if the mood strikes - which, to date, has been once.

 

I don't ever "drink" but a nice cold IPA goes great with a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup.