Alcoholic Drinks causes you more than a Hang Over

Brandy and whisky can cause nasty hang over

A splitting headache, light-headedness, queasiness, nausea, thirst and lethargy are inevitably after effect of overnight drinking. Waking up the next day experiencing these ill sensations brought about by a hangover.

Hangover happens when the liver cannot process and get rid of excess toxins fast enough, especially when a person binge drinks.

These unpleasant symptoms of a hangover can worsen because the ethanol present in alcohol has a dehydrating effect.

It causes the increased of urine production which in turn leads to headaches, a dry mouth and lethargy. Dehydration also causes fluids in the brain to be reduced. Alcohol also inflames the lining of your stomach, hence the queasy feeling.

Generally, intoxication sets in by the third to fourth drink, resulting in a decrease of reaction time and judgment. A novice drinker having too much drink may end up in coma. A chronic alcoholic however, may be able to stay awake even if he consumes up to six times the amount.

Getting a hangover depends on your tolerance level. Nevertheless, certain alcoholic drinks can cause you to have a nastier headache.

Ingredients call congeners which give many types of alcohol their flavor can contribute to hangovers. More congeners may be present in alcoholic drinks like brandy and whisky than in liquors such as vodka and gin.

Can hang over be prevented?

Many drinkers believe that "greasing the gut" eating before consuming alcohol helps. As bizarre as it may sound but there may be some truth in this method.

Alcohol is absorbed most efficiently in small intestine. When food is ingested the pyloric valve at the lower end of the stomach will close in order to hold food in the stomach for digestion. This keeps the alcohol from reaching the small intestine thus slowing down the absorption rate.

Medication such as paracetamol and aspirin as well as drinking plenty of fluid may help relieve a nasty headache. However medication is not a substitute for restraint when consuming alcoholic drinks.

There is no proven method to sober oneself up aside from waiting for the body to metabolise the ingested alcohol. It normally takes about an hour or two for the body to get rid of one unit of alcohol that is equivalent to one glass of wine or one shot of whiskey. But it also dependent on the drinker's alcohol tolerance on the amount of drinks he is able to consume.

The most sensible prevention method is to avoid drinking alcohol altogether.

Did you know?

Even if you're not a chronic alcoholic, an occasional binge drinking session can be fatal.

Consuming massive quantities of alcohol in a short period of time can leads to a dangerously high blood alcohol level which can result in alcohol poisoning.

Sign of Alcoholism

-  Drinking becomes harmful to your physical and mental health, including to people around you.

-  Drinking affects important social, occupational or recreational activities.

-  Drinking more and more or stronger alcohol over time.

-  Becomes irritable and have visible hand tremors when you cut down on alcohol or stop drinking.

-  Spending a considerable amount of money on alcohol.

-  Need to consume alcohol to numb yourself or get away from ill feelings.

-  Need to drink every morning to calm your nerves. This is to relieve withdrawal symptoms which result from the clearance of alcohol from the body during sleep hours.

- Frequent falls with head injuries needing medical treatment.