# Why doesn't Vodka give me hangovers like other booze?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263>\
**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:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2003, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263/21 "2003-01-28T10:57:03Z")

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**wooba** , there’s a difference between what will get you more drunk and what will give you a bigger hangover. As far as hangovers go, **J String** has it right: it’s all in the congeners; the more there are, the more severe the headache.

As far as getting drunk goes, there are several factors that can speed up how drunk you get: drinking on an empty stomach; eating starchy foods _while_ drinking (this gets the ol’ pyloric valve in action, whereas eating greasy food slows it down…so chow down on chips & Buffalo wings); drinking carbonated beverages (eg, those Rum & Cokes will get you drunk quicker than Rum & fruit juice); and drinking while sitting down (stay standing while drinking to slow down intoxication.

But you’re right that water is a factor too. My recommendation for avoiding, or at least mitigating, a hangover: set an alarm for 2 hours before you actually want to get up, and when it goes off drink 3 big glasses of water and take two aspirin (Tylenol not recommended, which when regularly taken with alcohol in your system can cause liver problems). When you finally wake up 2 hours later, you’ll feel a world better than you would otherwise.

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**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2003, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-vodka-give-me-hangovers-like-other-booze/151263/22 "2003-01-28T13:03:36Z")

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…just for the record, I’ve had some **spectacular** vodka hangovers…

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