I searched through the archives but everything I found was about how to cure a hangover. I want to know exactly what causes them. Trucido posits that formaldehyde, created by the breakdown of methanol is a major contributor. I have also read/heard that dehydration and changes in blood sugar levels are major contributors. These may all be contributors, but which is the largest? Is there anything else missing? Qadgop mentioned in another thread that ethanol causes several of the physiological effects which contribute to the sensation of hangover. Any others out there? I want the Straight Dope!
The simple explanation is that alcohol causes dehydration and breaks down the sugars in your body, either one of which will give you a headache in its own right. A good hangover aid will replace both water and sugar.
Hi chique, I was certain you were going to mention the tannins in red wine. Can you experiment with this on your trip to Spain? Or just bring me back a nice bottle of red?
And I always thought it was from those drinks that mix liquor with sweet liquids. Now you say sweets help rather than hurt the situation. Would the idea of drinking coffee come from the fact that you are drinking a water based liquid with sugar in it?
Ah, but you’re asking about hangovers, Shib, not allergies And if I can cram a bottle of red in my suitcase without losing space for my Diamante…sure
kniz, like I said, IANAD. This info came to me from too many Navy drug and alcohol lectures and several years of perfecting my own hangover cure [sub](orange Gatorade and a king-sized Snickers bar - orange Gatorade cos I can’t drink water first thing on the best of mornings, and Snickers cos…well, they’re Snickers, you know?)[/sub] Also coming from a family that has lots of diabetics I’m somewhat aware of how food and drink affects blood sugar. As for sugary drinks? How 'bout a SWAG that you’re urinating too much to keep the sugar in you long enough for it to do any good, and the sugar has you drinking more cos the drink just tastes so good?
And coffee’s a diuretic - not so sure that’s a good idea, although it does clear one’s head, no?
:: Waits patiently for someone to tear her argument apart ::
Coffee is used for the caffeine, the pick me up is ‘supposed’ to help a drunk get their legs back. In effect, all you get is a wired drunk. Anyway, what kind of maniac puts sugar in their coffee?
Good question. I think part of the answer is similar to Trucido’s suggestion. Alcohol is broken down into an aldehyde as part of its elimination from the body. From this site:
I think it really depends on the species of the dog that bit you.
I have migraine, and get terrible hangovers from drinking most adult beverages. The worst, unfortunately, is Scotch whiskey…because I really enjoy the taste of a fine malt.
I can drink a “triple distilled” Vodka, such as Skye’s, without much hangover, but I don’t tend to do so, since what I like in a drink is the taste, and Vodka is, to me, tasteless. It may get you “drunk,” but I don’t find stupifaction per se to be enjoyable.
Ethanol is intoxicating. It has several physiologic effects, besides intoxication. It inhibits Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH), which causes you to pee a lot. This can lead to dehydration. A remedy for this is to drink plenty of H20.
I suspect that there is a lot of “crap” in various alcoholic beverages. These include higher alcohols, aldehydes, and ketones, some of which undoubtedly will make you feel sick. Some of them probably make my beloved Scots whiskey taste great but prohibit me from indulging too much in it…
And there are some beverages that can be outright toxic. “Grappa,” made from grapevine stems (wood) is a classic example. More than a few afficionados in Italy, France, and Spain have gone blind or worse from ingesting the methanol of sloppily prepared brews.
“Absinthe” is another example. I understand that there is a product currently marketed as “Absinthe” that is free of this problem. Real absinthe has been illegal for some time.
Shibboleth, I got that bit from an article on a drug used to treat methanol poisoning. In addition to the testing for medical use, an additional unscientific test was conducted. The general consensus was that using the methanol-blocking drug noticeably reduced the severity of a hangover. Note, though, that ‘unscientific’ bit. I’ve been unable to convince any significant sample of people to imbibe methanol or formaldehyde so the theory can be tested. There’s also no good way to measure the severity of a hangover.
I’ve got to look this drug up again. Could be a blockbuster seller.
Can’t find the exact article, but I found some things in that general direction. Check here and search the page for ‘pyrazole.’ Doesn’t support the methanol hypothesis at all, but it might help answer your question, and suggest a decently scientific experiment.
