# Why doesn't Vodka give me hangovers like other booze? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 27, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263 "2003-01-27T16:41:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263/1 "2003-01-27T16:41:52Z")
I got right pissed on Vodka the other night. I drank it in the form of two different drinks: Seagrams “Xtra” Vodka cooler - 7% (4-5 big glasses) Bernse’s home-made Screwdrivers - Approx - 20% or so (about 5-6 or so of the same big glasses. Big glasses in my case are large A&W Root Beer mugs) I was feeling no pain and went to bed. I awoke the next AM with absolutely no symptoms of a hangover whatsoever. Zero. And now that I think of it, I don’t think I can ever recall being hung-over from Vodka. However, if I drank roughly the same quantity of Rye, I’d have (and had in the past) a 3 alarm hangover where my hair would hurt. Beer can give me a hangover too, if I go overboard. Any ideas why Vodka has fewer “side effects” for me? ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263/2 "2003-01-27T16:59:17Z")
A rule of thumb is that if it’s coloured it will give you worse hangovers. Thus vodka is much nicer to your poor head than, say, brandy or whisky. The same goes for wine. ---
**Author:** ![rimfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@rimfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rimfire)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263/3 "2003-01-27T17:04:44Z")
It doesn’t? Somebody tell my head! ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263/4 "2003-01-27T17:16:20Z")
Scotch is the spirit that is reputed not to give one a hangover. So much for the color theory\*\*\*?\*\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263/5 "2003-01-27T17:26:06Z")
Try [this site](http://www.aussiepubs.com.au/info/hang.htm)! Or [this](http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2001/december/drinks.htm)! Or [this](http://www.flare.com/health/ja03_hangover.html)! They and a number of other sites all agree on the colour theory. I rest my case. > [@](#): > > This explains why some drinks may give you a worse hangover than others, because, in general, darker-coloured drinks, such as whisky, brandy and red wine, have more of these congeners. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@The\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Face)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263/6 "2003-01-27T17:36:00Z")
If I recall correctly…generally anything with higher sugar content gives worse/longer hangovers. the sugars slow down the bodies ability to process and break alcohol. thus Rye and WATER or Scotch and WATER, as opposed to mixers with sodaor wine,tend to affect you less. the other big factor is how dehydrated you get ,alcohol AND soda both suck the water out of you. ---
**Author:** ![Coda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Coda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coda)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263/7 "2003-01-27T17:48:36Z")
Well **Bernse** , all I have to say is give it time… It will eventually give you a hangover the longer you drink it. And Hangovers are caused largely by dehydration. So judging by how much liquid you say you drank and how pissed you were, it is not surprising you didn’t have a hangover. I do not know how old you are but I’d guess you are in your twenties. I remember the good old days of no hangovers…AHHHHHHH!!! ---
**Author:** ![tsunamisurfer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@tsunamisurfer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tsunamisurfer)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263/8 "2003-01-27T18:04:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Floater \* > \*\*Try [this site](http://www.aussiepubs.com.au/info/hang.htm)! Or [this](http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2001/december/drinks.htm)! Or [this](http://www.flare.com/health/ja03_hangover.html)! They and a number of other sites all agree on the colour theory. I rest my case. \*\* Case reopened. Your first cite is an Aussie pub, which also offers this morsel: “The best alcohol to use to cure a hangover is a Bloody Mary - It will first shock and then relax your system.” Your second cite is an online African epub of unknown scientific veracity. The link to Merck doesn’t sway me. Your third cite appears to be an online fashion magazine. What next–People Magazine? Cheers, tsunamisurfer ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263/9 "2003-01-27T18:17:10Z")
They were just three of the first hits of I don’t know how many when I googled for “coloured”, “alcohol” and “hangover”. There were several more. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263/10 "2003-01-27T18:23:22Z")
I dunno…tequila and gin have given me hellacious hangovers and both are fairly clear (or completely clear). I will say that I have noticed that higher grades of a given alcohol tend to give me lighter hangovers. E.G. the $12/gallon plastic Jug-o-To-Kill-Ya vs. Cuervo 1800. PLastic jug stuf can REALLY hurt! ---
