More Information About Drinking Too Much
So after I published the last post on Overdoing The Sauce a few weeks ago, a friend sent me a link with a bit more information (Thanks Brian!). Now, it would’ve been nice to have had this before I hit Publish, but that’s what happens when you pick friends that can’t read your mind. So here are some facts with which you can impress your friends, courtesy of How Stuff Works:
- Alcohol in the bloodstream causes the pituitary gland to stop excreting vasopressin. This hormone tells the kidneys to reabsorb water for recirculation. Without it, you make trips to the restroom constantly. “According to studies, drinking about 250 milliliters of an alcoholic beverage causes the body to expel 800 to 1,000 milliliters of water; that’s four times as much liquid lost as gained.”
- Women have less acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and glutathione, both necessary for breaking down ethanol into acetate, making their hangovers worse, even after factoring in body weight differences.
- Alcohol inhibits the natural stimulant glutamine, hence you get drowsy. After you stop drinking, the body tries to catch up and produces more glutamine than normal. Because of that, you don’t sleep well.
- Alcohol irritates the cells lining the stomach along with increasing hydrochloric acid production. This can send a message to the brain that damage is being done (it is) and cause vomiting. Yeah, I’m sure some of you have been there and now you know why it happened.
- A few things that won’t cure your hangover: another drink, burnt toast, coffee, greasy food
- A few things that may help prevent a hangover: greasy food, water, painkillers, carbon-based OTC medicines
- A few things that can help cure your hangover: eggs, bananas, fruit juice, water, painkillers, carbon-based OTC medicines
- And the #1 hangover prevention tip: Don’t drink like you’re at a college frat party. Have a drink or two with your meal and enjoy the company. Basically, don’t get a hangover.
5 Reader Comments
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Scott, I normally love you posts but you’re really starting to kill my buzz. Seriously. JK.
Unfortunately my 35th birthday was the 4th of July and I got tor’ up. I happens every now and then. Not so much anymore. In fact my wife was betting on the fact that there was no way I was getting up and going boating like I promised my buddies the next day. That high fat, high protein breakfast (with eggs) that I forced down then sweating it out and a few drinks later I was brand new. Of course I don’t break promises so that was part of it. She wasn’t happy with me. Too bad she had already told me it was fine and maybe she’ll learn not to underestimate me. She still can’t believe I went.
Normally my cure is to avoid the pills. Eat a normal weekend breakfast of eggs(BTW thanks for the eggs and cumin tip, love them) and meat plus coffee. Get outside and sweat it out. Usually a 20 or 30 mile ride in the heat. When I’m done, I’m back to normal.
On the other hand I will tell you, scientifically, that drinking again will work. The key is its going to take more than one. That where circle starts. After a number and not necessarily a number big enough to give you another hangover but certainly more than your should drink your hangover will certainly disappear. By scientifically, I mean years of meticulous trials on a sample of one. And, of course, observational studies of lots of friends.
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Sorry Joe!
Yeah, we all have those days, though I try to limit them. That’s the Modern part of my website name. I have heard that another drink will help by raising blood sugar, though it’s probably not advisable. Our cure in college was basketball, sweating it out. First game was ugly, but it worked wonders for us.
Cheers
Scott
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Nice post about drinking too much, but i’ll have to disagree on one thing, and i know for experience, like everyone i guess, i had my crazy times, with night out and drinking more than i should for my health, but the truth is, if in the morning when you wake up, you drink, just a little bit the hang over will be gone, you’ll feel like you hadn’t drink it all. Another way when you get home, after drinking too much, drink lots of water, more water than the drinks you have consumed, and you won’t be feeling bad in the morning. The best thing is to don’t drink too much, it’ s a natural cycle of Life, when we’re young and in college, we over do it sometimes, but after that, just drink socially and for good health. Red wine and beer in moderation, one or two glasses a day max, have health benefits, specially for the heart, to low LDL and to raise HDL.
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