14 ms·

What alcohol does to your body, brain and health [video]

112 points by philip1209 4y ago

gsibble 4y ago
Having given up drinking for two years now, I can say with certainty that no amount of alcohol is healthy. Everything is better. I won't bore you with details, but absolutely every facet of my quality of life has improved. Never touching the stuff again.
- PenguinCoder 4y ago
  One drink is too many; a thousand drinks are never enough.
sysadm1n 4y ago
Anyone have their own cure for a hangover the following day after drinking heavily? My usual go-to is a 'Full English Breakfast' that has all the trimmings and it replaces lost electrolytes in my system and 'cures' me although it's only a band-aid solution. There's nothing you can really do except wait a bad hangover out and let your body repair itself after essentially ingesting poison. Lucozade is another thing we have over here in the UK which is lauded as a 'curer' for hangovers. Apparently your blood sugar drops dramatically after imbibing heavily and glucose drinks bring your blood sugar back up quickly. That and Solpadeine if you have a bad headache after (Solpadeine contains codeine which is a powerful analgesic).
- aulin 4y ago
  Fresh ginger for the nausea, ibuprofen for the headache, lots of water for rehydration. Fresh ginger is amazing.
- DubiousPusher 4y ago
  I've found Gatorade helps.
- 55555 4y ago
  DHM before bed.
  - ryanianian 4y ago
    DHM is the answer. It's a cheat code for hangovers in a way that feels like it could be dangerous to society if it ever became more well-known.
    - strictnein 4y ago
      Any recommended brand/dose?
      - ryanianian 4y ago
        The "DHM Depot Dihydromyricetin" brand on Amazon (first result for DHM) has been consistently effective for me. I have not tried other brands.
      - sanedigital 4y ago
        I use Double Wood for most of my simple supplements (Magnesium Threonate, Apigenin, etc). They (claim to) do a lot of quality testing and have great customer support.
- suggestion 4y ago
  Pedialyte before bed, Pedialyte when you wake up
- groby_b 4y ago
  Cure for hangover? Best cure is not drinking so much :) The hangover is your body telling you you did something not entirely healthy. You might want to listen to it. But if you must know: Drink water, that night, before going to bed. A good amount. Drink more water the morning after. A lot of your hangover is dehydration. Have a rich breakfast if you can eat it, or electrolytes (pedialyte etc) if you can't stomach the idea of eating. But also, realize you've overdone it and learn something for the next time.
  - Steve44 4y ago
    > The hangover is your body telling you you did something not entirely healthy. You might want to listen to it Does that also apply to people who drive themselves to the limit in sports? For example many people who do marathons or Iron Man events will feel rough and likely have blisters and bruises for several days. Some people doing sports end up in hospital as a direct result. Should they listen to the pain of their body and not push themselves? [I'm saying this as Devil's advocate) to raise a point about your logic, not judging the health issues of hangovers vs exhaustion, blisters, and damaged joints etc]
    - smileysteve 4y ago
      > Should they listen to the pain of their body and not push themselves? Yes? It's well published science that a half marathon distance reaches the point of negative gains in running. Marathon runners therefore don't continually train at at marathon distances, typical training is in the 10-15k. More casually, inactive and active recovery are very important to athletes
    - groby_b 4y ago
      > Should they listen to the pain of their body and not push themselves? I don't know, let me think > Some people doing sports end up in hospital as a direct result. Oh, wait, I have an answer. I'm going to go with yes. > I'm saying this as Devil's advocate The devil has enough lawyers. A different profession might be a good choice. Kidding aside: If you're actively damaging your body, you should think long and hard why you believe that's a good idea. However you're doing the damaging.
- bilekas 4y ago
  Dioralites are really good. They usually taste terrible but they can really help with making you feel human again.
- gautamdivgi 4y ago
  This is anecdotal and not proven scientifically. In my younger days I drank heavily and was often in hangover territory the next morning. As I ate during drinking the previous day I normally had an active culture yogurt with the food - eg spicy chicken with a cup of active culture yogurt. I found that it definitely lessened the severity of the hangover.
  - Domenic_S 4y ago
    That alcohol reduces blood glucose is correct. I'm diabetic and wear a CGM and it's fascinating that I can drink a sugary beverage that would typically spike my blood sugar very hard, but if it has alcohol in it my level stays roughly the same or even drops. I have to be very careful about alcohol because too much too fast will drop me dangerously low. (From my amateur understanding, the alcohol gets prioritized by your liver which stops dumping glucose.)
- opinion-is-bad 4y ago
  There is an interesting now product called zBiotic that you could look into. You take it before drinking and it helps metabolize one of the alcohol byproducts that causes hangovers.
  - ss108 4y ago
    I second this as being fairly effective. It doesn't totally prevent hangovers or sluggishness, but it mitigates the effects noticeably.
- girishso 4y ago
  Drink fresh lime juice with water/soda after the drinks, more the merrier. It works surprisingly well to cure hangover.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- bradford 4y ago
  > There's nothing you can really do except wait a bad hangover out and let your body repair itself after essentially ingesting poison. This is the only real answer, sounds like you have a good understanding of the situation. Everything else (heavy breakfast, electrolytes) is distraction and mental-comfort from the real problem (which is the metabolization of poison).
- messe 4y ago
  > Lucozade is another thing we have over here in the UK which is lauded as a 'curer' for hangovers. I’d recommend Lucozade Sport instead, for the electrolytes (It’s got what plants crave!). Then, poached eggs, rashers, toast and some roasted or fried tomatoes. Throw in a chopped up habañero as well for flavour if your spice tolerance is up to it.
- munificent 4y ago
