Alcohol and Coumadin can have adverse effects because alcohol is a natural blood thinner. If you drink excess amounts of alcohol, it can heighten the effects of Coumadin by making your blood too thin. When you take warfarin, your blood won't clot as easily. If you accidentally cut yourself while taking warfarin, you may bleed heavily. However, the risk of a major bleeding event is low. If you accidentally cut yourself while taking warfarin, you may bleed heavily. INR Levels and Warfarin To help thin the blood and prevent a blood clot, a healthcare provider may prescribe an anticoagulant medication, such as warfarin ( Coumadin ® , Jantoven ® ). However, if the medicine is not taken as directed or is combined with certain foods or drugs, it may cause unsafe levels to accumulate in the blood. Can Warfarin which is a blood thinner make your blood alcahol levels read higher then they actually are. The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in its “warfarin and alcohol interactions” section makes the sweeping statement that “occasional drinking may lead to internal bleedin; heavier drinking also may cause bleeding or may have the opposite effect, resulting in possible blood clots” [ref 4]. relaxants, nonnarcotic pain medications and anti-inflammatory agents, opioids, and warfarin. In addition, many over-the-counter and herbal medications can cause negative effects when taken with alcohol. I do not drink much alcohol but my blood tests are going down, now at 1.8 but warfarin does has not been altered. Why should the levels change This topic is answered by a medical expert. Warfarin is best suited for anticoagulation (clot formation inhibition) in areas of slowly running blood (such as in veins and the pooled blood behind artificial and natural valves) and in blood pooled in dysfunctional cardiac atria. Using warfarin together with ethanol can cause you to bleed more easily. If you take warfarin you should avoid large amounts of alcohol, but moderate consumption (one to two drinks per day) are not likely to affect the response to warfarin if you have normal liver function. There are no specific recommendations against drinking alcohol while you take warfarin, but alcohol can affect how warfarin works. It slows down how quickly your body breaks down warfarin.