tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/hangovers-13875/articlesHangovers – The Conversation2022-12-16T11:29:06Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1963082022-12-16T11:29:06Z2022-12-16T11:29:06ZBad hangovers? Why genetics, personality and coping mechanisms can make a difference<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501264/original/file-20221215-19-purmy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4636%2C2608&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Even if you drink the same amount, it's likely your hangover will be different from your friends.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hangover-after-party-friends-suffering-stomachache-1356266630">Prostock-studio/ Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>After a good night out you may not be surprised when you wake up feeling rough the next morning. But what may surprise you is if your friends aren’t feeling the same way. Some may feel worse, some better and some (if they’re lucky) may not feel any of the negative consequences at all.</p>
<p>This is the variability of a hangover. In research, hangovers are measured on an 11-point scale (zero being no effects and ten being extremely hungover). In my own research, participants have reported hangovers on this scale anywhere between one (very mild) to eight (severe) – while other research has estimated around 5% of people may be <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-22141-004">hangover resistant</a>.</p>
<p>So why the difference? There’s more to it than simply how much we drink. Researchers are now starting to explore the many biological and psychological mechanisms that could influence our experience during hangovers.</p>
<h2>Biological mechanisms</h2>
<p>Some research suggests that people with a variation of the gene <a href="https://www.jsad.com/doi/10.15288/jsa.2000.61.13">ALDH2</a> report experiencing more severe hangovers. </p>
<p>When we consume alcohol, it’s broken down by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase into acetaldehyde – a chemical compound which is important for the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15706734/">emergence of hangover symptoms</a>. However, the ALDH2 gene variant limits the breakdown of acetaldehyde, leading to a greater buildup of the chemical compound – thus greater hangover symptoms. </p>
<p><a href="https://academic.oup.com/alcalc/article/56/5/589/6210036">Age and sex</a> can also influence the way in which a hangover is experienced. A recent online survey of 761 Dutch alcohol consumers has found that hangover severity declines with age, even when accommodating for the amount of alcohol consumed. Interestingly, the authors also reported differences in hangover severity between men and women. These sex differences were greater in younger drinkers, with young (18 to 25-year-old) men tending to report more severe hangovers compared to young female drinkers. However, it’s not currently known why these differences exist.</p>
<h2>Psychological factors</h2>
<p>Certain psychological traits may be linked to how a hangover is experienced – including anxiety, depression, stress levels and even personality. </p>
<p>Previously, research suggested that neuroticism, a broad personality trait which tends to cause people to see the world in a negative way, can predict the severity of a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/089543569390017U">hangover</a>. However, recently this idea has been disputed with another study finding no link between <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/11/8/2240">hangover and personality</a>. </p>
<p>This is somewhat surprising, given that extroversion (a personality trait usually characterised by being sociable and outgoing) is <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19592356/">positively associated with binge drinking</a> behaviours in college students – though it doesn’t appear to be linked to worse hangovers. This is despite evidence that more frequent heavy drinking is linked to <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/8/10/1520">more severe hangover experiences</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A young man with a hangover sits in bed holding a glass of water. One hand holds his head in pain." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501261/original/file-20221215-19-xer2tt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C9%2C6371%2C4225&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/501261/original/file-20221215-19-xer2tt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501261/original/file-20221215-19-xer2tt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501261/original/file-20221215-19-xer2tt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501261/original/file-20221215-19-xer2tt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501261/original/file-20221215-19-xer2tt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/501261/original/file-20221215-19-xer2tt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Certain conditions are linked with more severe hangovers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hangover-concept-sleepy-black-guy-touching-1810290859">Prostock-studio/ Shutterstock</a></span>
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</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/11/8/2240">Anxiety, depression and stress</a> are all also linked with more severe hangovers. Each of these moods are associated with a “negative bias” -– a tendency to interpret the world more negatively. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33179037/">Our findings</a> show hangovers also tend to make people interpret the world more negatively. As a result, hangovers may exacerbate this negative bias, leading some people to feel worse than others.</p>
<h2>Coping mechanisms</h2>
<p>It’s possible that the way we cope with adverse situations could underlie the variation in hangover experiences. </p>
<p>Pain catastrophising refers to the extent to which a person emphasises the negative experience of pain. Research shows that people with high scores of pain catastrophising <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7019682/">report more severe hangovers</a> – suggesting that they’re focusing on their negative symptoms and possibly amplifying them. Other studies have also shown that people who tend to cope with their problems by ignoring or denying them tend to experience <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/11/8/2240">worse hangovers</a>.</p>
<p>Emotion regulation is another key psychological mechanism that helps us to deal with difficult situations by effectively managing and responding to emotional experiences. Interestingly, although people who are hungover report feeling it’s more difficult to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33179037/">regulate their emotions</a>, this may not actually be the case – with research showing participants are just as able to control their emotional response compared to those who weren’t hungover. This could mean that people choose easier (but less effective) regulatory strategies during a hangover – such as avoiding feelings of guilt or shame. But this is yet to be determined. </p>
<h2>What can we do?</h2>
<p>Although researchers may have identified a few <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.15786">natural compounds</a> which may alleviate overall hangover symptoms, further research is still needed to determine whether these should be recommended for treatment. In the meantime, the best strategy for <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-popular-hangover-cures-reviewed-by-experts-103484">alleviating your hangover</a> is going to be up to you to determine.</p>
<p>But one study suggests a strategy commonly used by students to cope with the misery of a hangover – by “suffering” together and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/16066359.2018.1453063">bonding on their experiences</a> – may be helpful in helping relieve at least some of the negative emotional effects of a hangover. Taking care of your own personal wellbeing more generally and finding better strategies to reduce stress levels and adopt better coping mechanisms may also help you deal with the negative consequences of a hangover.</p>
<p>Though of course, if you really want to avoid a hangover, you could always choose non-alcoholic alternatives.</p>
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<p><em>An earlier version of this article mistakenly stated that acetaldehyde was a protein as opposed to a chemical compound. The article has now been updated to correct this.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196308/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Craig Gunn does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Certain genes and personality traits may explain why some people can hardly function the day after a night of drinking.Craig Gunn, Lecturer in Psychological Science, University of BristolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1762852022-02-04T11:06:03Z2022-02-04T11:06:03Z‘Hangxiety’: why some people experience anxiety during a hangover<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444514/original/file-20220204-25-mysr3s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=97%2C8%2C5348%2C3617&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Some people may feel more anxious than others.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/front-view-brunette-woman-tousled-curly-1303182556">HBRH/ Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The morning after a night of drinking is never fun if you’ve got a hangover. For most people, hangovers involve a headache, fatigue, thirst or nausea. But some people also report experiencing what many have dubbed “hangxiety” – feelings of anxiety during a hangover. By some estimates, anxiety during a hangover affects <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6832275/">around 12% of people</a>, and can vary in severity depending on the person. </p>
<p>As the body recovers from a night of drinking, a hangover creates a state of physiological stress. Generally speaking, physiological stress happens when the body is under pressure – such as from an illness or injury. A hangover kind of works the same way. Not only does it cause changes to our immune system, it also increases cortisol levels (often called the “stress hormone”), blood pressure and heart rate – changes which also happen with anxiety. </p>
<p>The brain also experiences changes. Research shows that <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/psyp.13081">brain activity involving dopamine</a> (a type of neurotransmitter) is lower during a hangover. This is important, as dopamine plays an important role in regulating anxiety. The heightened stress during a hangover can also make it difficult for someone to cope with any <a href="https://www.jsad.com/doi/10.15288/jsad.2007.68.446">additional stress</a> that may happen throughout the period.</p>
<p>Interestingly, stress and sleep deprivation in combination (reflecting aspects of a hangover), can lead to declines in both <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-002-1217-9">mood and cognitive function</a> (including attention and memory). Fatigue, stress and dealing with other unpleasant hangover symptoms can also make it difficult to manage daily tasks. For example, someone with a hangover may be too preoccupied with nursing their feelings of nausea, headache or fatigue to be able to effectively deal with anxious thoughts. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://academic.oup.com/alcalc/article-abstract/56/4/425/5974945?redirectedFrom=fulltext">own research</a> has shown that people experience a negative shift in their emotions during a hangover. Many also reported feeling like they had more trouble regulating their emotions compared to when they aren’t hungover. In other words, people feel bad during a hangover and find it difficult to pick themselves back up. </p>
<p>But when we asked participants to actually regulate their emotions in a computer task, they were able to regulate them to the same extent as they could when they aren’t hungover – but with increased effort. We did this by showing participants pictures that evoked various emotions (including positive or negative emotions) but asked them to experience their emotions without expressing them outwardly. Having greater difficulty regulating emotions during a hangover might also explain why some people experience anxiety.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Hungover man lays in bed looking tired and depressed." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444515/original/file-20220204-15-z3mwn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444515/original/file-20220204-15-z3mwn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444515/original/file-20220204-15-z3mwn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444515/original/file-20220204-15-z3mwn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444515/original/file-20220204-15-z3mwn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444515/original/file-20220204-15-z3mwn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444515/original/file-20220204-15-z3mwn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many people struggle to regulate their emotions during a hangover.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/sleepy-bachelor-on-bed-ready-wake-603945518">Thomas Andre Fure/ Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>In <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32316438/">another study</a>, our team looked at how hangovers influence executive functions (mental skills which are important for many aspects of our daily life, including working memory, flexible thinking and self control). Participants were given a series of tasks that tested these mental skills, such as remembering a series of letter and recalling it when prompted.</p>
<p>We found that people who were hungover had worse performance in key aspects of executive functions. Executive functions help people cope with anxiety and inhibit anxious thoughts. If these mental skills are poorer during a hangover, it may help explain why some people struggle with anxiety. </p>
<h2>Feeling anxious?</h2>
<p>But why do some people experience hangxiety, while others don’t?</p>
<p>Pain is part of almost every hangover – whether its a headache or muscle aches. But research shows that people who “catastrophise” pain (a tendency to exaggerate pain or expect the worst) are <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16093750/">more likely to experience anxiety</a>. Research also shows that this group are more likely to experience <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7019682/">severe hangovers</a>. This might explain why some people experience anxiety, while others don’t.</p>
<p>People who are likely to experience anxiety in general may also be particularly susceptible to hangxiety. Negative life events, depression or anger while drinking, guilt from drinking and even certain personality traits (such as neuroticism) are all also <a href="https://www.jsad.com/doi/10.15288/jsa.1981.42.998">linked to mood changes during a hangover</a>. Hangxiety has even been reported to be higher in people who <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886918305762?via%3Dihub">say they’re very shy</a> and may be linked to symptoms of alcohol use disorder. </p>