  The best cures, as usual, are preventative. In order of effectiveness, I have found these reduce hangovers: 1. Don't drink a lot quickly. If you never get to the point that the room starts spinning, then your body can roughly process the alcohol at the rate that you're consuming it. Avoid doing shots and sip cocktails slowly. 2. Sober up before going to bed. If you do get too drunk, spend an hour or two sobering up before going to bed. That will give your body time to process some of the alcohol and tell you what it needs—to pee, drink water, eat, etc. before you go unconscious. 3. Drink a fairly large electrolyte drink like Gatorade before going to bed. Much of the pain of a hangover comes from dehydration and other chemical imbalances from your body processing the alcohol while you sleep. If you haven't done any of those and woke up with a hangover, it's too late. Your body has used all of its reserves processing the alcohol and you have signed up for pain.
  - majou 4y ago
    I got incredibly drunk last week and had no hangover. I think it was thanks to the 2 hours of vomiting. :)
    - Koshkin 4y ago
      > an hour or two sobering up Checks out
- ornornor 4y ago
  Besides what others have said, drink plenty of water while you drink alcohol. I go for a 1:1 ratio (makes you pee a lot though) but it’s what keeps the dehydration from alcohol and ensuing headache under control. Or you could also drink less.
- onnnon 4y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair_of_the_dog https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair_of_the_dog =P
- wollsmoth 4y ago
  I like a big bowl of good Pho. I think it's really just electrolytes though. Some pedialyte or even salt stick caps plus water should help.
- huhtenberg 4y ago
  Chinese hot and sour soup. Pure miracle. Also, stick to one drink type (beer, wine or hard spirits), avoid liquors and the risk of hangover will be close to 0. Just in case, drink one or two large glasses of water before going to bed. Reduces the risk even further.
- faebi 4y ago
  A colleague insists on an Aspirin before sleep, this only with the idea that you sleep at least somewhat acceptably. I myself drink some cheap powder electrolytes.
- scruple 4y ago
  > Anyone have their own cure for a hangover the following day after drinking heavily? A run. 45-60 minutes usually does the trick for me. I bring an electrolyte drink with me. It sucks, it's painful, by the nideay point I'm usually feeling pretty much normal. That said, it's been a while since I woke up with a hangover. Having young kids, for me anyway, has been a great deterrent for drinking too much. They (correctly) don't give a shit if you're hungover, they're waking you up early I matter what.
- tsol 4y ago
  Dihydromyricetin
boplicity 4y ago
Alcoholism is causing me to lose relationships with two family members, plus it has caused severe stress among many other of my family members. For a long time, because my wife barely drinks, and I barely drink, I was able to ignore the situation. However, it has recently become clear how much I've lost because of others' drinking problems. I don't think my situation is unusual, either. I suspect many of us have relatives who are alcoholics, and that most of us have found a way to avoid those people and to minimize their impacts on us. It's often easy to ignore the health impacts on those of us who don't even drink, and yet, it somehow spirals farther than I once thought possible. I wish more people talked about how dangerous alcohol truly is. Yes, it can be perfectly fine to drink. However, it also commonly leads to severe outcomes that are often outside of our control, and that harm us even if we don't even drink alcohol.
- lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 4y ago
  > However, it also commonly leads to severe outcomes that are often outside of our control, and that harm us even if we don't even drink alcohol. I was about to ask what harm you thought was caused (not in an argumentative way, just curious) when I remembered driving (among others, but that one is far more obvious). Yeah, duh.
- RandyRanderson 4y ago
  What about the counterfactual: Have you considered that maybe alcohol/alcoholism allowed you and your family to exist in the first place?
wheelerof4te 4y ago
Honestly, one bottle of beer turns me from a chronically melancholic and outright boring person, to a functioning, social human being. So, I call BS.
- russelldjimmy 4y ago
  You should join the Inebriati! https://youtu.be/-Zj50DmBFp0 https://youtu.be/-Zj50DmBFp0
- beebmam 4y ago
  What specifically is BS in the video? Could you be specific?
  - wheelerof4te 4y ago
    The fact that alcohol is sold in stores en masse, but it's somehow so bad that it kills cells? If it is so bad, why isn't it banned in every country in the world? Beer is even considered food in some countries. I don't see any evidence for his theories mentioned in the video.
    - Mtinie 4y ago
      Alcohol as a “cultural lubricant” has been with us for as long as humans have had oral histories passed down. The alcoholic beverage lobbies around the world are politically powerful and have very entrenched interests within countries. The United States attempted to ban it during Prohibition. That social experiment lasted 13 years before it was repealed. If you’d like to understand what makes your proposal for a unilateral ban challenging in practice, understanding why Prohibition ultimately reverted to the previous status quo is a good starting point.
      - mbg721 4y ago
        One reason why Prohibition didn't work (and why alcohol has been culturally significant for so long) is that alcoholic beverages are ridiculously easy to make. If you have fruit or grain, a container, and some time...
csours 4y ago
I've noticed that Alcohol changes how I process the sensation of hunger. It makes it a much sharper feeling, more insistent.
AndrewKemendo 4y ago
The science has been in a long time that no amount of alcohol is healthy. Despite overwhelming experimental, historical and anecdotal evidence, 60% of Americans drink ~4 drinks per week - which luckily is on the decline. Something is seriously wrong with humanity if poisoning ourselves regularly to dissociate with reality remains this popular as a core social component. People will point to all of the supposed "social lubricant" benefits etc... of drinking culture, but I'm not convinced it's anything but a band-aid on some combination of social anxiety and existential dread. I fully support anyone doing whatever they like with their body, but we should be able to at least acknowledge that any alcohol in any amount is self destructive. I say this as a former Beer and Whiskey nerd by the way.
- shtopointo 4y ago
  Soberly and correctly said.
- selectodude 4y ago
  We've been drinking alcohol for 8000 years now so I wish you the best of luck on your crusade to show that it's "something wrong with humanity".
  - jjulius 4y ago
