Alcohol hangover increased

StarmakerK

Has anyone else noticed that alcohol seems to hit them harder when they haven't had it for a while? I've cut it out almost completely for the past several weeks (rather have food), but I went winetasting this weekend in Napa. I drank no more wine than I usually do on such an occasion, and was not tipsy--seriously, I was walking around the grocery store, talking to my husband, cooked dinner, etc. no problem. Even so, I made sure to put down 2L of water during the day to keep my consumption down & hydration up. I ate breakfast & lunch, had a nice dinner, went to bed under my own power and not thinking anything was wrong.

However -- I woke up in the middle of the night with the worst hangover. Dizzy, nauseous, thirsty, head pounding. Drinking a lot more water and taking painkillers helped, as did a nice carb-y brunch the next day.

What I can't get over, though, is the disconnect between how much I know I had to drink, how I felt that evening, and how #$%# I felt the next morning. Does this happen to anyone else?

cantfail

Could it be something in the wine? Wine gives my husband a headache no matter how little he drinks. Just a thought. It sounds like you did the right things (or at least what I would have done).

Moosycakes

I would agree with the other poster about it maybe being what you drank as opposed to how much. In my (much less classy) case, whenever I drink spirits and energy drinks together I get a horrible reaction: heart palpitations, heavy limbs, difficulty breathing... this is with heavy intake though, but I don't get it if I drink either spirits or energy drinks by themselves. I don't have any studies, just my experience to show that content matters

chloe0o

The levels and kinds of preservatives in wine are the cause of most "wine hangovers". The have these little bottles in the bottle stores here that have a liquid in them that binds preservatives, you put a drop in each glass or five in the bottle, swirl and it prevents it. Maybe give that a go next time.

Madame_Goldbricker

If you haven't drank alcohol at the same level/ or cut it completely for a few weeks your tolerance will have decreased. Regular drinking induces certain enzymes in your liver that metabolise alcohol. If you drink heavily, over weeks or months, levels of these enzymes will go up and your tolerance builds. The same works in reverse & your tolerance drops.

kelly_e_montana

Yes, absolutely. I am a bartender and I am around booze all the time. However, lately I've been trying to work out on the weekends so have been avoiding booze. When I do drink, I am super drunk super fast and my hangover is way worse. There really is something to tolerance. I have been observing drunks/drinkers for 18 years, so I've definitely noticed some trends among my customers.

alisonlynn1976

Yes, and alcohol also hits you harder when you weigh less.