<p>Combined, these factors highlight why hangxiety can affect people differently, and why it’s a part of hangovers worth taking seriously. Mood changes during a hangover are not just unpleasant, but may even be linked to problematic drinking, increased conflict with others and <a href="https://www.ias.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/rp35062019.pdf">reduced productivity at work</a>.</p>
<p>If you’re someone who experiences hangxiety, the same techniques that help with anxiety will also be useful. This might include meditation, practising mindfulness and general <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2848393/">self care</a>. Planning ahead of your night out to make sure you have the following day free to recover and avoid other stressors (such as work or family problems) may also help deal with the additional psychological stress. For some, a hangover can even be used as a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16066359.2018.1453063">bonding exercise</a> where people can discuss their previous night of drinking with friends and even cope with feelings of anxiety together.</p>
<p>Of course, the best way to avoid experiencing hangxiety is to avoid drinking altogether – or at least drink in moderation.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176285/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Craig Gunn does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Some estimates suggest around 12% of people experience ‘hangxiety’.Craig Gunn, Lecturer in Psychological Science, University of BristolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1744352022-01-07T10:59:09Z2022-01-07T10:59:09ZWhy most hangover cures don’t work but a few might help – new study<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439715/original/file-20220106-15-1bw4oh7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Fizkes/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Most of us know that horrible feeling of tiredness, headache, sweating, nausea and sensitivity to light – the dreaded hangover. For decades researchers have been exploring potential cures for hangovers induced by alcohol. </p>
<p>Now a new systematic <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/add.15786">review</a> of randomised control trials has revealed what the evidence says – and it’s not good. Despite finding 21 trials investigating potential hangover cures they conclude that: “Of the limited interventions studied, all had favourable tolerability profiles and very low quality evidence”. In short, while these cures can be taken without any adverse effects they weren’t found to cure a hangover. </p>
<p>But it’s not all bad news, the researchers suggested that three of these cures have potential and should be investigated further. These included clove extract, tolfenamic acid and pyritinol.</p>
<p>Clove extracted from the clove plant is thought to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30234415/">facilitate</a> excretion of alcohol from the body which can reduce the time spent hungover, typically <a href="https://oap-journals.com/jadr/article/690">estimated</a> to be 12 hours from waking. Respondents also recorded a reduction in hangover severity. While you might have cloves in your spice rack, there are a number of products available in health shops and supermarkets that provide tablet or liquid versions.</p>
<p>Rather than wait for a hangover to happen some <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6342813/">studies</a> suggest that taking tolfenamic acid before and after drinking could reduce the nausea, headaches and tremors experienced during a hangover. Preparations containing tolfenamic acid can be bought on the internet but in the UK a doctor’s <a href="https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/12616/pil#gref">prescription</a> is needed. <a href="https://bnf.nice.org.uk/drug/tolfenamic-acid.html">Tolfenamic acid</a> belongs to the group of non-sterodial anti-inflamatory drugs often referred to as NSAIDs. This chemical is used in a variety of headache preparations, so it’s not surprising that it could have potential for hangovers.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A selection of cocktails." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439716/original/file-20220106-23-1qvx1wu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439716/original/file-20220106-23-1qvx1wu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439716/original/file-20220106-23-1qvx1wu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439716/original/file-20220106-23-1qvx1wu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439716/original/file-20220106-23-1qvx1wu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439716/original/file-20220106-23-1qvx1wu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439716/original/file-20220106-23-1qvx1wu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Cloves have shown to be able to help reduce hangovers caused by heavy drinking.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>Pyritinol also known as <a href="https://www.jsad.com/doi/pdf/10.15288/qjsa.1973.34.1195">pyridoxine disulfide</a> is derived from vitamin B, essentially this widely available substance helps you feel more energised: a clear benefit given the fatigue often experienced when hungover. This is usually prepared in capsule form for oral consumption.</p>
<p>Despite these potential cures the authors of this review found some significant gaps in knowledge. Not least was the bias towards male participants in research – eight of the 21 studies included in the review had no women in their trial. Given the physical differences between men and women, research must investigate cures not just for men but for women too. </p>
<h2>Paracetamol and aspirin</h2>
<p>Although many of us will turn to common drugs like paracetamol or aspirin there have been no randomised controlled trials to test these against a placebo. But the research review team also found that the majority of trials of these drugs had fewer than 30 participants. Despite this the NHS <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-support/hangover-cures/">suggests</a> that painkillers can help with the headaches caused by hangovers. </p>
<p>There is a clear need to improve both the quality and quantity of research into cures for hangovers. With an estimated 2.4 billion people drinking alcohol <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/916292">worldwide</a>, many of whom will experience a hangover at some point there is significant demand for an effective way of mitigating the unwanted symptoms it induces.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/exercise-can-reduce-students-desire-to-drink-alcohol-new-research-170505">Exercise can reduce students' desire to drink alcohol – new research</a>
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<p>This lack of evidence hasn’t stopped a flourishing trade and promotion of <a href="https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ben/cdar/2010/00000003/00000002/art00007">unproven</a> remedies being marketed. Many of these will rely on the <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-still-not-fully-understood-how-placebos-work-but-an-alternative-theory-of-consciousness-could-hold-some-clues-165999">placebo</a> effect which is known to be a significant across a range of health problems. Believing a potion will work even though it has no active ingredient can be enough to reduce the impact of a hangover.</p>
<h2>Drinking water and other alternatives</h2>
<p>But if you don’t want to try any of these products there are some popular alternatives. The quality and choice on non-alcoholic drinks has <a href="https://theconversation.com/non-alcoholic-drinks-how-healthy-are-they-127943">improved</a> in recent years and is a guaranteed way of avoiding a hangover. However this option misses the point of why most people consume alcohol, it makes them feel different, whether that’s happier, more sociable or to simply relax, something alcohol does very well. </p>
<p>One potential and interesting non-alcoholic option is <a href="https://alcarelle.com/">Alcarell</a>, commonly referred to as alcosynth, developed by David Nutt, a professor at Imperial College, London. Drinks with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/mar/26/an-innocent-drink-could-alcosynth-provide-all-the-joy-of-booze-without-the-dangers">this</a> ingredient claim to stimulate the same part of the brain that alcohol targets, the aim is to reduce neural activity to give drinkers that calm and relaxed feeling usually associated with alcohol intoxication.</p>
<p>Many people find that drinking non-alcoholic fluids particularly <a href="https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ben/cdar/2010/00000003/00000002/art00002">water</a> in the same period they drink alcohol helps reduce the severity of a hangover. This makes sense as alcohol dehydrates, rather than hydrates. </p>
<p>As it stands the only sure way to avoid the dreaded hangover is not to drink any alcohol in the first place. Given how unrealistic that is we need science to step in and provide evidence of what works and what doesn’t. So far research has little to offer in the way of a surefire cure. Until it does perhaps hangovers serve a purpose by prompting us to limit how much alcohol we drink, unfortunately that’s a prompt to many of us continue to ignore.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/174435/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ian Hamilton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Most hangover cures don’t work, but research shows a few make a difference.Ian Hamilton, Associate Professor of Addiction, University of YorkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1292582019-12-31T10:07:11Z2019-12-31T10:07:11ZThe hangover in literature, from Shakespeare and Burns to Bridget Jones<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308311/original/file-20191230-11891-1g8n5c0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C25%2C5734%2C3802&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Africa Studio via Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><blockquote>
<p>What a subject! And, in very truth, for once, a ‘strangely neglected’ one. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>So Kingsley Amis began his famous 1971 <a href="https://shirazsocialist.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/kingsley-amis-on-the-hangover/">essay on the hangover</a> How different is our present moment, when it would be hard to find a media outlet on New Year’s Day not featuring an item about the effectiveness of remedies. Every age has its preferred cure: Pliny the Elder advocated <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/in-search-of-a-cure-for-the-dreaded-hangover/">raw owl’s eggs in wine</a>. Shakespeare refers to “small ale”, which remained popular into the 19th century. The early 20th century was the golden age of hangover cocktails such as the Bloody Mary and the Prairie Oyster – but also of Alka-Seltzer. Amis recommends a “<a href="https://drunkard.com/0805_kingsley/">Polish Bison</a>” – vodka mixed with hot Bovril.</p>
<p>Even scientists have got involved and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3827719/">hangover research</a> is a subfield of medicine and psychology. Studies have <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2005-04292-004">explored links</a> between hangover severity and alcohol use disorders, the hangover’s economic cost, the effectiveness of remedies and the ethical implications of a pharmaceutical cure.</p>
<p>The bad news is that, if you’re feeling unwell this morning, all <a href="https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ben/cdar/2010/00000003/00000002/art00007">reputable studies</a> have shown that the only thing guaranteed to relieve symptoms is the passing of time.</p>
<p>To be fair, Amis never thought that remedies – and physical after-effects including headache, nausea and dehydration – had been ignored. What had really been neglected was what he termed the hangover’s “<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121097388467299643">metaphysical superstructure</a>”. That is all the emotional baggage that often follows drinking: guilt, shame, self-pity and the more nebulous “<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-causes-hangovers-blackouts-and-hangxiety-everything-you-need-to-know-about-alcohol-these-holidays-127995">hangxiety</a>”.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-causes-hangovers-blackouts-and-hangxiety-everything-you-need-to-know-about-alcohol-these-holidays-127995">What causes hangovers, blackouts and 'hangxiety'? Everything you need to know about alcohol these holidays</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Science can tell us why we feel sick after heavy drinking: dehydration, contracted blood vessels causing headaches and the build-up of acetaldehyde. But when a hangover makes us unwell we don’t just mean physical symptoms. </p>
<p>Science finds emotions less susceptible to measurement than physical effects. For the former, we require literature and the arts. Literature is an outlet for feeling, but also an expression of individual and cultural values. There is a surprisingly rich tradition of hangover literature in western culture – in writers as diverse as Shakespeare and Jane Austen, Robert Burns and George Eliot, Jean Rhys and Helen Fielding – that has been largely ignored and goes some way to explaining why hangovers might make us feel like mending our ways.</p>
<h2>Hangover literature</h2>
<p>In a 1791 <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_QYIAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA449&lpg=PA449&dq=robert+burns,+I+write+you+from+the+regions+of+hell,+amid+the+horrors+of+the+damned&source=bl&ots=vuUGPw8vgb&sig=ACfU3U06e5ZksAAQ8_E6PKyKBXgypWBm5g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi86fm3td3mAhXcQEEAHYJvA_cQ6AEwAXoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=robert%20burns%2C%20I%20write%20you%20from%20the%20regions%20of%20hell%2C%20amid%20the%20horrors%20of%20the%20damned&f=false">epistle to Maria Riddell</a>, a wretchedly hungover Burns apologises for an unwanted sexual advance on her sister-in-law. “I write you from the regions of hell, amid the horrors of the damned”, he begins, before bemoaning his “aching head reclined on a pillow of ever-piercing thorn”, and “an infernal tormentor” called “Recollection”.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308310/original/file-20191230-11900-1ao2cfe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308310/original/file-20191230-11900-1ao2cfe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=548&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308310/original/file-20191230-11900-1ao2cfe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=548&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308310/original/file-20191230-11900-1ao2cfe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=548&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308310/original/file-20191230-11900-1ao2cfe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=688&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308310/original/file-20191230-11900-1ao2cfe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=688&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308310/original/file-20191230-11900-1ao2cfe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=688&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Robert Burns: recollection seems to be the hardest word.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alexander Nasmyth</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This is penitent’s rhetoric, reminding us that Burns lived in rigidly moral Presbyterian Scotland. Pounding head and dehydration are just reprisal for his indiscretion and his letter is an apology for sinfulness. Shame is a powerful cultural force: if there is a cure here it will be found in forgiveness.</p>