    Yeah, that was an interesting comment. I understand where they're coming from, but humans have been ingesting things - even beyond alcohol - to modify their reality for a very, very, very long time. I don't think there's anything intrinsically wrong with asking why it is that we have continued to do this, collectively, as a species, but I hesitate to suggest that it implies that there is "something wrong with humanity".
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
    - romdev 4y ago
      Maybe it's the fact that we all realize our mortality, and the benefit that it has on a species. Nature has built into us a few limiters to over-flourishing, like it has for many other species: a short life-span with expendable body components - we've overcome that with medicine and other life-extending tech. A disinterest in procreation - we're trending in that direction but the procreators are probably gonna win that battle. Limited resources - science is finding ways to exploit new resources while diminishing the quality of life for all. I'm a drinker and proud of the contributions I still make to society, but also that I won't hang on for too long past my invitation to stay on this rock. There are people better than me who should occupy it.
bilekas 4y ago
I never drink when in a bad mood. But I know my limit. I know when I feel like having another "just because" is usually a big "okay enough now" As I'm getting older I can't drink much anymore. But wine with dinner is almost a daily thing with my partner. One to two glasses only but anymore and I'll feel a bit "off" the next day.
TakeBlaster16 4y ago
Alcohol is the most harmful drug out there[1] - worse than heroin, crack cocaine, and all the rest. It boggles my mind how common it is, while genuinely useful drugs like psilocybin are still Schedule I and relegated to the shadows. [1]: https://sci-hub.se/10.1016/s0140-6736(10)61462-6 https://sci-hub.se/10.1016/s0140-6736(10)61462-6 https://i.imgur.com/DQDJMGt.png https://i.imgur.com/DQDJMGt.png
- atwood22 4y ago
  That paper doesn't really say how they computed the scores of the different drugs. Without that information it's hard to say how accurate the scoring is.
  - TakeBlaster16 4y ago
    I'll have to disagree with you. The first three pages explain the scoring criteria, and if you scroll down there is more detailed data. https://i.imgur.com/pjEj4sU.png https://i.imgur.com/pjEj4sU.png
    - atwood22 4y ago
      The authors list the scoring categories, but they don’t say how they came up with the categorical score for each drug.
- throwcean 4y ago
  What a nonsense.. there are millions of people drinking alcohol sporadically and are doing fine. I don't think there are that many people sporadically consuming crack and are doing fine. Now I guess you can define harmful in many ways and I didn't read the study and probably won't.
  - throwaway5959 4y ago
    Alcohol is doing damage at scale vs crack which is doing damage to a much smaller set of individuals. See drunk driving deaths vs crack driving deaths.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
picsao 4y ago
lapcat 4y ago
I had been drinking more or less since I was a teenager (or pre-teen?), and I live in a drinking culture (i.e., Wisconsin), but I decided to quit drinking entirely 2 years ago when the pandemic got bad. I do understand why a lot of people went in the opposite direction, drinking more during the pandemic, because it's a natural coping mechanism, so I don't criticize that. I just personally felt it was important to keep my body as healthy as possible, especially before we had vaccines. It also helped the pocketbook in economically uncertain times to not spend any money on alcohol. Now, I don't even miss drinking anymore. (I definitely did miss it for a while afterward.) I think I used alcohol too much as a crutch, in order to "have fun". I'm rewiring my brain to stop thinking I need chemical supplements in order to have fun. I'm not trying to preach, other than to say that it is possible to break from a habit of drinking and leave it behind, if you've considered that. To be sure, I wasn't ever technically an "alcoholic", just a... normal Wisconsinite LOL. (For a laugh, here's Lewis Black on drinking in Wisconsin https://youtu.be/9m-cQin1qKE https://youtu.be/9m-cQin1qKE )
blinded 4y ago
non alcoholic beers have only gotten better over the years. thats my go to unless its a big big life event.
- faebi 4y ago
  Absolutely. I started rotating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beers when going out. All feels normal yet I consume half the alcohol.
- aworks 4y ago
  HopTea was my workday treat during the pandemic.
- odshoifsdhfs 4y ago
  Can you recommend some (non-weirs) in Europe? I used to buy some from the UK but after Brexit they stopped shipping to the EU and all the ones I find have this 'non-alcoholic flavour' that I can't pinpoint but ruins the experience to me. That or they are somewhat sweet, which I Hate. Aldi brand non alcoholic ones are actually ok, and can hit the spot, but wouldn't call them 'good! And forget about non-alcoholic wine, that shit is awful. Being buying low alcoholic gin (Beefeater 20%) and whiskey (Ballantines 20%). They are ok. Not perfect, but they have enough 'zing' to make them pleasant.
  - blinded 4y ago
    https://uk.athleticbrewing.com/ https://uk.athleticbrewing.com/ :)
    - odshoifsdhfs 4y ago
      Thanks, unfortunately, same issue as other good brands, they are British and after Brexit they don't ship easily to EU :(
      - Steve44 4y ago
        I think the Erdinger Alkoholfrei 0.4% wheat beer is one of the best and that should be widely available in the EU. I've recently tried Lucky Saint Unfiltered Alcohol Free Lager which again is quite good and I think may be available.
mstipetic 4y ago
To flip the question, why would you like a long and healthy life? Are you happy about the world you're sending your kids into? What do you tell them about the world?
- jononomo 4y ago
  I do want a long and healthy life. Yes, I am happy about the world I'm sending my kids into. I'll tell them the world is a wonderful miracle and our purpose is to contribute to its flourishing as much as possible.
  - mstipetic 4y ago
    I agree. Seems like most of the world doesn’t share our sense of wonder
  - 2-718-281-828 4y ago
    you are in denial due to sunk cost fallacy and stockholm syndrome
    - throwayyy479087 4y ago
      Potentially you’re just depressed
- fomine3 4y ago
  short and healthy-ish life is fine, long and unhealthy life is the worst.
kloch 4y ago
