I pregnant but my thirst can only be quenched by beer

I am six months pregnant but my thirst can only be quenched by beer. Why is this so?

Dear Cissy,
People, especially women, may have an intense desire (crave) for edible foods that they enjoy or specific items when there are some essential nutrients their bodies are lacking.

Sometimes people (mostly pregnant women) may crave for non-edible things such as soil said to be due to psychological factors.

Geographical factors may also dictate what one may crave for (Europeans may crave ice while Ugandans crave soil).
Areas of the brain responsible for memory and sensing pleasure are partly to blame for keeping those food cravings coming.

When food cravings arise to satisfy emotional needs, such as calming stress and reducing anxiety, the crave is meant to boost the feel good hormone serotonin.

Feeling thirst which can only be quenched by alcohol yet one has not been overindulging in alcohol before pregnancy does not point to alcoholism but a mere crave.

Though drinking moderately in pregnancy may not cause health problems to the foetus, each person’s body may deal with alcohol differently. So, it may be difficult to judge how much is safe to take.

This then means that one has to avoid taking even little amounts of alcohol in pregnancy. Counselling one about alcohol is very important.