<p>Hangovers often reveal the personal and social values that make us feel “bad”. In other words, the hangover is both a physical and cultural deterrent. Guilt and shame are not just nervous reflexes but part of a superstructure of values – Amis chose his words wisely – without which they cannot be understood.</p>
<h2>Men and women</h2>
<p>Science argues that hangover severity is different for men and women, focusing on metabolism and body mass. But surely the real differences are sociocultural? We could compare the hangovers of the alcoholic journalist, Peter Fallow, from Tom Wolfe’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/jan/10/bonfire-of-vanities-tom-wolfe">The Bonfire of the Vanities</a> (1987), with those suffered by Helen Fielding’s ladette, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/nov/27/bridget-jones-s-diary-helen-fielding-book-club">Bridget Jones</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308308/original/file-20191230-11909-vbkvg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308308/original/file-20191230-11909-vbkvg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308308/original/file-20191230-11909-vbkvg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308308/original/file-20191230-11909-vbkvg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308308/original/file-20191230-11909-vbkvg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308308/original/file-20191230-11909-vbkvg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308308/original/file-20191230-11909-vbkvg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bridget Jones the morning after the night before.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (Universal Pictures)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When hungover, Fallow seeks penance through strenuous exercise: “Never again. He would begin an exercise regimen tonight. Or tomorrow, in any case.” Wolfe makes it evident that hangxiety is not free floating, but derives from Fallow’s impression of being culturally tarnished: “It wouldn’t be this pathetic American business of jogging, either. It would be something clean, crisp, brisk, strenuous … English.” The body is a site of cultural meaning.</p>
<p>Jones faces low self-esteem when hungover. Her worries superficially recall those of Fallow, but her negative self image involves the distinctive pressures put upon women to marry and have children. She obsesses about weight gain, her looks (“Oh why am I so unattractive? Why?”), her ability to attract a partner and her ticking body clock.</p>
<h2>Family values</h2>
<p>The hangover’s impact on family life has been the focus of hangover studies. Here literature also points us to cultural variables.</p>
<p>The wife who nags her husband for his drunken ways is a stock figure of comic fiction from the 16th century to the present day. John Taylor captures the type in his colourful <a href="https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A13439.0001.001?view=toc">Skimmington’s Lecture</a> (1639): </p>
<blockquote>
<p>What not a word this morning … have you lost your tongue, you may be ashamed, had you any grace in you at all, to bee such a common drunkard, a pisse-pot.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But in the Victorian period Janet Dempster in Eliot’s <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/24035174_Women_Alcohol_and_Femininity_A_Discourse_Analysis_of_Women_Heavy_Drinkers'_Accounts">Janet’s Repentance</a> (1857) tells us of a different domestic power dynamic. Because she is unable to reproach her abusive, though popular, husband, she drowns her sorrows. While Robert’s “good head” for drink is legendary, Janet’s hangovers mean she neglects housework and loses her “good” reputation. Her shame shows that she is held to a different set of standards than her husband, the “stigmatising subject position” of women drinkers. (Janet is, however, able to repent, while Robert ends up dying after delirium tremens.)</p>
<h2>Cultural resistance</h2>
<p>It is possible to defy moral judgement for our lack of self-care, wasted time or embarrassment. However, even the most rebellious of literature’s drinkers feel self-doubt bite during hangovers. Martin Amis’s John Self (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2010/may/15/martin-amis-money-tv-series">Money, 1984</a>), Alan Sillitoe’s Arthur Seaton (<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/content/articles/2008/04/11/east_midlands_sillitoe_s13_w8_feature.shtml">Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, 1958</a>) and A. L. Kennedy’s Hannah Luckraft (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/aug/28/fiction.alismith">Paradise, 2004</a>) are notorious for recklessness and defiance when drunk. Their hangovers are, however, some of the most crippling in literature. Luckraft revels in blackouts and casual sexual encounters, but admits: “Inside, I am mostly built out of remorse.” Self’s hangovers are a necessary curb on a particularly toxic brand of masculinity. Seaton’s motto is “don’t let the bastards grind you down”, but the hangover of Sunday morning succeeds boozy Saturday nights and he eventually submits to marriage and a steady job.</p>
<p>Literature shows that hangovers are rarely just a collection of physical symptoms. A recent <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/10/the-guardian-view-on-the-science-of-hangovers-no-more-research-needed">leader article in The Guardian</a> was given the headline: “The Guardian view on the science of hangovers: no more research needed”. Perhaps we don’t need another article about the best remedies – but it is worth reflecting that there is much more to a hangover than bodily symptoms. </p>
<p>Hangover literature tells us quite a lot about our attitudes to alcohol, how they form and what they mean. This New Year, alongside the Bloody Mary, it might just be worth picking up a book. I don’t claim it will make anyone feel better, but it could help us understand a little more about why drinking often makes us feel bad about ourselves.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/129258/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jonathon Shears does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Memoirs of the morning after: because literature tells us the hangover is about so much more than physical symptoms.Jonathon Shears, Senior Lecturer in English Literature, Keele UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1279952019-12-29T21:02:06Z2019-12-29T21:02:06ZWhat causes hangovers, blackouts and ‘hangxiety’? Everything you need to know about alcohol these holidays<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307346/original/file-20191217-105097-2n9ct9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There's no way to cure a hangover, even with 'hair of the dog'. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/N_R0X4H9uD4">Louis Hansel</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>With the holiday season well underway and New Year’s Eve approaching, you might find yourself drinking more alcohol than usual. </p>
<p>So what actually happens to our body as we drink alcohol and wake up with a hangover? </p>
<p>What about memory blackouts and “hangxiety”, when you can’t remember what happened the night before or wake up with an awful feeling of anxiety?</p>
<p>Let’s look at what the science says – and bust some long-standing myths.</p>
<h2>What happens when you drink alcohol?</h2>
<p>It doesn’t matter what type of alcohol you drink – or even whether you <a href="http://theconversation.com/is-mixing-drinks-actually-bad-87256">mix drinks</a> – the <a href="https://theconversation.com/do-different-drinks-make-you-different-drunk-88247">effects are basically the same</a> with the same amount of alcohol.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/do-different-drinks-make-you-different-drunk-88247">Do different drinks make you different drunk?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>When you <a href="https://youtu.be/y1Y8Hig0L5s">drink alcohol</a> it goes into the stomach and passes into the small intestine where it’s quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. </p>
<p>If you have eaten something, it slows the absorption of alcohol so you don’t get drunk so quickly. That’s why it’s a good idea to eat before and during drinking.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QHYlRc6-Gdw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>It takes your body about an hour to metabolise 10g, or one <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/alcohol/about-alcohol/standard-drinks-guide">standard drink</a>, of alcohol. </p>
<p>(There are calculators that help you estimate your <a href="https://www.drinkfox.com/tools/bac-calculator/aus">blood alcohol level</a> but everybody breaks down alcohol at a <a href="http://www.responsibledrinking.org/what-happens-when-you-drink/how-you-drink-matters">different rate</a>. So these calculators should only be used as a guide.)</p>
<h2>What causes memory blackouts?</h2>
<p>We all have that friend who has woken up after a big night out and not been able to remember half the night. That’s a “blackout”.</p>
<p>It’s different to “passing out” – you’re still conscious and able to carry out conversation, you just can’t remember it later. </p>
<p>The more alcohol you drink and the faster you drink it, the more likely you are to experience blackouts.</p>
<p>Once alcohol in your blood reaches a certain level, your brain simply <a href="https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh27-2/186-196.htm">stops forming new memories</a>. If you think of your brain like a filing cabinet, files are going straight to the bin, so when you later try to look for them they are lost.</p>
<figure>
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</figure>
<h2>How do I sober up?</h2>
<p>If you’ve had too much, there’s no way to sober up quickly. The only thing that can sober you up is time, so that the alcohol can be eliminated from your body.</p>
<p>The caffeine in coffee may make you feel <a href="https://www.alcoholproblemsandsolutions.org/how-can-i-sober-up-fast/">more awake</a>, but it doesn’t help break down alcohol. You will be just as intoxicated and impaired, even if you feel a little less drunk. </p>
<p>The same goes for cold showers, exercise, sweating it out, drinking water, and getting fresh air. These things might help you feel more alert, but they have no impact on your blood alcohol concentration or on the effects of alcohol.</p>
<h2>What causes hangovers?</h2>
<p>Researchers haven’t identified one single cause of hangovers, but there are a few possible culprits.</p>
<p>Alcohol is a <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/hup.1023">diuretic</a>, so it makes you urinate more often, which can lead to dehydration. This is especially the case if you’re in a hot, sweaty venue or dancing a lot. Dehydration can make you feel dizzy, sleepy and lethargic.</p>
<p>Alcohol can <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/hup.1023">irritate your stomach lining</a>, causing vomiting and diarrhoea, and electrolyte imbalance. </p>
<p>An imbalance of electrolytes (the minerals our body need to function properly) can make you feel tired, nauseated, and cause muscle weakness and cramps. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307343/original/file-20191217-187622-48jkg3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307343/original/file-20191217-187622-48jkg3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307343/original/file-20191217-187622-48jkg3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307343/original/file-20191217-187622-48jkg3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307343/original/file-20191217-187622-48jkg3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307343/original/file-20191217-187622-48jkg3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307343/original/file-20191217-187622-48jkg3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hangovers can leave you tired, dehydrated, and with an irritated stomach.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/roCfgvkBLVY">Adrian Swancar/Unsplash</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Too much alcohol can cause your blood vessels to dilate (expand), causing a <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/hup.1023">headache</a>. Electrolyte imbalance and dehydration can also contribute to that thumping head the next morning.</p>
<p>Alcohol also interferes with <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/hup.1023">glucose production</a>, resulting in low blood sugar. Not producing enough glucose can leave you feeling sluggish and weak.</p>
<p>Alcohol also <a href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/how-alcohol-affects-quality-and-quantity-sleep">disrupts sleep</a>. It can make you feel sleepy at first but it interrupts the circadian cycle, sleep rhythms and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, so later in the night you might wake up. </p>
<p>It can stop you from getting the <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41782-017-0008-7">quality of sleep</a> you need to wake feeling refreshed.</p>
<h2>Why ‘hair of the dog’ doesn’t work</h2>
<p>There’s no way to cure a hangover, even with “hair of the dog” (having a drink the morning after). But drinking the next morning might delay the onset of symptoms, and therefore make you feel better temporarily. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/mondays-medical-myth-you-can-cure-a-hangover-1518">Monday's medical myth: you can cure a hangover</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Your body needs time to rest, metabolise the alcohol you have already had, and repair any damage from a heavy night of drinking. So it’s not a good idea.</p>
<p>If you drink regularly and you find yourself needing a drink the next morning, this may be a sign of alcohol dependence and you should talk with your GP. </p>
<h2>Suffering from hangxiety?</h2>
<p>Alcohol has many effects on the <a href="https://youtu.be/mUQZEhdgqko">brain</a>, including that warm, relaxed feeling after a couple of drinks. But if you’ve ever felt unusually anxious after a big night out you might have experienced “<a href="https://smartrecoveryaustralia.com.au/the-truth-about-hangxiety/">hangxiety</a>”.</p>
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<p>Over a night of drinking, alcohol stimulates the production of a chemical in the brain called GABA, which calms the brain, and blocks the production of glutamate, a chemical associated with anxiety. This combination is why you feel cheerful and relaxed on a night out.</p>
<p>Your brain likes to be in balance, so in response to drinking it produces more glutamate and blocks GABA. Cue that shaky feeling of anxious dread the next morning.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.beyondblue.org.au/personal-best/pillar/wellbeing/anxiety-after-drinking-and-what-you-can-do-about-it">What can you do</a> if you wake up with hangxiety?</p>
<p>To ease some of the symptoms, try some breathing exercises, some mindfulness practices and be gentle with yourself.</p>
<p>There are also effective treatments for anxiety available that can help. Talk to your GP or check out some <a href="https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/anxiety/hangxiety---help">resources online</a>.</p>