Alcohol killed my dad. It's an absolutely horrific way to die. Your organs shut down one by one over an extremely painful two month period. Family members can do nothing except watch. You can't even donate part of your liver, medial ethics disallow any organ transplants for alcoholics unless you are really rich/powerful/politically connected. As soon as you see them with yellow skin (Jaundice), you know their fate is sealed. My dad was so good at managing his alcoholism - didn't seem to have any problems with work or dui's, nobody thought they needed to intervene until it was too late. One day he just collapsed at work and was taken to the hospital. Just yesterday a drunk driver rear ended me while I was stopped at a traffic light in the middle of the day. It was just a light tap on the bumper but the road has a 55 MPh speed limit. What if he hit me going 60? Would I still be alive today?
- Mtinie 4y ago
  I’m sorry for your losses.
Steve44 4y ago
One thing I've not seen mentioned in this thread is the enjoyment you can get from the wide expanse of flavours & mouthfeels of different alcoholic drinks. Most of the comments seem to be focussed on people drinking either to help with social anxiety or just to blot the world out, or as one poster put it "to dissociate with reality". I really love exploring different drinks, mainly beers and spirits although I do still enjoy some wine. There is such a wide array available, it's a wonderful 'hobby'. With cask beers you get the initial mouthfeel of what I think is the live yeast coupled with some natural carbonation; it's not at all like a gassy fizzy drink more like a gentle tingling over the mouth. Some beers then deliver 10-30 seconds of different malt flavours with some being very biscuity or others more chocolaty. There can then the several waves of hops coming over depending how it's brewed. With one mouthful you get to enjoy and savour all those flavours and textures for a good minute with a lingering taste lasting much longer, they ebb and flow like a roller-coaster. Spirits and cocktails are the same, the depths of flavours can be absolutely wonderful. A well balanced Negroni for example can be a very complex drink. I've found some alcohol free drinks than can be built up to be a little interesting, but nothing comes close for the expanse and depth. I presume that the alcohol is volatile and is a key part of driving the other flavours, perhaps in a similar way to salt is a flavour enhancer.
- jononomo 4y ago
  My experience has been that if I adjust my diet to remove all carbs, which is close to the diet that human beings evolved on, then any alcoholic beverage tastes like poison to me and the hangover comes on faster. The buzz is also worse -- just woozy and sick feeling. Once you clean up your diet you'll lose your taste for alcohol. Your body really can't tolerate alcohol in any amount and once you've eliminated the other junk in your diet and have a pure system then you'll notice how miserable alcohol makes you feel and how terrible it tastes.
  - Steve44 4y ago
    If you go on any exclusion diet then I'd expect foods you're no longer accustomed to would affect you. I suspect that if a committed vegan were to eat a steak then they would have a variety of both mental and biological reactions. Regarding your comment about removing carbs being the diet we evolved with, I always presumed that we had always eaten fruit and vegetables. Grains didn't become a significant part of our diet though until about 4,000 years ago with the introduction of bronze age agriculture. There also seems to be what appears fairly solid evidence that animals, including humans, have sought out fermented fruit, about 1-3% alcohol, for millions of years. Wouldn't that be something we evolved on too?
havblue 4y ago
While this goes against the intent of the thread, I'll note that only buying a limited amount of lower gravity beer occasionally can be fairly effective in pacing yourself.
2-718-281-828 4y ago
shouldn't there be some strong and measurable impact on muslim societies (which tend to drink no alcohol) compared to non-muslim societies (who tend to drink alcohol)? is saudi arabia governed smarter or are imams wiser than catholic priests? do they live or stay healthy for longer? having said that I am personally going through some changes. and for some reason I observed the past weeks how I don't enjoy drinking alcohol anymore. not because of healthy considerations on a rational level but just the feeling it gives me. the buzz seems to be gone and instead I'm left with an unpleasant drowsiness that lingers for way too long. I have never been an excessive drinker. I'm wondering what caused this change as it seems to be stemming from a more fundamental neurological or physiological level. I got vaccinated this year more than ten times (especially recently) due to upcoming travels and I stopped drinking coffee three months ago. might one of this contribute? something else to consider. the host of the podcast is affiliated with a nootropic company and advertises its products at the beginning of the clip. nootropics are generally about "take this pill every day and you will feel better". directly related is the idea of "don't do this any more and you'll feel better". I'd keep that in mind consuming the presented arguments.
- throwayyy479087 4y ago
  I’ve asked this repeatedly and never heard a good answer. The wealthiest countries are generally those that have _more_ cultural drinking (Germany South Korea Japan ) not less.
  - ahartmetz 4y ago
    My theory is that people in these countries are the opposite of drunk without alcohol, which is good for productivity, but needs compensation in social situations.
    - 2-718-281-828 4y ago
      arab and muslim countries are very productive? can you give some examples?
  - merek 4y ago
ilaksh 4y ago
The weird thing as I see it is that somehow the alcohol lobby has convinced an entire society that anyone who runs into severe consequences from routinely ingesting this drug (alcohol) is literally genetically deficient. Pretty much the opposite of the how people react to most drugs, for example opioid pain killers. It's a very powerful psychological tool for promoting alcohol consumption and suppressing anti-alcohol messaging. It may even make some people continue drinking just to prove that they can "handle it" and are not genetic failures. Or even prevent people from admitting they decided to stop drinking, because someone may conclude that you are therefore genetically flawed (alcoholic). This particular aspect is probably one of the things I hate most about our culture.
- tsol 4y ago
  That's a really interesting point, I've never thought about it that way but that's exactly what it is.
- phendrenad2 4y ago
  How do you propose to tell people that some people are predisposed to alcoholism and some are not, without some people taking it as a personal challenge? Should we suppress the facts?
pizzaknife 4y ago
ok but how do we feel about four loko?

