# allergic to alcohol? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 3, 2005, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-alcohol/282757 "2005-01-03T00:23:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9d8465/32.png) [@wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_in_second_hand_clothing)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-alcohol/282757/1 "2005-01-03T00:23:05Z")
Whenever I drink alcohol, I get **very** red in the face and even get patches of red down my arms and chest. It even starts up before I’m drunk, getting red spots on my face and neck first after only one or two drinks. I also tend to get somehwhat congested, which some people also do, but some don’t. I don’t seem to be particularly affected by alcohol, considering my size, I can keep up with people quite larger than me and I’m not exceptionally prone to hangovers, only really getting them if I manage to dehydrate myself or go a long time without eating. So does it sound like I’m allergic, or maybe just have a very pronounced version of the ruddy face that everyone gets? ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9d8465/32.png) [@wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_in_second_hand_clothing)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-alcohol/282757/2 "2005-01-03T00:24:16Z")
Oh, and to clarify, when I turn red, I don’t get any hives or bumps. My skin just turns bright red. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-alcohol/282757/3 "2005-01-03T00:51:46Z")
Your system is telling you something. Listen to it. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-alcohol/282757/4 "2005-01-03T01:11:55Z")
You don’t indicate what kind of hooch you’re fond of-some types may contain sulfites as preservatives, and it is possible that you’re having a sulfite reaction. [Here’s a .pdf from a source in NZ.](http://www.druginformation.co.nz/Bulletins/SulphurAllergy.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-alcohol/282757/5 "2005-01-03T01:16:32Z")
Are you exposed to any solvents or hydrocarbons at work or at home? [Alcohol potentiates TCE’s effects on the central nervous system (CNS). Concurrent alcohol consumption and exposure to TCE can result in “degreaser’s flush,” a temporary redness and itching of the back, neck, and face.](http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HEC/CSEM/tce/who's_at_risk.html) If there is no exposure to TCE it may be due to the same mechanism and another toxin. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-alcohol/282757/6 "2005-01-03T01:21:49Z")
[Here’s a link describing the mechanisms causing flushing.](http://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/diseasemanagement/endocrinology/flushing/flushing.htm) Sorry, this should have been part of my preceding post. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-alcohol/282757/7 "2005-01-03T01:22:02Z")
Are you of Asian descent? Alcohol-induced flushing is not rare in Asian individuals. Sometimes the alcohol flush occurs in people who are taking certain medicines (eg. chlorpropamide for diabetes, Flagyl and certain cephalosporin antibiotics) when they drink. The prototype flush (and many other unpleasant side effects) occurs when people using a medication called disulfiram take alcohol. It is actually used in the treatment of alcoholism (i.e. if you drink while taking it, you’ll be sorry). ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-alcohol/282757/8 "2005-01-03T01:36:21Z")
I’m certainly not a doctor, but with the little information you gave, it seems like it could be one of a few things. While having dinner with a few co-workers a month ago or so, they explained to me that after just one drink, they would both turn bright red. And they did. There explanation was it was some inactive enzyme. Both are of Asian decent. They also mentioned not really experiencing hangovers the next day. A quick search netted [this site with some more info](http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/2327.html) - I have no idea if this \*only \*affects people of Asian decent, but, well, there you have it. Or It could be a reaction to sulfites, it could be rosacea, or maybe something else entirely. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9d8465/32.png) [@wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_in_second_hand_clothing)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-alcohol/282757/9 "2005-01-03T01:47:29Z")
My mother is japanese, but neither she, nor anyone on that side of my family ever drinks, so I never thought about that. I also don’t make a habit of talking about my drinking and the strange resulting reactions. Well, that’s just great. I can handle being lactose intolerant, but this lack of enzymes business is getting downright annoying if it affects my rampant alcoholism\*. - I kid, I kid. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-alcohol/282757/10 "2005-01-03T02:23:03Z")
I also turn red when I drink, but my flushness is just in the face (cheeks and ears). I am not one drop Asian. I have noticed as I get older and drink more (a few times a month instead of a few times a year) I am less prone to turning red. I don’t ever drink beer, I prefer liquor. Seems to hapen MOST with wine. FWIW I also get a little flush from stuff like ketchup and salsa - spiced, concentrated tomato products, and orange juice. I am guessing for me it’s the acid in these items that makes me ruddy. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-alcohol/282757/11 "2005-01-03T02:33:48Z")