<p>If you’re already an anxious person, drinking alcohol may help you feel more relaxed in a social situation, but there is an even <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886918305762?via%3Dihub#!">greater risk</a> that you will feel anxiety the next day.</p>
<h2>Prevention is better than a cure</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307344/original/file-20191217-187599-a6k8kz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307344/original/file-20191217-187599-a6k8kz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307344/original/file-20191217-187599-a6k8kz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307344/original/file-20191217-187599-a6k8kz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307344/original/file-20191217-187599-a6k8kz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307344/original/file-20191217-187599-a6k8kz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307344/original/file-20191217-187599-a6k8kz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Have a drink of water between alcoholic drinks.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/2SDjvx5jEZQ">Marvin Meyer/Unsplash</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If you choose to drink this holiday season, the best way to avoid hangovers, hangxiety, and blackouts is to stick within <a href="https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/australian-guidelines-reduce-health-risks-drinking-alcohol">recommended limits</a>.</p>
<p>The new draft Australian alcohol guidelines recommend no more than ten standard drinks a week and no more than four standard drinks on any one day.</p>
<p>(If you want to check what a standard drink looks like, use <a href="https://yourroom.health.nsw.gov.au/games-and-tools/pages/standard-drink-calculator.aspx">this</a> handy reference.)</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cap-your-alcohol-at-10-drinks-a-week-new-draft-guidelines-128856">Cap your alcohol at 10 drinks a week: new draft guidelines</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>As well as eating to slow the absorption of alcohol, and drinking water in between alcoholic drinks to reduce the negative effects, you can also:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>set your limits early. Decide before you start the night how much you want to drink, then stick to it</p></li>
<li><p>count your drinks and avoid shouts</p></li>
<li><p>slow down, take sips rather than gulps and avoid having shots.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>If you’re worried about your own or someone else’s drinking, call the National Alcohol and other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015 to talk through options or check out <a href="https://hellosundaymorning.org">resources online</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/127995/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicole Lee works as a consultant in the alcohol and other drug sector, including education and training for parents on drugs. She has previously been awarded funding by Australian and state governments, NHMRC and other bodies for evaluation and research into drug prevention and treatment. She is also a member of board of directors of Hello Sunday Morning.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brigid Clancy works as a contractor to a private alcohol and other drug consultancy.</span></em></p>Most of us wake up with a hangover after a big night. But some people also wake up with awful anxiety (‘hangxiety’) and can’t remember much of the night before because of memory blackouts. Here’s why.Nicole Lee, Professor at the National Drug Research Institute (Melbourne), Curtin UniversityBrigid Clancy, PhD Candidate (Psychiatry) & Research Assistant, University of NewcastleLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1246302019-12-20T16:56:16Z2019-12-20T16:56:16ZHangovers happen as your body tries to protect itself from alcohol’s toxic effects<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308125/original/file-20191220-11904-o6bx4v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=365%2C121%2C4409%2C3063&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A night of revelry can mean an uncomfortable day after.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/migraine-headache-227278786">Everett Collection/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Debaucherous evening last night? You’re probably dealing with veisalgia right now.</p>
<p>More commonly known as a hangover, this unpleasant phenomenon <a href="https://time.com/3958046/history-of-hangovers/">has been dogging humanity</a> since our ancestors first happened upon fermentation.</p>
<p>Those nasty vertigo-inducing, cold sweat-promoting and vomit-producing sensations after a raucous night out are all part of your body’s attempt to protect itself from injury after you overindulge in alcoholic beverages. Your liver is working to break down the alcohol you consumed so your kidneys can clear it out ASAP. But in the process, your body’s inflammatory and metabolic reactions are going to lay you low with a hangover.</p>
<p>As long as people have suffered from hangovers, they’ve searched in vain for a cure. Revelers have access to a variety of compounds, products and devices that purport to ease the pain. But there’s a lot of purporting and not a lot of proof. Most have not been backed up well by science in terms of usefulness for hangover treatment, and often their effects don’t seem like they’d match up with what scientists know about the biology of the hangover.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308010/original/file-20191219-11900-1nrkesq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308010/original/file-20191219-11900-1nrkesq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308010/original/file-20191219-11900-1nrkesq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308010/original/file-20191219-11900-1nrkesq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308010/original/file-20191219-11900-1nrkesq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308010/original/file-20191219-11900-1nrkesq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308010/original/file-20191219-11900-1nrkesq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308010/original/file-20191219-11900-1nrkesq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Drain enough cups of booze in one session and you know what’s bound to follow.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/EEIIm23ktS4">Laura buron/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Working overtime to clear out the booze</h2>
<p>Hangovers are virtually guaranteed when you drink too much. That amount varies from person to person based on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/add.12699">genetic factors</a> as well as whether there are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-0277.2009.01116.x">other compounds</a> that formed along with ethanol in the fermentation process.</p>
<p>Over the course of a night of heavy drinking, your blood alcohol level continues to rise. Your body labors to break down the alcohol – consumed as ethanol in beer, wine or spirits – forming damaging oxygen free radicals and acetaldehyde, itself a harmful compound. The longer ethanol and acetaldehyde stick around, the more damage they can do to your cellular membranes, proteins and DNA, so your body’s enzymes work quickly to metabolize acetaldehyde to a less toxic compound, acetate.</p>
<p>Over time, your ethanol levels drop through this natural metabolic process. Depending on how much you consumed, you’re likely to experience a hangover as the level of ethanol in your blood slowly returns to zero. Your body is withdrawing from high levels of circulating alcohol, while at the same time trying to protect itself from the effects of alcohol.</p>
<p>Scientists have limited knowledge of the leading causes of the hangover. But they do know that the body’s responses include changes in hormone levels to <a href="https://www.pulsus.com/abstract/alcohol-hangover-its-effects-on-human-body-review-4404.html">reduce dehydration</a> and cellular stress. Alcohol consumption also affects a variety of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/agz016">neurotransmitter systems</a> in the brain, including glutamate, dopamine and serotonin. Inflammation increases in the body’s tissues, and the healthy gut bacteria in your digestive system take a hit too, promoting <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/agy061">leaky gut</a>.</p>
<p>Altogether, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/agz016">the combination of all these reactions</a> and protective mechanisms activated by your system gives rise to the experience of a hangover, which can last up to 48 hours.</p>
<h2>Your misery likely has company</h2>
<p>Drinking and socializing are cultural acts, and most hangovers <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2012.693594">do not happen in isolation</a>. Human beings are social creatures, and there’s a high likelihood that at least one other individual feels the same as you the morning after the night before.</p>
<p>Each society has different rules regarding alcohol use, which can affect how people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2011.09.014">view alcohol consumption within those cultures</a>. Drinking is often valued for its relaxing effect and for promoting sociability. So it’s common to see alcohol provided at celebratory events, social gatherings and holiday parties.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308014/original/file-20191219-11939-1p3ym3k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308014/original/file-20191219-11939-1p3ym3k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308014/original/file-20191219-11939-1p3ym3k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=638&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308014/original/file-20191219-11939-1p3ym3k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=638&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308014/original/file-20191219-11939-1p3ym3k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=638&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308014/original/file-20191219-11939-1p3ym3k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=802&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308014/original/file-20191219-11939-1p3ym3k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=802&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308014/original/file-20191219-11939-1p3ym3k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=802&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">For many people, ‘partying’ is synonymous with ‘drinking.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/BnzqQwerUOY">Lidya Nada/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the United States, drinking alcohol is largely embraced by mainstream culture, which may even promote behaviors involving <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-9-51">excessive drinking</a>. It should be no surprise that overindulgence goes hand in hand with these celebratory social events – and leads to hangover regrets a few hours later. </p>
<p>Your body’s reactions to high alcohol intake and the sobering-up period can influence mood, too. The combination of fatigue that you experience from sleep deprivation and hormonal stress reactions, in turn, affect your neurobiological responses and behavior. As your body is attempting to repair itself, you’re more likely to be easily irritated, exhausted and want nothing more than to be left alone. Of course, your <a href="https://doi.org/10.2174/1874473711003020080">work productivity takes a dramatic hit</a> the day after an evening of heavy drinking.</p>
<p>When all is said and done, you’re the cause of your own hangover pain, and you’re the one who must pay for all the fun of the night before. But in short order, you’ll <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2008.06.014">forget how excruciating your last hangover</a> was. And you may very soon talk yourself into doing the things you swore you’d never do again.</p>
<h2>Speeding up recovery</h2>
<p>While pharmacologists <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=miPd9ysAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">like</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ZLL4yjwAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">us</a> understand a bit about how hangovers work, we still lack a true remedy.</p>
<p>Countless articles describe a <a href="http://www.cjhp.org/volume16Issue1_2018/documents/79-90_CJHP2018Issue1_Kruger.pdf">variety of foods</a>, caffeine, ion replenishment, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2018.01.030">energy drinks</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30462386">herbal supplements</a> including <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules21010064">thyme and ginger, vitamins</a> and the “hair of the dog” as ways to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/hup.2600">prevent and treat hangovers</a>. But the evidence isn’t really there that any of these work effectively. They’re just not scientifically validated or well reproduced.</p>
<p>For example, Kudzu root (<em>Pueraria lobata</em>), a popular choice for hangover remedies, has primarily been investigated for its effects in reducing alcohol-mediated stress and hangover. But at the same time, Kudzu root appears to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcohol.2007.07.009">inhibit the enzymes that break down acetaldehyde</a> – not good news since you want to clear that acetaldehyde from your system quickly.</p>
<p>To fill this knowledge gap, our lab is <a href="https://pharmacyschool.usc.edu/directory/?expert=jing.liangphd">working with colleagues</a> to see if we can find scientific evidence for or against potential hangover remedies. We’ve focused on the benefits of dihydromyricetin, a Chinese herbal medicine that is currently available and formulated as a dietary supplement for hangover reduction or prevention.</p>
<p>Dihydromyricetin appears to work its magic by <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17048612">enhancing alcohol metabolism</a> and reducing its toxic byproduct, acetaldehyde. From our findings in mice models, we are collecting data that support the usefulness of dihydromyricetin in <a href="http://www.koreascience.or.kr/article/JAKO200003042335835.page">increasing the expression and activity of enzymes</a> responsible for ethanol and acetaldehyde metabolism in the liver, where ethanol is primarily broken down. These findings explain one of the several ways dihydromyricetin protects the body against alcohol stress and hangover symptoms. </p>
<p>We are also studying how this enhancement of alcohol metabolism results in changes in alcohol drinking behaviors. Previously, dihydromyricetin was found to counteract the relaxation affect of drinking alcohol by interfering with particular neuroreceptors in the brain; <a href="https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4639-11.2012">rodents didn’t become as intoxicated</a> and consequently reduced their ethanol intake. Through this combination of mechanisms, we hope to illustrate how DHM might reduce the downsides of excessive drinking beyond the temporary hangover, and potentially reduce drinking behavior and damage associated with heavy alcohol consumption.</p>