112 points by philip1209 4y ago

Having given up drinking for two years now, I can say with certainty that no amount of alcohol is healthy. Everything is better. I won't bore you with details, but absolutely every facet of my quality of life has improved. Never touching the stuff again.

PenguinCoder 4y ago
One drink is too many; a thousand drinks are never enough.

sysadm1n 4y ago

Anyone have their own cure for a hangover the following day after drinking heavily? My usual go-to is a 'Full English Breakfast' that has all the trimmings and it replaces lost electrolytes in my system and 'cures' me although it's only a band-aid solution. There's nothing you can really do except wait a bad hangover out and let your body repair itself after essentially ingesting poison. Lucozade is another thing we have over here in the UK which is lauded as a 'curer' for hangovers. Apparently your blood sugar drops dramatically after imbibing heavily and glucose drinks bring your blood sugar back up quickly. That and Solpadeine if you have a bad headache after (Solpadeine contains codeine which is a powerful analgesic).

aulin 4y ago
Fresh ginger for the nausea, ibuprofen for the headache, lots of water for rehydration. Fresh ginger is amazing.
DubiousPusher 4y ago
I've found Gatorade helps.
55555 4y ago
DHM before bed.
- ryanianian 4y ago
  DHM is the answer. It's a cheat code for hangovers in a way that feels like it could be dangerous to society if it ever became more well-known.
  - strictnein 4y ago
    Any recommended brand/dose?
    - ryanianian 4y ago
      The "DHM Depot Dihydromyricetin" brand on Amazon (first result for DHM) has been consistently effective for me. I have not tried other brands.
    - sanedigital 4y ago
      I use Double Wood for most of my simple supplements (Magnesium Threonate, Apigenin, etc). They (claim to) do a lot of quality testing and have great customer support.
suggestion 4y ago
Pedialyte before bed, Pedialyte when you wake up
groby_b 4y ago
Cure for hangover? Best cure is not drinking so much :) The hangover is your body telling you you did something not entirely healthy. You might want to listen to it. But if you must know: Drink water, that night, before going to bed. A good amount. Drink more water the morning after. A lot of your hangover is dehydration. Have a rich breakfast if you can eat it, or electrolytes (pedialyte etc) if you can't stomach the idea of eating. But also, realize you've overdone it and learn something for the next time.
- Steve44 4y ago
  > The hangover is your body telling you you did something not entirely healthy. You might want to listen to it Does that also apply to people who drive themselves to the limit in sports? For example many people who do marathons or Iron Man events will feel rough and likely have blisters and bruises for several days. Some people doing sports end up in hospital as a direct result. Should they listen to the pain of their body and not push themselves? [I'm saying this as Devil's advocate) to raise a point about your logic, not judging the health issues of hangovers vs exhaustion, blisters, and damaged joints etc]
  - smileysteve 4y ago
    > Should they listen to the pain of their body and not push themselves? Yes? It's well published science that a half marathon distance reaches the point of negative gains in running. Marathon runners therefore don't continually train at at marathon distances, typical training is in the 10-15k. More casually, inactive and active recovery are very important to athletes
  - groby_b 4y ago
    > Should they listen to the pain of their body and not push themselves? I don't know, let me think > Some people doing sports end up in hospital as a direct result. Oh, wait, I have an answer. I'm going to go with yes. > I'm saying this as Devil's advocate The devil has enough lawyers. A different profession might be a good choice. Kidding aside: If you're actively damaging your body, you should think long and hard why you believe that's a good idea. However you're doing the damaging.
bilekas 4y ago
Dioralites are really good. They usually taste terrible but they can really help with making you feel human again.
gautamdivgi 4y ago
This is anecdotal and not proven scientifically. In my younger days I drank heavily and was often in hangover territory the next morning. As I ate during drinking the previous day I normally had an active culture yogurt with the food - eg spicy chicken with a cup of active culture yogurt. I found that it definitely lessened the severity of the hangover.
- Domenic_S 4y ago
  That alcohol reduces blood glucose is correct. I'm diabetic and wear a CGM and it's fascinating that I can drink a sugary beverage that would typically spike my blood sugar very hard, but if it has alcohol in it my level stays roughly the same or even drops. I have to be very careful about alcohol because too much too fast will drop me dangerously low. (From my amateur understanding, the alcohol gets prioritized by your liver which stops dumping glucose.)
opinion-is-bad 4y ago
There is an interesting now product called zBiotic that you could look into. You take it before drinking and it helps metabolize one of the alcohol byproducts that causes hangovers.
- ss108 4y ago
  I second this as being fairly effective. It doesn't totally prevent hangovers or sluggishness, but it mitigates the effects noticeably.
girishso 4y ago
Drink fresh lime juice with water/soda after the drinks, more the merrier. It works surprisingly well to cure hangover.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
bradford 4y ago
> There's nothing you can really do except wait a bad hangover out and let your body repair itself after essentially ingesting poison. This is the only real answer, sounds like you have a good understanding of the situation. Everything else (heavy breakfast, electrolytes) is distraction and mental-comfort from the real problem (which is the metabolization of poison).
messe 4y ago
> Lucozade is another thing we have over here in the UK which is lauded as a 'curer' for hangovers. I’d recommend Lucozade Sport instead, for the electrolytes (It’s got what plants crave!). Then, poached eggs, rashers, toast and some roasted or fried tomatoes. Throw in a chopped up habañero as well for flavour if your spice tolerance is up to it.
munificent 4y ago
The best cures, as usual, are preventative. In order of effectiveness, I have found these reduce hangovers: 1. Don't drink a lot quickly. If you never get to the point that the room starts spinning, then your body can roughly process the alcohol at the rate that you're consuming it. Avoid doing shots and sip cocktails slowly. 2. Sober up before going to bed. If you do get too drunk, spend an hour or two sobering up before going to bed. That will give your body time to process some of the alcohol and tell you what it needs—to pee, drink water, eat, etc. before you go unconscious. 3. Drink a fairly large electrolyte drink like Gatorade before going to bed. Much of the pain of a hangover comes from dehydration and other chemical imbalances from your body processing the alcohol while you sleep. If you haven't done any of those and woke up with a hangover, it's too late. Your body has used all of its reserves processing the alcohol and you have signed up for pain.
- majou 4y ago
  I got incredibly drunk last week and had no hangover. I think it was thanks to the 2 hours of vomiting. :)
  - Koshkin 4y ago
    > an hour or two sobering up Checks out
ornornor 4y ago
Besides what others have said, drink plenty of water while you drink alcohol. I go for a 1:1 ratio (makes you pee a lot though) but it’s what keeps the dehydration from alcohol and ensuing headache under control. Or you could also drink less.
onnnon 4y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair_of_the_dog https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair_of_the_dog =P
wollsmoth 4y ago
I like a big bowl of good Pho. I think it's really just electrolytes though. Some pedialyte or even salt stick caps plus water should help.
huhtenberg 4y ago
Chinese hot and sour soup. Pure miracle. Also, stick to one drink type (beer, wine or hard spirits), avoid liquors and the risk of hangover will be close to 0. Just in case, drink one or two large glasses of water before going to bed. Reduces the risk even further.
faebi 4y ago
A colleague insists on an Aspirin before sleep, this only with the idea that you sleep at least somewhat acceptably. I myself drink some cheap powder electrolytes.
scruple 4y ago
> Anyone have their own cure for a hangover the following day after drinking heavily? A run. 45-60 minutes usually does the trick for me. I bring an electrolyte drink with me. It sucks, it's painful, by the nideay point I'm usually feeling pretty much normal. That said, it's been a while since I woke up with a hangover. Having young kids, for me anyway, has been a great deterrent for drinking too much. They (correctly) don't give a shit if you're hungover, they're waking you up early I matter what.
tsol 4y ago
Dihydromyricetin

