If you’ve been following my posts, you probably already know that I’ve had two distinct instances of severe vertigo in my life. I know there are other people who have had more than that, and I definitely feel for those who have had vertigo more often than that.

I do have to put up with lesser vertigo on a daily basis however, which usually leads me to avoid substances that change the way you feel (alcohol or caffeine for example).

However, before the onset of both episodes of my acute vertigo, I was consuming a far higher than average amount of alcohol in the week preceding the attacks. So the obvious question is, is there a relationship between the alcohol and the vertigo?

The first time this happened, the vertigo hit on a Friday evening, around 8:00. I had met a friend for a drink, and after having one sip of a pint of beer, the vertigo started. I hadn’t drank anything else during the day, and all I had to drink was that sip of beer).

I had had quite a few drinks the night before however, but not enough to be feeling at all under the weather on the Friday. The vertigo started with an odd, dizzying sensation, and progressed into full-blown room-spinning vertigo within about 20 minutes.

The second time this happened, I had had some beers with friends in the evening, and went home to bed. When I awoke in the morning, I walked to the bathroom but felt odd again on the way there. On walking out of the bathroom, I had a tingling sensation all over my body (probably just anxiety) and the vertigo started on strong.

I’ve had the same or more to drink on other occasions with no vertiginous consequences. Has anyone else had a similar experience with consuming alcohol and vertigo? The similarity of these two experiences makes me doubt that’s just a coincidence.