<p>Of course, limiting alcohol intake and substituting water for many of those drinks during an evening out is probably the best method to avoid a painful hangover. However, for those times when one alcoholic beverage leads to more than a few more, be sure to stay hydrated and catch up on rest. Your best bet for a smoother recovery is probably some combination of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcohol.2019.10.006">nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug</a> like ibuprofen, Netflix and a little downtime. </p>
<p>[ <em>Deep knowledge, daily.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=deepknowledge">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter</a>. ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124630/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr. Davies received a Donation from 82 Labs two years ago to conduct basic research on DHM that is mentioned in the article. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joshua Silva and Terry David Church do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Researchers know the basic biology of what happens to your system after a night of heavy drinking. Unfortunately, evidence-based cures for the common hangover are still at the investigation stage.Daryl Davies, Professor of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Southern CaliforniaJoshua Silva, Ph.D. Candidate in Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Southern CaliforniaTerry David Church, Assistant Professor of Regulatory and Quality Sciences, University of Southern CaliforniaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1291142019-12-20T11:34:49Z2019-12-20T11:34:49ZHangovers: this is what happens to your body when you’ve had one too many<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308084/original/file-20191220-11951-5yiss0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/man-suffering-hangover-after-christmas-party-748944490">Elur/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Having a few drinks at Christmas is, for some people, as much a part of the festive tradition as <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-lie-politely-when-you-receive-a-bad-christmas-present-108635">presents</a>, decorations or <a href="https://theconversation.com/carolling-is-not-about-religion-its-about-community-88794">carols</a>. So if you find yourself nursing a <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-hidden-costs-of-a-hangover-102059">hangover</a> on Boxing Day, you might be interested to know what’s actually going on inside your body and why you feel so bad.</p>
<p>We tend to drink because in low doses alcohol is initially a euphoriant, it makes you <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2016/nov/29/drink-and-be-merry-why-alcohol-makes-us-feel-good-then-doesnt">feel happier</a>. It does this by causing the body to <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-dopamine-and-is-it-to-blame-for-our-addictions-51268">release dopamine</a> and endorphins, chemicals that <a href="https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh313/185-195.htm">stimulate the brain’s</a> reward system. But, after a while and as you drink more, it ultimately suppresses some brain activity and slows down your heart and breathing.</p>
<p>The effects of the initial intake of any alcohol is the first of many stages of narcosis, the last of which is death. There just happens to be a large window between an effective dose (which has you thinking you are far more witty and handsome than you actually are and, later, running down the street with a traffic cone on your head) and a lethal dose (which has you on a mortuary slab). </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/alcoholic-me-how-to-tell-if-your-holiday-drinking-is-becoming-a-problem-127677">Alcoholic? Me? How to tell if your holiday drinking is becoming a problem</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Note that even before you arrive at the typical drink drive limit, you <a href="https://www.drugrehab.com/addiction/alcohol/effects-of-alcohol/">might experience</a> excitement, uncoordination, impairment, speech slurring, swaying and loss of inhibition. And yet you’ll still legally be able to drive a car. Small amounts of alcohol affect the limbic system in the brain, which result <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111219135215.htm">in aggression</a> and the Friday and Saturday night melees common in many town centres.</p>
<p>Alcohol is also a vasodilator, which means it widens blood vessels, diverting blood from the body’s core to its extremities. This results in the characteristic <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/red-face-alcohol">flushed cheeks</a> you can get from consuming alcohol and also the red nose often sported by dyed-in-the-wool drinkers.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308085/original/file-20191220-11939-dsir2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308085/original/file-20191220-11939-dsir2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308085/original/file-20191220-11939-dsir2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308085/original/file-20191220-11939-dsir2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308085/original/file-20191220-11939-dsir2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308085/original/file-20191220-11939-dsir2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308085/original/file-20191220-11939-dsir2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">What could possibly go wrong?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/friends-toasting-shots-pub-570670471">Wave break media/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Initially, drinking alcohol is self-reinforcing. What might seem a good idea initially seems an even better idea after you’ve had a few. Alcohol is absorbed quicker than most things since some is absorbed in the stomach (rather than the small intestine). It then spreads throughout the body and is distributed to all organs including the brain and the liver, where the body makes a valiant attempt to break down and dispose of the alcohol.</p>
<p>To do this, the liver produces enzymes, small molecules that help either make or break down important molecules. In this case, the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase <a href="https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa72/aa72.htm">breaks down the alcohol</a> (ethanol) into acetaldehyde (ethanal), which is then further broken down into acetic (ethanoic) acid and then to carbon dioxide.</p>
<p>Energy is also released at all stages of the breakdown, which explains why heavy drinkers can sometimes be overweight. In fact, <a href="https://theconversation.com/alcoholic-me-how-to-tell-if-your-holiday-drinking-is-becoming-a-problem-127677">long-term alcoholics</a> often get most of their calories from alcohol and eat very little. This can make them overweight but <a href="https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa22.htm">curiously undernourished</a> because they are consuming empty calories and no vitamins or protein, which can produce a general appearance and feeling of illness.</p>
<h2>Why you vomit</h2>
<p>The first stage breakdown product, ethanal, is an emetic, which means it makes you want to vomit. As you drink and become more euphoric, your blood ethanol level is being monitored by the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7895890">area postrema</a>, the part of your brain which checks your blood for things that shouldn’t be there. If you eat some food which causes vomiting and diarrhoea, it’s your postrema that has instructed your body to get rid of the offending comestibles.</p>
<p>Ethanal has the same effect. The postrema works to very fine tolerances, and as soon as your body contains enough ethanal, and the threshold that nature has set is reached, the postrema instructs your stomach to contract and makes you sick. Trying to stop this is like trying to hold back the tide. You may have noticed the very short time between drinking enthusiastically and realising that it’s a question of when, and not if, you are going to vomit.</p>
<p>Disulfiram (Antabuse) is a drug used to treat <a href="https://findings.org.uk/PHP/dl.php?file=Jorgensen_CH_1.txt">chronic alcoholism</a> that stops the subsequent breakdown of ethanal after you drink, causing an immediate hangover and explosive vomiting. It’s effectively a form of aversion therapy. </p>
<h2>Hangover causes</h2>
<p>Unfortunately, there’s no drug to treat drunkenness itself – <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-popular-hangover-cures-reviewed-by-experts-103484">or a hangover</a>. Once you are intoxicated you just have to wait it out. The liver <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/lifestyle/how-long-does-alcohol-stay-in-your-blood/">can metabolise</a> between 8g and 12g of alcohol in an hour and the only way to become less drunk is to stop drinking so the alcohol can diffuse out of your brain and your liver can complete the breakdown.</p>
<p>Aside from the vomiting, we don’t know exactly why we feel so terrible when we’re hungover, but it is thought to be another effect of ethanal and <a href="http://www.eurekaselect.com/94053/article">congeners</a>, the non-alcoholic chemical clutter that is a by-product of fermentation. These include oils, minerals and other forms of alcohol such as methanol (wood alcohol), which can cause you to go blind in high doses.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/lining-your-stomach-with-milk-before-a-big-night-out-and-other-alcohol-myths-88116">Lining your stomach with milk before a big night out – and other alcohol myths</a>
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</em>
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<p>Darker drinks have higher amounts of congeners. Red wine also causes a particularly vicious hangover since it contains a vasoconstrictor, which constricts your blood vessels and causes that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3674844/">throbbing headache</a>. Meanwhile, vodka might be more forgiving since <a href="https://www.livescience.com/41298-what-is-vodka.html">“pure” vodka</a> is just alcohol and water.</p>
<p>The only other thing that might help reduce your hangover after a heavy drinking session is a glass of water before bed. Alcohol stops your pituitary gland producing the anti-diuretic hormone vasopressin, which normally restricts urine production. This means you end up losing more water than you take in, causing dehydration that irritates the blood vessels, leading to headaches.</p>
<p>Otherwise, you’ll just have to console your post-Christmas blues with roast dinner leftovers and your favourite holiday film.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/129114/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hal Sosabowski does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The science of the Christmas drinking binge.Hal Sosabowski, Professor of Public Understanding of Science, University of BrightonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1020592018-08-28T08:46:46Z2018-08-28T08:46:46ZThe hidden costs of a hangover<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/233477/original/file-20180824-149490-1h5opai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>If you drink alcohol, it’s likely you’re familiar with some of the effects of a hangover. Headaches, nausea and fatigue are just some of the unpleasant but common experiences of the morning after the night before. But have you ever wondered how a hangover may influence your thoughts and behaviour?</p>
<p><a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.14404/full">Our research</a> shows that hangovers may influence essential cognitive processes which are important for everyday living. We found evidence of impairments in memory (short and long term), the ability to sustain attention, and psychomotor skills. But performance in some kinds of thought processes – such as the ability to divide attention between tasks – did not show an overall decline following a night of heavy alcohol consumption.</p>
<p>The impairments caused by hangovers have implications for lots of us – from parents to health care professionals, teachers to business owners. When referring to memory, students are a good example of a group who need to retain information. With poorer memory during a hangover, you might think it wise for students to stay in the night before an exam. But we found that evidence comparing performance on a multiple choice test showed no difference between the scores of those who were hungover and those who weren’t. Having said that, the learning of this material was done while participants were sober, suggesting that retrieval of information is relatively unaffected. </p>
<p>By comparison, our review found that it could be the learning aspect of memory, rather than recall, that is impaired during a hangover. When studies asked participants to both learn and recall information while hungover, their memory was poorer. This could explain why exam performance is relatively unaffected – as the information was already learned. It also suggests it might be a good idea not to go out drinking the night before an important lecture, where material for the exam is learned.</p>
<p>Being able to concentrate on one task, or sustain attention, is vital in many circumstances. Anyone who needs to keep their wits about them and pay attention to a task may find this difficult while experiencing a hangover. Impairment of sustained attention following alcohol consumption may be due to fatigue – a major and common symptom of being hungover. Fatigue can influence our ability to maintain focus and lower our “mental resource”, making engaging in tasks more difficult.</p>
<p>Maintaining attention is an important aspect of driving. Of the 19 studies we reviewed, only three assessed driving ability. One looked at the speed at which people drove during a hangover and found no effect. But two studies found impairments in an individual’s ability to handle a vehicle during a hangover – and one of the studies compared the level of impairment when people are hungover to when people are under the influence of alcohol. They reported that hangover-related driving impairments are the equivalent of having a 0.05 – 0.08% blood alcohol concentration (BAC).</p>
<p>Drink driving limits for most European countries are 0.05% BAC and in the UK it is 0.08%. This means that hangover-related impairments in driving may be at the sort of level that is currently unacceptable by law during alcohol intoxication. Our finding of reduced psychomotor skills during hangover may also contribute to driving impairments experienced following an evening of heavy alcohol consumption. </p>
<h2>Delayed reactions</h2>
<p>Psychomotor skills involve the informational process related to movement, such as hand-eye co-ordination. When we combined all studies in our review that had investigated psychomotor skills we found that reaction times were reduced during a hangover. This could contribute to a delay in correcting the swerve of a vehicle, or reacting to other drivers.</p>
<p>Our review has highlighted brain activity fundamental to processing information are impaired in hangover. But what about “higher” thought processes such as decision making, inhibition, or being able to manage our moods?</p>
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<p>Here’s where there is a serious gap in the scientific literature. <a href="https://academic.oup.com/alcalc/article/43/2/163/122637">Despite calls for more research</a> to examine a hangover’s impairment of higher thought processes involved in completing goals (“executive functions”) ten years ago, few studies have explored this area. </p>