boplicity 4y ago

Alcoholism is causing me to lose relationships with two family members, plus it has caused severe stress among many other of my family members. For a long time, because my wife barely drinks, and I barely drink, I was able to ignore the situation. However, it has recently become clear how much I've lost because of others' drinking problems. I don't think my situation is unusual, either. I suspect many of us have relatives who are alcoholics, and that most of us have found a way to avoid those people and to minimize their impacts on us. It's often easy to ignore the health impacts on those of us who don't even drink, and yet, it somehow spirals farther than I once thought possible. I wish more people talked about how dangerous alcohol truly is. Yes, it can be perfectly fine to drink. However, it also commonly leads to severe outcomes that are often outside of our control, and that harm us even if we don't even drink alcohol.

lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 4y ago
> However, it also commonly leads to severe outcomes that are often outside of our control, and that harm us even if we don't even drink alcohol. I was about to ask what harm you thought was caused (not in an argumentative way, just curious) when I remembered driving (among others, but that one is far more obvious). Yeah, duh.
RandyRanderson 4y ago
What about the counterfactual: Have you considered that maybe alcohol/alcoholism allowed you and your family to exist in the first place?

wheelerof4te 4y ago

Honestly, one bottle of beer turns me from a chronically melancholic and outright boring person, to a functioning, social human being. So, I call BS.

russelldjimmy 4y ago
You should join the Inebriati! https://youtu.be/-Zj50DmBFp0 https://youtu.be/-Zj50DmBFp0
beebmam 4y ago
What specifically is BS in the video? Could you be specific?
- wheelerof4te 4y ago
  The fact that alcohol is sold in stores en masse, but it's somehow so bad that it kills cells? If it is so bad, why isn't it banned in every country in the world? Beer is even considered food in some countries. I don't see any evidence for his theories mentioned in the video.
  - Mtinie 4y ago
    Alcohol as a “cultural lubricant” has been with us for as long as humans have had oral histories passed down. The alcoholic beverage lobbies around the world are politically powerful and have very entrenched interests within countries. The United States attempted to ban it during Prohibition. That social experiment lasted 13 years before it was repealed. If you’d like to understand what makes your proposal for a unilateral ban challenging in practice, understanding why Prohibition ultimately reverted to the previous status quo is a good starting point.
    - mbg721 4y ago
      One reason why Prohibition didn't work (and why alcohol has been culturally significant for so long) is that alcoholic beverages are ridiculously easy to make. If you have fruit or grain, a container, and some time...

csours 4y ago

I've noticed that Alcohol changes how I process the sensation of hunger. It makes it a much sharper feeling, more insistent.