**Author:** ![Jane\_D\_oh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/839c29/32.png) [@Jane\_D\_oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jane_D_oh)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263/11 "2003-01-27T18:30:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bernse \* > \*\*I got right pissed on Vodka the other night… > Any ideas why Vodka has fewer “side effects” for me? \*\* My thought would be that even though you were right pissed, you still didn’t drink enough of it to get a hangover. Trust me on this, (or don’t, try it yoursef if you must) drink enough of it and you will get a hangover. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263/12 "2003-01-27T18:52:19Z")
> [@](#): > > My thought would be that even though you were right pissed, you still didn’t drink enough of it to get a hangover. I suspect you might be right, if I drank double/triple the amount I may have had a hangover. I’m not saying it is impossible for Vodka to make me hungover. BUT - If I drank the same amount of Rye as I did Vodka (which has the same alcohol/volume), I am absolutely certain I would have wished death upon myself. That is my question. > [@](#): > > I do not know how old you are but I’d guess you are in your twenties. Close! But, I did turn 30 last year. Old enough to have had my share of bad days that came from good nights. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263/13 "2003-01-27T20:29:24Z")
Something very of true of vodka- the better the quality the less the hangover. ‘Bar’ vodka will usually still hang you over some even if its less than other spirits. But top shelf, besides being smoother, will often not be nearly as bad the next day. ---
**Author:** ![AZCowboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/97f17d/32.png) [@AZCowboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AZCowboy)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263/14 "2003-01-27T20:55:55Z")
I’ll wait to see if someone has a more definitive answer, but I give weight to **The Face’s** post, that there is a direct correlation between the amount of sugar and the depth of the hangover. In this case, the hangover from drinking tequila is alot worse if drinking margaritas versus shots. Likewise, I also believe that dehydration is a major contributor to hangovers, and regardless what you drink, if you also drink alot of water at the same time (or before you retire for the evening), the effect of the hangover will be greatly reduced. Unfortunately, I cannot relate these two beliefs with any of the OP. ---
**Author:** ![johnboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e47c2d/32.png) [@johnboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnboy)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263/15 "2003-01-27T22:00:50Z")
I heard somewhere that in the case of Vodka, the more expensive Vodkas are made with more closely monitored distillation processes. As we all know, the distillation points of methanol and ethanol are not too far apart. Methanol is poisonous (Ethanol [grain alcohol] is poisonous too, for that matter but Methanol [wood alcohol] will cause blindness even in very small quantities. I’ve been told by some armchair chemists that it’s the methanol that contributes to the hangover. ---
**Author:** ![Anomalocaris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b77776/32.png) [@Anomalocaris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anomalocaris)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263/16 "2003-01-27T23:16:15Z")
If you draw whisky through a 20 micrometer filter, you will obtain a liquid that is crystal-clear and tastes the same as whisky, but doesn’t give you a hangover. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263/17 "2003-01-27T23:31:18Z")
Anomalocaris, Where do I get a 20 micrometer filter? 🙂 Anyway, I think Hail Ants and Anomalocaris have it pretty close. 'Course here in North Carolina we have a different definiton of “Clear” Liquor. Dosen’t leave you with a hangover though. (So I’ve been told.) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BioHazard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3bc359/32.png) [@BioHazard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BioHazard)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263/18 "2003-01-27T23:58:38Z")
I’ve Noticed this too about Vodka, but once again it depends on teh brand. Aristoctrat seemed to give me REALLY bad ones, even when I didn’tdrink enough to get drunk. I’d WAG that its a brand/type of alcohol VS. Personal Metabolism. In other words, everyone will have different types. Black Velvet is my drink of choice, I have never gotten a hangover of it, not even when I drank a whole mid size (1 liter?) bottle in only a few hours (aah…I miss camping sooo much). ---
**Author:** ![J\_String](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@J\_String](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_String)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263/19 "2003-01-27T23:59:49Z")
It’s the congeners man… [http://www.all-about-hangovers.com/html/congeners.html](http://www.all-about-hangovers.com/html/congeners.html) ---
**Author:** ![wooba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/aeb1de/32.png) [@wooba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wooba)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2003, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263/20 "2003-01-28T06:57:27Z")
Perhaps there are other factors at work… mostly how much water you’ve had or how much food you have… I generally only drink vodka or southern comfort… with an empty stomach both have had me hung over with small amounts… with a full stomach I can drink a hell of a lot or either with little impact… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263.md?page=2)