Forgot to add that it takes ALOT to get me drunk (even though I’m a big person, still takes a good bit) and I have never had a hangover. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-alcohol/282757/12 "2005-01-03T03:41:20Z")
My wife gets this sometimes, and she isn’t Asian either. We’ve basically narrowed it down to certain types of (usually cheap) wine and vodka. We’re thinking it’s likely sulfites in her case. **Wolf** , does it always happen with every kind of alcohol? I mean, if it happens every single time, whether you drink ale, lager, red wine, white wine, rice wine, vodka, rum, scotch, bourbon, gin, tequila, etc… then it probably _is_ the enzyme. (better start experimenting!) It does afflict a rather large percentage of Asians, but it doesn’t seem to stop the beat-red Japanese businessmen I’ve seen (which isn’t really that many 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9d8465/32.png) [@wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_in_second_hand_clothing)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-alcohol/282757/13 "2005-01-03T04:41:36Z")
Yep, pretty much everything I drink. Usually I’ll have beer or whiskey (inc. bourbon and scotch) but I even flush with wine, gin, rum, jager, etc. Most of it _is_ pretty cheap, as my primary cause for drinking isn’t to be a connoisseur and savor the taste. I was mostly just curious as to what was happening, I never really thought I was in danger or felt more sick than would be expected. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-alcohol/282757/14 "2005-01-03T04:55:41Z")
Trivia: which _Gilligan’s Island_ character was allergic to alcohol? ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-alcohol/282757/15 "2005-01-03T08:46:03Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Trivia: which _Gilligan’s Island_ character was allergic to alcohol? Skipper ( A. Hale) ? ---
**Author:** ![Blot-Sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/74df32/32.png) [@Blot-Sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blot-Sven)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-alcohol/282757/16 "2005-01-03T14:43:19Z")
I’m not of asian origin, but I also get reddy cheeks and ears – sometimes. I rarely happens nowadays, but actually hit me this christmas, drinking MacAllan (not cheap, as I imagine a few of you know). I feel my cheeks get heated, and looking in the mirror, they’re red, and the parts of my face which isn’t red, seems to get somewhat whiter. Not a pretty sight. It passed during the christmas night (while continued to drink whisky), and I won the Trivial Pursuit game looking healthy. I often got these symptoms in my upper teens, and it actually made me stop drinking gin (Gordon’s Dry), which I was particularly fond of, since that particular liqour always gave rise to these symptoms; I also got the redness on my hands. I have never noticed any pattern in this flushing, which still appears now and then, except I believe it always appears while drinking some kind of liqour. Talking about hangovers, I sometimes have’m, sometimes not. Just my contribution to this important study. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-alcohol/282757/17 "2005-01-03T14:52:58Z")
**wolf in second hand clothing** seems like you know why your mother’s family doesn’t drink! Just to say, if this is something that has always happened to you, it’s nothing to worry about, but someone who has NEVER reacted badly to alcohol and suddenly developes an itch or flushing whenever they drink should get checked out. ---
**Author:** ![Arwin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Arwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arwin)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-alcohol/282757/18 "2005-01-03T15:09:40Z")
Alcohol is toxic, but also to bacteria. That’s why in the west we’ve developed a habit of using it to make water drinkeable during the times where we didn’t have any decent alternatives. In Asia they decided they would just cook the water and get rid of the bacteria like that. That’s at least the reason i’ve heard for Westerners having a liver that can deal effectively with alcohol (it even turns it directly and very efficiently into fat), which otherwise is a poison. ---
**Author:** ![badmana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@badmana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badmana)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-alcohol/282757/19 "2005-01-03T15:13:40Z")
I don’t think people understand just how bad this can get. I don’t just get red cheeks and ears. I go full blown deep red (full body but mostly from my belly button up). I start looking Native Indian and my pulse races (the last time I touched alcohol 7 years ago I took a shot and mentally figured my pulse…it was 23 beats per 10 seconds ~138 beats a min resting). I’m 100% Japanese and I know my dad carried the defective gene (my mom’s dad drank a cup of hot sake each night and didn’t turn red). I also can get a reaction from alcohol touching my skin but I’m thinking it has more to do with the junk in some drinks than the alcohol itself. ---
**Author:** ![Arwin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Arwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arwin)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-alcohol/282757/20 "2005-01-03T15:45:44Z")
> [@badmana](#): > > I don’t think people understand just how bad this can get. I’m not sure \*you \* do. It could kill you. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-alcohol/282757.md?page=2)