AndrewKemendo 4y ago

The science has been in a long time that no amount of alcohol is healthy. Despite overwhelming experimental, historical and anecdotal evidence, 60% of Americans drink ~4 drinks per week - which luckily is on the decline. Something is seriously wrong with humanity if poisoning ourselves regularly to dissociate with reality remains this popular as a core social component. People will point to all of the supposed "social lubricant" benefits etc... of drinking culture, but I'm not convinced it's anything but a band-aid on some combination of social anxiety and existential dread. I fully support anyone doing whatever they like with their body, but we should be able to at least acknowledge that any alcohol in any amount is self destructive. I say this as a former Beer and Whiskey nerd by the way.

shtopointo 4y ago
Soberly and correctly said.
selectodude 4y ago
We've been drinking alcohol for 8000 years now so I wish you the best of luck on your crusade to show that it's "something wrong with humanity".
- jjulius 4y ago
  Yeah, that was an interesting comment. I understand where they're coming from, but humans have been ingesting things - even beyond alcohol - to modify their reality for a very, very, very long time. I don't think there's anything intrinsically wrong with asking why it is that we have continued to do this, collectively, as a species, but I hesitate to suggest that it implies that there is "something wrong with humanity".
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - romdev 4y ago
    Maybe it's the fact that we all realize our mortality, and the benefit that it has on a species. Nature has built into us a few limiters to over-flourishing, like it has for many other species: a short life-span with expendable body components - we've overcome that with medicine and other life-extending tech. A disinterest in procreation - we're trending in that direction but the procreators are probably gonna win that battle. Limited resources - science is finding ways to exploit new resources while diminishing the quality of life for all. I'm a drinker and proud of the contributions I still make to society, but also that I won't hang on for too long past my invitation to stay on this rock. There are people better than me who should occupy it.

bilekas 4y ago

I never drink when in a bad mood. But I know my limit. I know when I feel like having another "just because" is usually a big "okay enough now" As I'm getting older I can't drink much anymore. But wine with dinner is almost a daily thing with my partner. One to two glasses only but anymore and I'll feel a bit "off" the next day.

TakeBlaster16 4y ago

Alcohol is the most harmful drug out there[1] - worse than heroin, crack cocaine, and all the rest. It boggles my mind how common it is, while genuinely useful drugs like psilocybin are still Schedule I and relegated to the shadows. [1]: https://sci-hub.se/10.1016/s0140-6736(10)61462-6 https://sci-hub.se/10.1016/s0140-6736(10)61462-6 https://i.imgur.com/DQDJMGt.png https://i.imgur.com/DQDJMGt.png

atwood22 4y ago
That paper doesn't really say how they computed the scores of the different drugs. Without that information it's hard to say how accurate the scoring is.
- TakeBlaster16 4y ago
  I'll have to disagree with you. The first three pages explain the scoring criteria, and if you scroll down there is more detailed data. https://i.imgur.com/pjEj4sU.png https://i.imgur.com/pjEj4sU.png
  - atwood22 4y ago
    The authors list the scoring categories, but they don’t say how they came up with the categorical score for each drug.
throwcean 4y ago
What a nonsense.. there are millions of people drinking alcohol sporadically and are doing fine. I don't think there are that many people sporadically consuming crack and are doing fine. Now I guess you can define harmful in many ways and I didn't read the study and probably won't.
- throwaway5959 4y ago
  Alcohol is doing damage at scale vs crack which is doing damage to a much smaller set of individuals. See drunk driving deaths vs crack driving deaths.

deleted 4y ago

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picsao 4y ago

lapcat 4y ago

I had been drinking more or less since I was a teenager (or pre-teen?), and I live in a drinking culture (i.e., Wisconsin), but I decided to quit drinking entirely 2 years ago when the pandemic got bad. I do understand why a lot of people went in the opposite direction, drinking more during the pandemic, because it's a natural coping mechanism, so I don't criticize that. I just personally felt it was important to keep my body as healthy as possible, especially before we had vaccines. It also helped the pocketbook in economically uncertain times to not spend any money on alcohol. Now, I don't even miss drinking anymore. (I definitely did miss it for a while afterward.) I think I used alcohol too much as a crutch, in order to "have fun". I'm rewiring my brain to stop thinking I need chemical supplements in order to have fun. I'm not trying to preach, other than to say that it is possible to break from a habit of drinking and leave it behind, if you've considered that. To be sure, I wasn't ever technically an "alcoholic", just a... normal Wisconsinite LOL. (For a laugh, here's Lewis Black on drinking in Wisconsin https://youtu.be/9m-cQin1qKE https://youtu.be/9m-cQin1qKE )

blinded 4y ago

non alcoholic beers have only gotten better over the years. thats my go to unless its a big big life event.

faebi 4y ago
Absolutely. I started rotating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beers when going out. All feels normal yet I consume half the alcohol.
aworks 4y ago
HopTea was my workday treat during the pandemic.
odshoifsdhfs 4y ago
Can you recommend some (non-weirs) in Europe? I used to buy some from the UK but after Brexit they stopped shipping to the EU and all the ones I find have this 'non-alcoholic flavour' that I can't pinpoint but ruins the experience to me. That or they are somewhat sweet, which I Hate. Aldi brand non alcoholic ones are actually ok, and can hit the spot, but wouldn't call them 'good! And forget about non-alcoholic wine, that shit is awful. Being buying low alcoholic gin (Beefeater 20%) and whiskey (Ballantines 20%). They are ok. Not perfect, but they have enough 'zing' to make them pleasant.
- blinded 4y ago
  https://uk.athleticbrewing.com/ https://uk.athleticbrewing.com/ :)
  - odshoifsdhfs 4y ago
    Thanks, unfortunately, same issue as other good brands, they are British and after Brexit they don't ship easily to EU :(
    - Steve44 4y ago
      I think the Erdinger Alkoholfrei 0.4% wheat beer is one of the best and that should be widely available in the EU. I've recently tried Lucky Saint Unfiltered Alcohol Free Lager which again is quite good and I think may be available.