<p>Understanding these processes could provide insight into why some people decide not to turn up to work with a hangover, or why <a href="https://www.jsad.com/doi/abs/10.15288/jsa.1997.58.37">being hungover is associated</a> with increased conflict with supervisors and colleagues and poorer performance. </p>
<p>Hangovers are estimated to cost the UK economy almost £2 billion a year in absenteeism and lost productivity – so this is definitely something worth knowing.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/102059/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Our brains work differently the morning after the night before.Craig Gunn, PhD Candidate, University of BathSally Adams, Lecturer in Health Psychology, University of BathLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/881162017-12-29T10:45:57Z2017-12-29T10:45:57ZLining your stomach with milk before a big night out – and other alcohol myths<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199463/original/file-20171215-17869-jhqsqp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/418803748?src=ydDbKK7mgE_FiDhQYOGXLQ-2-38&size=medium_jpg">Pressmaster/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Drinking alcohol is fun – the after-effects, less so. It is little wonder, then, that people the world over have sought remedies to mitigate the dreaded hangover. </p>
<p>Here we put some of the better known myths to scientific scrutiny. </p>
<h2>‘Lining’ your stomach</h2>
<p>There is a widely held belief that a glass of milk before a heavy session can help to lessen the effects of alcohol by “lining your stomach”. Some Mediterranean countries prefer to line their stomach with a <a href="https://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-eat/going-out-tonight-sneaky-trick-prevents-hangovers">spoon of olive oil</a>. But, biologically speaking, there is no such thing as “lining your stomach”. If there is any effect, it is through slowing your stomach emptying. </p>
<p>Around 20% of alcohol is absorbed in the stomach and the rest is absorbed in the intestine. So any food containing fat, protein or, to some extent, carbohydrate that delays your stomach emptying could have a <a href="http://www.bmj.com/content/331/7531/1515?eaf">very modest effect</a> on slowing down the absorption of alcohol.</p>
<h2>A hearty breakfast mops up remaining alcohol</h2>
<p>A <a href="https://www.egginfo.co.uk/news/fry-really-best-hangover-cure">survey of 2,000 British adults</a>, conducted by One Poll, found that a fried breakfast is “the preferred remedy for Brits battling the aftermath of a heavy night”. The survey also reported that 26% of popular hangover cures rely on a dish that contains egg. But is there any science in this? </p>
<p>A study involving rats suggests there could be <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF01966822?LI=true">some support</a> for this idea. Eggs are high in a substance called cysteine. When rats were fed lethal amounts of acetaldehyde – a toxin your body produces when it breaks down alcohol – those that were also given cysteine were much more likely to survive the toxic assault than the controls. But, of course, humans are not rats – well, most of them aren’t.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199475/original/file-20171215-17848-zsaohr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199475/original/file-20171215-17848-zsaohr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199475/original/file-20171215-17848-zsaohr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199475/original/file-20171215-17848-zsaohr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199475/original/file-20171215-17848-zsaohr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199475/original/file-20171215-17848-zsaohr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199475/original/file-20171215-17848-zsaohr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">There’s something about eggs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/533669971?src=xo_qRp40YT1yS5dPClK5ag-1-5&size=medium_jpg">Ekaterina Markelova/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<h2>Coffee sobers you up</h2>
<p>If you’re drunk and you need to sober up in a hurry, what do you do? Well, if the movies are anything to go by, drink a mug of strong, black coffee. The science is less emphatic on this one, though. This is partly due to the complex way alcohol acts as a sedative – making you dizzy and forgetful – whereas coffee, a stimulant, makes you more alert, but does nothing to improve dizziness or forgetfullness.</p>
<p>A <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.03219.x/full">study</a> that looked at the effects of caffeinated versus non-caffeinated alcoholic drinks on a simulated driving task, found that caffeine did little to mitigate the effects of alcohol on driving ability or reaction time. Other <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/1300026">studies</a> have found that caffeine can increase alertness but not improve feelings of dizziness or restore memory.</p>
<p>Mixing caffeine and alcohol also increases your <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acer.12438/full">risk of injury</a> on a night out, so they’re not a good combo.</p>
<h2>Water before bed clears your head</h2>
<p>There may be a grain of truth in this one. For this popular life hack, it depends on which bit of the hangover you want to reduce. While drinking water will do <a href="http://www.europeanneuropsychopharmacology.com/article/S0924-977X(15)30852-X/abstract">nothing for the headache</a>, it could help to reduce the dehydrating effects and the dreaded dry mouth.</p>
<h2>Grape and grain – never the twain</h2>
<p>There is a long held belief that mixing drinks makes hangovers worse. It’s a myth. Mixing drinks simply increases the risk of drinking more alcohol because you lose track of how much you’ve had. “Did I have four pints, three shots and a glass of wine? Or was that three pints, four shots and two glasses of wine?” There is nothing in the chemistry of the alcohol in, say, wine and beer, that is different. </p>
<p>If you really want to avoid a hangover, the best advice is to follow the guidelines on alcohol. As well as not “saving” your recommended maximum of 14 units a week and drinking them all in one night, officials <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-alcohol-guidelines-show-increased-risk-of-cancer">advise</a> drinking more slowly, eating while drinking and alternating alcoholic drinks with water.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/88116/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Duane Mellor is director, council member and spokesperson of the British Dietetic Association</span></em></p>Does a fry up really soak up excess alcohol, or black coffee sober you up? Can you avoid that hangover?Duane Mellor, Senior lecturer, Coventry UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/872562017-12-28T21:43:26Z2017-12-28T21:43:26ZIs mixing drinks actually bad?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194291/original/file-20171113-27595-ox08qm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">We've all heard mixing drinks can make you ill, is there any truth to this? </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As we enjoy the festive season, many strongly-held beliefs about avoiding hangovers are thrown around. One is that mixing different types of drinks is likely to make you feel unwell during your drinking session and contribute to a worse hangover. </p>
<p>There are sayings like “beer before liquor, never been sicker. Liquor before beer, you’re in the clear”, or “wine before beer will make you feel queer, but beer before wine and you’ll feel fine”. </p>
<h2>So is there any evidence for these beliefs?</h2>
<p>As previously noted in <a href="https://theconversation.com/mondays-medical-myth-mixing-drinks-causes-hangovers-5055">The Conversation</a>, research from the 1970s seemed to indicate drinks that contained certain “congeners” increased the likelihood of a hangover. Congeners are compounds that are produced during the manufacturing process, with drinks like whisky containing more congeners than drinks like vodka. But <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2008.02181.x/abstract">research</a> testing this theory found congeners have little impact on levels of intoxication or hangovers. </p>
<p>Ultimately, experiencing a hangover and feeling sick while intoxicated is due to the amount of alcohol consumed and the time period it’s consumed over. A healthy adult body is only able to eliminate one standard drink (or 10 grams of alcohol) per hour. </p>
<p>If you are consuming more alcohol than the body is able to eliminate then the likelihood of feeling sick increases. The first step in metabolising alcohol involves your body converting it into acetaldehyde. This chemical is similar in structure to the poison formaldehyde and is also quite toxic.</p>
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<p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-happening-to-us-when-we-get-drunk-51245">What's happening to us when we get drunk?</a>
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<p>As I have <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-happening-to-us-when-we-get-drunk-51245">previously written</a>, alcohol decreases function in the pre-frontal cortex of the brain. As we drink, alcohol increasingly leads to impaired decision making. So after a few drinks you are more likely to mix drinks and consume alcohol at a faster rate. </p>
<p>So, if you start drinking a beverage with high alcohol content (such as wine or spirits), when you change to drinking a beverage with a lower alcohol content (such as beer), you are more likely to consume more of the latter beverage and do so at a faster rate. </p>
<p>This is supported by <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3393097/">research that found</a> as people consumed more alcohol, they increasingly underestimated the amount they had consumed. So the saying “liquor before beer, you’re in the clear” appears to be unsupported by the evidence, though this does suggest the saying “wine before beer will make you feel queer” could be true.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194293/original/file-20171113-27585-45qubk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194293/original/file-20171113-27585-45qubk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194293/original/file-20171113-27585-45qubk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194293/original/file-20171113-27585-45qubk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194293/original/file-20171113-27585-45qubk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194293/original/file-20171113-27585-45qubk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194293/original/file-20171113-27585-45qubk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194293/original/file-20171113-27585-45qubk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">If you start off with stronger liquor you mightn’t realise how much you’re drinking thereafter.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Mixing drinks might not be a good idea as it reduces the likelihood you’re able to keep track of how many standard drinks you’ve consumed. It could also increase the rate of alcohol you consume if you move from a beverage with a low alcohol content to one with a higher alcohol content. This might support the saying “beer before liquor, never been sicker”, but not “beer before wine and you’ll feel fine”.</p>
<h2>What about energy drinks?</h2>
<p>For some time now there has been a trend towards combining alcohol with energy drinks. Combining energy drinks reduces the subjective experience of being intoxicated, meaning a person can drink more without feeling sick. The stimulating effects of the caffeine in the energy drinks leads to a “<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16573577">masking effect</a>”. People don’t feel as drunk, but their reaction time and motor skills remain impaired. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://theconversation.com/energy-drinks-and-alcohol-a-risky-mix-psychologically-77253">review of 13 studies</a> found people who add energy drinks to alcohol have a higher risk of injury from car accidents and fights, compared to those who only drank alcohol. </p>
<p>By mixing alcohol with energy drinks, not only are you likely to end up drinking more and having a higher concentration of alcohol and acetaldehyde to deal with the next morning, you are more likely to engage in risky behaviours. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/energy-drink-binge-leaves-teens-with-more-than-a-hangover-6165">Energy drink binge leaves teens with more than a hangover</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<h2>So what’s the take-home?</h2>
<p>High levels of alcohol and acetaldehyde in the body are a more logical explanation for feeling sick and experiencing a hangover than mixing drinks. And there’s likely to be higher levels of alcohol and acetaldehyde in the body if people mix drinks, since they underestimate how much they’ve had and overindulge.</p>
<p>It would seem that, due to self-preservation, people would rather blame mixing drinks for feeling sick while out, or for a nasty hangover the next day, than admit alcohol has an insidious effect on the brain that leads to overindulgence. </p>
<p>But the perfect counterbalanced randomised controlled trial of mixing drinks has not been conducted, so people can still hang on to these deeply entrenched beliefs should they wish to do so.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/87256/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stephen Bright does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There are sayings like “beer before liquor, never been sicker. Liquor before beer, you’re in the clear” - here we look at the evidence behind them.Stephen Bright, Senior Lecturer of Addiction, Edith Cowan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/781402017-07-31T12:23:49Z2017-07-31T12:23:49ZHow sharing can make a hangover less harrowing<p>Headache and nausea aside, the morning after an evening of drinking can be filled with regret, anxiety and misery. But it can also be a time of humour, story-telling and emotional bonding.</p>
<p>This is what we found in a recent study examining the experiences of university students with hangovers. We asked them about their attitudes to being hungover – and the psychological and social effects on their lives. </p>
<p>Alcohol is a mood-altering drug. Intoxication can bring feelings of increased euphoria, relaxation and positivity, while reducing anxiety and tension. These effects are part of what makes alcohol one of the most widely consumed drugs in the world. </p>
<p>It is also a <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Harriet_Wit/publication/13405156_Individual_Differences_in_the_Biphasic_Effects_of_Ethanol/links/542337540cf26120b7a6be5b.pdf">“biphasic” drug</a>, which means it has two distinct phases of action. </p>
<p>The first, known as the “ascending limb” brings positive and euphoric mood as the concentration of blood alcohol increases. The second phase, the “descending limb”, occurs as blood alcohol concentration decreases and is generally accompanied by feelings of fatigue and low mood. </p>
<p>A small body of research has begun to study <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20712597">the effects of hangovers on mood and emotion</a>. In general, these studies indicate that <a href="https://academic.oup.com/alcalc/article/41/1/54/165609/ALCOHOL-HANGOVER-EFFECTS-ON-MEASURES-OF-AFFECT-THE">hangover is associated with decreased positive mood and increased anxiety</a>. </p>
