Role of Adrenaline in Processing Alcohol?

Factual Questions
1

I noted a distinct difference in how my body seems to process alcohol if I am experiencing an adrenaline rush - to whit:

  • I play in a band and gigged this weekend. Very pumped, in Performance Mode - lots of high energy and sweat. Many (many) shots and beers later, I fall into bed at about 3am. I wake up at 8am, make the kids breakfast and play baseball catch with my son. No real headache or other symptoms except a basic sluggishness which might just be written off to the (few) hours I slept.

  • Last night I make dinner and split, oh, a bottle and a half of wine with my wife and a friend who came over. I wake up at 4am with a headache - clearly hungover. Creaky, cotton-mouth - yuck. Drink lots of water and ride the exercise bike and life returned to normal.

What gives?

2

Did the wine contain sulfites? I know people who have a problem handling sulfites.

3

It was a commonly available red wine, so I suspect that yes, it did contain sulfites. Worth looking into - but I am pretty sure I get a hungover feeling consuming beer and spirits in roughly the same amount as the wine I drank. But the other night - I had a lot more. And felt much less. So I suspect - obviously since I am starting this thread - that there is more to it than that…