<p>These findings have serious implications for those who may have hangovers while carrying out caring responsibilities – parents, nurses, doctors and teachers, for example. But studies so far have been limited by simply asking individuals about their mood using questionnaires. Research using animals has been able to examine in more detail how socialisation and engagement with others may be influenced by a hangover. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14745301">A study of rodents</a> showed that 18 hours after alcohol intoxication, the social behaviour of rats is reduced. The experiment was also able to look at differences in social behaviour between rodents of different ages. The adolescent rats engaged in more social interaction when hungover compared to the adults rats. </p>
<p>This finding suggests that adolescent rats might be less sensitive to the effects of alcohol hangover on anxiety and sociability. <a href="http://www.bath.ac.uk/psychology/news/news_0131.html">In our work</a> researching young peoples’ experience of hangover and the relationship between hangover and drinking behaviour, along with our colleague <a href="http://www.ucl.ac.uk/iehc/research/behavioural-science-health/people/staff/Freeman">Maddie Freeman</a>, we found that young people had a similar kind of tolerance.</p>
<p>All of the students we interviewed at a university in south-west England mentioned the psychological impact of hangovers. They spoke of feeling low, irritable, angry, sad and lonely. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/179433/original/file-20170724-7881-1g1jprc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/179433/original/file-20170724-7881-1g1jprc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179433/original/file-20170724-7881-1g1jprc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179433/original/file-20170724-7881-1g1jprc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179433/original/file-20170724-7881-1g1jprc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179433/original/file-20170724-7881-1g1jprc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179433/original/file-20170724-7881-1g1jprc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hangover 101.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But they also felt that reducing alcohol consumption was not an option for minimising the effects. Hangovers were expected – and even planned for in their day to day lives. These findings are consistent with the animal research, suggesting a lesser impact for the youthful. For younger adults, hangovers may not be a powerful disincentive to heavy drinking. </p>
<p>We also found that some students actually considered hangovers to have a positive role in promoting group socialising. Communal experiences of hangover were presented as beneficial – of suffering the symptoms “all together”. </p>
<h2>About last night</h2>
<p>Hangovers were viewed as a continuation of the socialising from the previous evening, which included reminiscing about drunken activities from the night before. Similar to the adolescent rats engaging in social behaviours such as play fighting while hungover, it appears that for younger drinkers a hangover is part of the social experience of drinking. </p>
<p>Universities have long been thought of as places where young people learn not just about their chosen academic subject, but also the effects of drinking alcohol. For many, having a hangover is part of the university experience.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/179778/original/file-20170726-30125-5q4c6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/179778/original/file-20170726-30125-5q4c6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179778/original/file-20170726-30125-5q4c6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179778/original/file-20170726-30125-5q4c6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179778/original/file-20170726-30125-5q4c6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179778/original/file-20170726-30125-5q4c6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179778/original/file-20170726-30125-5q4c6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Misery loves take-aways.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Samuel Antony Merry</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>How it affects their actual studies, we cannot yet be sure. <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-you-should-be-wary-of-going-to-work-with-a-hangover-78139">Recent research</a> suggests that hangovers have a significant affect on how we carry out routine activities such as work and driving. On any given work day, <a href="http://www.ias.org.uk/uploads/pdf/Factsheets/Alcohol%20in%20the%20workplace%20factsheet%20March%202014.pdf">around 200,000 British workers</a> turn up to work hungover. </p>
<p>Nor is research into the social element of hangovers complete. Fittingly perhaps, the overall effects on mood and interaction are not yet clear – blurry, even. </p>
<p>For some, hangovers are a time of psychological discomfort, accompanied by low mood. For others, they are an enjoyable extension of social drinking – when it really does seem that misery loves company.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/78140/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The morning after can be tough. But company sometimes eases the pain.Sally Adams, Lecturer in Health Psychology, University of BathChristine Griffin, Professor of Social Psychology, University of BathPaula Smith, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of BathLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/781392017-06-26T13:38:43Z2017-06-26T13:38:43ZWhy you should be wary of going to work with a hangover<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/175586/original/file-20170626-32766-eix11r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Not fully functioning.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/man-hangover-medicines-messy-room-after-620391044?src=PHwpfIJGzmfIYZUZfVaY5Q-2-19">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>If you have ever drunk alcohol, there’s a good chance you’ve also had a hangover. As a widely experienced result of alcoholic consumption, hangovers have a broad variety of familiar negative effects: vomiting, fatigue, headache and increased blood pressure are common physical reactions. Psychological symptoms can also include irritability, anxiety and depression. </p>
<p>But as familiar as these symptoms may be, a lack of research means hangovers remain something of a scientific mystery. While acute intoxication has been the subject of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=alcohol+intoxication">tens of thousands of research papers</a>, only a handful have ever investigated its <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=alcohol+hangover">after-effects</a>. </p>
<p>Hangovers are often mistakenly thought to be caused solely by dehydration. However the physical symptoms are <a href="https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh22-1/54-60.pdf">caused by several factors</a>, including dehydration and electrolyte imbalance (the thirst and light-headedness), inflammation of the stomach and intestines (the nausea and vomiting), disturbance of sleep and alcohol metabolism (the sweating). The cause of the psychological consequences is less well known, but it is likely that the cognitive and mood effects of hangover involve c<a href="http://www.chemistryviews.org/details/ezine/1080019/Chemistry_of_a_Hangover__Alcohol_and_its_Consequences_Part_3.html">hanges in neurotransmitter function</a> in the brain. </p>
<p>Hangovers clearly have a negative impact on health. Yet they are often ignored in public health messages on the use of alcohol. Hangovers also bring a significant economic cost – and it is a cost which is difficult to quantify. The British government estimates that hangovers (and other alcohol-related illnesses) cost the UK economy <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3121440.stm">17m working days of absenteeism</a> every year. But what about the people who do show up for work after a night of drinking?</p>
<p>A recent survey revealed that on any given work day around <a href="http://www.ias.org.uk/uploads/pdf/Factsheets/Alcohol%20in%20the%20workplace%20factsheet%20March%202014.pdf">200,000 British workers turn up to work hungover</a>. How productive or professional can they be while their bodies are busy processing the physical impact of the wine or beer they consumed the night before?</p>
<p>Hangovers have also <a href="https://occup-med.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1745-6673-5-13">been linked to</a> increased conflicts at work, reduced job completion and inefficiency. <a href="http://www.ias.org.uk/uploads/pdf/Factsheets/Alcohol%20in%20the%20workplace%20factsheet%20March%202014.pdf">A recent survey</a> showed 83% of employees felt that being hungover made a difference to their work. Of these, 22% admitted making mistakes as a result of being hungover and a third admitted that they “drift off and don’t work at their usual pace”. </p>
<p>Alcohol intoxication itself impairs major elements of brain function, and affects our capabilities to assess risk and make decisions. It also cuts attention levels and memory. It is not fully understood how these effects might continue during the recovery process.</p>
<p>The trouble is, measuring a hangover and its effects on work performance is not easy. Surveys often rely on people’s own assessment of hangover symptoms and opinion of their work performance. </p>
<p><a href="https://academic.oup.com/alcalc/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/alcalc/agm160">One research review</a> found that of 13 studies examining the effect of alcohol hangover on brain function, only five showed a detrimental effect from hangovers. They found impairment in recall, long-term memory, focus and management. But the low number of studies which showed the harmful effects of hangovers may just be down to poor research methods. </p>
<p>Finding subjects can be tricky. The last thing someone suffering from a hangover might want is to go through a series of complicated tests. These studies involve participants being given a controlled amount of alcohol in a laboratory setting to induce a hangover. Or they may be asked to engage in a normal evening’s drinking before arriving at the laboratory the next morning. They are then asked to perform a range of computerised tasks designed to probe cognition levels. But so far, scientists have not yet been able to fully explore the effects of alcohol on cognitive processing in the hangover phase. </p>
<h2>The journey after the night before</h2>
<p>Another area in need of investigation is the <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00213-014-3474-9">hangover’s influence on driving behaviour</a>. Most drivers will judge that they are safe to drive after an episode of drinking by estimating when there is no alcohol in their system. This is also the point at which hangover begins to take hold. Hangover is defined by most experts as the point when an individual’s blood alcohol concentration is zero, when all the alcohol has left the bloodstream. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bl5oeomodRs?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00213-014-3474-9">Motorists have indicated</a> that their driving quality is poorer and less safe when they were hungover. In tests using driving simulators, they swerved more and had increased lapses of attention when hungover. But with just one study examining the impact of hangovers on driving, it is essential that further research is undertaken. </p>
<p>What we do know suggests that hangovers affect our ability to carry out everyday activities and we may have to adjust our understanding of the impact of hangovers on our lives. A hangover at work may become as frowned upon as turning up drunk at the office. Hungover driving might be seen as widely unacceptable as drink driving has become. It’s a sobering thought.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/78139/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sally Adams does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The science is still hazy - but our abilities are clearly affected during the recovery period.Sally Adams, Lecturer in Health Psychology, University of BathLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/510272015-12-21T20:04:38Z2015-12-21T20:04:38ZGot a hangover? Here’s what’s happening in your body<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106138/original/image-20151215-23182-1rkbkta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C79%2C1024%2C603&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">If the only liquid you consume is alcoholic, you'll become dehydrated, especially in warmer climates.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ktoine/5341059530/">Antoine K/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s that time of year when we raise a glass to celebrate Christmas, the beginning of holidays, the new year, or simply to join with our friends. Many of us will pay a price, even if it’s “just” in the form of a hangover. </p>
<p>Hangovers affect people in <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hup.1023/abstract;jsessionid=8643AABEBB9949578BC8193DD89C5C51.f01t02http:/onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hup.1023/abstract;jsessionid=8643AABEBB9949578BC8193DD89C5C51.f01t02">different ways</a>, ranging from simple discomfort to such a debilitating experience you vow to “never drink again!”. Symptoms, of course, include nausea, tiredness, dehydration and, very commonly, <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1526-4610.2006.00694.x/abstracthttp:/onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1526-4610.2006.00694.x/abstract">a pounding head</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106141/original/image-20151215-23172-41uvhc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106141/original/image-20151215-23172-41uvhc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=904&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106141/original/image-20151215-23172-41uvhc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=904&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106141/original/image-20151215-23172-41uvhc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=904&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106141/original/image-20151215-23172-41uvhc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1135&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106141/original/image-20151215-23172-41uvhc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1135&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106141/original/image-20151215-23172-41uvhc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1135&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Never drinking again?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/brossiekoppie/1433385024/">PeterVermaercke/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Hangover headaches have multiple <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hup.1023/abstracthttp:/onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hup.1023/abstract">potential causes</a>. These include electrolyte imbalances, vasodilation (widening of blood vessels) and effects on various hormones and neurotransmitters that have been linked to the experience of a headache. </p>
<p>Why does drinking too much <a href="https:/www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/publications/attachments/ds10-alcohol.pdf">leave you feeling</a> so rotten?</p>
<p>Alcohol has a <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hup.1023/abstracthttp:/onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hup.1023/abstract">diuretic effect</a>, which makes you need to urinate more frequently. If the only liquid you consume is alcoholic, you’ll become dehydrated, especially in warmer climates. </p>
<p>So make sure you are hydrated before you start, don’t slake your thirst with alcohol, and alternate alcoholic drinks with water. </p>
<p>But beware – water is <em>not</em> the cure for a hangover. It will help prevent dehydration, but there are other culprits for that morning-after feeling.</p>
<p>Drinking more, drinking quickly and drinking on an empty stomach will all ensure a higher blood alcohol level. That means more intoxication and a greater risk of hangover (and perhaps that dreadful question of “did I really call my ex at 4am?” or “did I really say that to my boss?”). </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106140/original/image-20151215-23172-8l1rik.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106140/original/image-20151215-23172-8l1rik.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106140/original/image-20151215-23172-8l1rik.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106140/original/image-20151215-23172-8l1rik.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106140/original/image-20151215-23172-8l1rik.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106140/original/image-20151215-23172-8l1rik.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106140/original/image-20151215-23172-8l1rik.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Going drink for drink will catch up with you.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/simon_cocks/4922320119/">Simon Cocks/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Going “drink for drink” with someone bigger than you will mean you will have a higher blood alcohol level than them.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2125562/">Some researchers argue</a> peak blood alcohol level is <em>not</em> the key contributor to hangovers. Alcohol is metabolised into acetaldehyde, which is toxic (it can cause flushing, nausea and significant discomfort) and then into less harmful products that are eliminated. They <a href="http://www.mineralmed.com.pt/documentos/pdf/b2067e6f-4a87-4647-a32e-0593821831a3.pdf">conclude</a> that acetaldehyde is a <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hup.1023/abstract">key suspect</a> in hangovers, even though it has largely been metabolised by the time a hangover really kicks in.</p>
<p>Heavy drinking also results in poor sleep. Alcohol is a soporific and many of us fall asleep more quickly after drinking. But we are <a href="http:/onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hup.1023/abstract">less likely</a> to get the quality rapid eye movement sleep required to wake feeling refreshed. </p>
<p>Compounding this, alcohol can affect the respiratory system, potentially contributing to snoring; the diuretic effects may mean you need to make frequent visits to the toilet; and gastric irritation from drinking too much contributes to feeling sick.</p>
<p>Some of us are more sensitive to certain beverages. This may be because of chemicals called <a href="http:/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3674844/">congeners</a>, which are products of the fermentation process. Congeners contribute to the taste and colour of a drink; they might also contribute to the severity of a hangover. Darker drinks, such as red wine, bourbon, brandy and whisky, are generally higher in congeners than, for example, white wine and vodka, and this might mean worse hangovers. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106139/original/image-20151215-23210-uk8hur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106139/original/image-20151215-23210-uk8hur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106139/original/image-20151215-23210-uk8hur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106139/original/image-20151215-23210-uk8hur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106139/original/image-20151215-23210-uk8hur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106139/original/image-20151215-23210-uk8hur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106139/original/image-20151215-23210-uk8hur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Darker drinks are generally higher in congeners.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/71284893@N00/4317577251/">boo lee/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>You might also be particularly susceptible to preservatives used in some alcoholic products. But preservative-free doesn’t mean hangover-free.</p>
<p>Common wisdom is that you shouldn’t mix your drinks. There isn’t some mysterious chemical process at play: mixing your drinks is more likely to be accompanied by simply drinking more. Another myth is that your hangover was caused by that final drink, but those preceding it made their accumulating contribution.</p>
<p>If, like me, you are no longer the youngest in the room, you might experience more <a href="http:/onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acer.12238/full">severe hangovers</a>. As you age, the proportion of water and muscle tissue in your body decreases. This can influence how long alcohol stays in your body and how it affects you: the same amount of alcohol will have more effect on you as you age. </p>
<p>You might also find sleep more easily disturbed. And some medications might be associated with particular risks. Check with your doctor and pharmacist.</p>
<p>Finally, you might not just be feeling bad – a severe hangover can leave you impaired. You might not be safe to drive or operate machinery the following day. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, despite some well-publicised claims, <a href="http://www.bmj.com/content/335/7633/1288.short">there is no “cure”</a> for hangovers. A hangover is your body’s way of saying you drank too much. Prevent it by drinking less alcohol, ensuring you’re hydrated and only drinking alcohol with or after food.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/51027/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Steve Allsop receives funding from Department of Health, Australian Government, WA Government, NHMRC, Curtin University. </span></em></p>Why does drinking too much leave you feeling so rotten?Steve Allsop, Professor and Director, National Drug Research Institute, Curtin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/350892014-12-31T15:46:02Z2014-12-31T15:46:02ZAncient hangover cures to get you through the new year<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/66379/original/image-20141205-7252-6rqmgz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Should have stuck to white ...</span> </figcaption></figure><p>Slightly over-indulged in wine this festive season? Suffering from throbbing headache, dry mouth, and nausea after the office Christmas party? The hair of the dog somehow does not appeal? Are you looking for time-tested cures? Fear not: these Greek and Roman remedies to alleviate a hangover or prevent one will come in handy. </p>
<p>In the ancient understanding of the body, drunkenness, and attendant headache, nausea and dizziness, are caused by an imbalance in your humours. Excess wine will cause over-heating of your humours, and you must try to use cooling agents to feel better.</p>
<h2>Don’t be a barbarian</h2>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/66385/original/image-20141205-28151-zumzb8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/66385/original/image-20141205-28151-zumzb8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66385/original/image-20141205-28151-zumzb8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66385/original/image-20141205-28151-zumzb8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66385/original/image-20141205-28151-zumzb8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66385/original/image-20141205-28151-zumzb8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66385/original/image-20141205-28151-zumzb8.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Undiluted barbarism in ancient Scythia.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Dilute your wine with water – the water will temper the heating effect of the wine. The Greeks and Romans frowned upon anyone who drank their wine “neat”, as in their opinion, this showed clear lack of self-control. </p>
<p>“Barbarians”, and in particular the northern Scythians, had a bad reputation among the Greeks and Romans for their drinking of undiluted wine, a clear sign of their lack of civilisation. It is from Scythia, however, that came the wise man <a href="https://www.princeton.edu/%7Eachaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Anacharsis.html">Anacharsis</a> (sixth century BCE), who allegedly uttered the following pearl of wisdom: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The vine bears three kinds of grapes: the first of pleasure, the next of intoxication, and the third of disgust. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Water in your wine will allow you to enjoy the first of these three grapes, without suffering from the poisoning effects of the two others.</p>
<h2>Women: stick to white</h2>
<p>Try to drink white wine rather than red wine. Wine is, according to the ancients, haemopoietic – it creates blood. The ancients did not know that blood circulates in the body; instead they thought food and drink were transformed into blood in the liver, whence it was distributed to the other organs, which used that blood up to perform functions such as breathing.</p>
<p>Haemopoietic products such as wine are of course useful, but should be consumed carefully, as excess blood leads to all sorts of dangerous ailments. Red wine, because it is closer to blood in appearance, is more haemopoietic than white wine, and therefore more likely to make you feel unwell when over-consumed. </p>
<p>This is particularly relevant if you are female, as according to the ancients, you are then less able to process food into blood (which <a href="https://theconversation.com/four-weird-ideas-people-used-to-have-about-womens-periods-30623">explains your need to menstruate</a>).</p>
<h2>Wear flowers in your hair</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/66381/original/image-20141205-7252-1q8xkg9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/66381/original/image-20141205-7252-1q8xkg9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=687&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66381/original/image-20141205-7252-1q8xkg9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=687&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66381/original/image-20141205-7252-1q8xkg9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=687&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66381/original/image-20141205-7252-1q8xkg9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=863&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66381/original/image-20141205-7252-1q8xkg9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=863&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66381/original/image-20141205-7252-1q8xkg9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=863&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Nailed it.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Emulate the example of your teenager daughter (niece, granddaughter, neighbour) at the latest festival and wear a wreath of ivy or flowers while drinking. The smell of flowers such as roses or myrtle will cool down your bad humours and relieve any headache. But try to avoid flowers with a heavy scent such a lilies. </p>
<p>Believe it or not, Greek and Roman physicians devoted entire treatises to the topic of curative wreaths. Unfortunately, these works are now lost, save for short extracts. I am not certain whether the wreath you have hung on your door for Christmas will serve this healing purpose. </p>
<h2>Sour humour</h2>
<p>Drink vinegar, perhaps with the addition of some herbs or flowers: the soured wine will counteract the wine that has already soured in your belly. </p>
<p>If you can’t stomach the vinegar you have drunk, you will be purged, which was considered a positive outcome in ancient medicine. Indeed, getting rid of bad humours is as good an effect as any.</p>
<h2>Activate your almonds</h2>
<p>Eat five almonds before drinking, as according to the great pharmacologist <a href="http://penelope.uchicago.edu/%7Egrout/encyclopaedia_romana/aconite/materiamedica.html">Dioscorides</a> (first century CE), this will prevent drunkenness. It can’t hurt and chances are you will have received a festive pack of nuts from your great aunt. </p>
<h2>Make friends with cabbage</h2>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/66383/original/image-20141205-28151-hacc8r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/66383/original/image-20141205-28151-hacc8r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/66383/original/image-20141205-28151-hacc8r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66383/original/image-20141205-28151-hacc8r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66383/original/image-20141205-28151-hacc8r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66383/original/image-20141205-28151-hacc8r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66383/original/image-20141205-28151-hacc8r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66383/original/image-20141205-28151-hacc8r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Pass the Berocca.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symposium#mediaviewer/File:Nationalmuseet_-_Cophenaghen_-_brygos_vomiting1.jpg">Bolo77</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Put your Brussels sprouts and other cabbage to good use. The Greeks and Romans believed that the vine and the cabbage were natural enemies. They thought the vine had the capacity to perceive the smell of cabbage and refused to grow properly in the vicinity of the pungent vegetable. By extension, cabbage will counteract an excess of wine in your belly. Raw cabbage may work better than cooked.</p>
<h2>Read the classics</h2>
<p>Follow the wise advice of the author Vindanius Anatolius of Beirut (fourth century CE) and discuss ancient history to sober up. You will find sobering examples in stories such as that of the demise of <a href="http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/cleomene.html">Cleomenes</a>, king of Sparta, who became mad because of his habit of drinking neat wine. </p>
<p>Alternatively, concentrating on retelling or listening to ancient stories will distract you from incipient drunkenness. Or perhaps this will send you to sleep, which, all things considered, is probably no bad thing.</p>
<p><em>Although the remedies outlined here are relatively safe, the author does not recommend their use and declines all responsibility.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/35089/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Laurence Totelin received funding from the Wellcome Trust.</span></em></p>The Greeks and Romans were fond of overindulging. They had a variety of hangover cures ranging from almonds to flower wreaths.Laurence Totelin, Senior Lecturer in Ancient History, Cardiff UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.