mstipetic 4y ago

To flip the question, why would you like a long and healthy life? Are you happy about the world you're sending your kids into? What do you tell them about the world?

jononomo 4y ago
I do want a long and healthy life. Yes, I am happy about the world I'm sending my kids into. I'll tell them the world is a wonderful miracle and our purpose is to contribute to its flourishing as much as possible.
- mstipetic 4y ago
  I agree. Seems like most of the world doesn’t share our sense of wonder
- 2-718-281-828 4y ago
  you are in denial due to sunk cost fallacy and stockholm syndrome
  - throwayyy479087 4y ago
    Potentially you’re just depressed
fomine3 4y ago
short and healthy-ish life is fine, long and unhealthy life is the worst.

kloch 4y ago

Alcohol killed my dad. It's an absolutely horrific way to die. Your organs shut down one by one over an extremely painful two month period. Family members can do nothing except watch. You can't even donate part of your liver, medial ethics disallow any organ transplants for alcoholics unless you are really rich/powerful/politically connected. As soon as you see them with yellow skin (Jaundice), you know their fate is sealed. My dad was so good at managing his alcoholism - didn't seem to have any problems with work or dui's, nobody thought they needed to intervene until it was too late. One day he just collapsed at work and was taken to the hospital. Just yesterday a drunk driver rear ended me while I was stopped at a traffic light in the middle of the day. It was just a light tap on the bumper but the road has a 55 MPh speed limit. What if he hit me going 60? Would I still be alive today?

Mtinie 4y ago
I’m sorry for your losses.

Steve44 4y ago

One thing I've not seen mentioned in this thread is the enjoyment you can get from the wide expanse of flavours & mouthfeels of different alcoholic drinks. Most of the comments seem to be focussed on people drinking either to help with social anxiety or just to blot the world out, or as one poster put it "to dissociate with reality". I really love exploring different drinks, mainly beers and spirits although I do still enjoy some wine. There is such a wide array available, it's a wonderful 'hobby'. With cask beers you get the initial mouthfeel of what I think is the live yeast coupled with some natural carbonation; it's not at all like a gassy fizzy drink more like a gentle tingling over the mouth. Some beers then deliver 10-30 seconds of different malt flavours with some being very biscuity or others more chocolaty. There can then the several waves of hops coming over depending how it's brewed. With one mouthful you get to enjoy and savour all those flavours and textures for a good minute with a lingering taste lasting much longer, they ebb and flow like a roller-coaster. Spirits and cocktails are the same, the depths of flavours can be absolutely wonderful. A well balanced Negroni for example can be a very complex drink. I've found some alcohol free drinks than can be built up to be a little interesting, but nothing comes close for the expanse and depth. I presume that the alcohol is volatile and is a key part of driving the other flavours, perhaps in a similar way to salt is a flavour enhancer.

jononomo 4y ago
My experience has been that if I adjust my diet to remove all carbs, which is close to the diet that human beings evolved on, then any alcoholic beverage tastes like poison to me and the hangover comes on faster. The buzz is also worse -- just woozy and sick feeling. Once you clean up your diet you'll lose your taste for alcohol. Your body really can't tolerate alcohol in any amount and once you've eliminated the other junk in your diet and have a pure system then you'll notice how miserable alcohol makes you feel and how terrible it tastes.
- Steve44 4y ago
  If you go on any exclusion diet then I'd expect foods you're no longer accustomed to would affect you. I suspect that if a committed vegan were to eat a steak then they would have a variety of both mental and biological reactions. Regarding your comment about removing carbs being the diet we evolved with, I always presumed that we had always eaten fruit and vegetables. Grains didn't become a significant part of our diet though until about 4,000 years ago with the introduction of bronze age agriculture. There also seems to be what appears fairly solid evidence that animals, including humans, have sought out fermented fruit, about 1-3% alcohol, for millions of years. Wouldn't that be something we evolved on too?

havblue 4y ago

While this goes against the intent of the thread, I'll note that only buying a limited amount of lower gravity beer occasionally can be fairly effective in pacing yourself.

2-718-281-828 4y ago

shouldn't there be some strong and measurable impact on muslim societies (which tend to drink no alcohol) compared to non-muslim societies (who tend to drink alcohol)? is saudi arabia governed smarter or are imams wiser than catholic priests? do they live or stay healthy for longer? having said that I am personally going through some changes. and for some reason I observed the past weeks how I don't enjoy drinking alcohol anymore. not because of healthy considerations on a rational level but just the feeling it gives me. the buzz seems to be gone and instead I'm left with an unpleasant drowsiness that lingers for way too long. I have never been an excessive drinker. I'm wondering what caused this change as it seems to be stemming from a more fundamental neurological or physiological level. I got vaccinated this year more than ten times (especially recently) due to upcoming travels and I stopped drinking coffee three months ago. might one of this contribute? something else to consider. the host of the podcast is affiliated with a nootropic company and advertises its products at the beginning of the clip. nootropics are generally about "take this pill every day and you will feel better". directly related is the idea of "don't do this any more and you'll feel better". I'd keep that in mind consuming the presented arguments.

throwayyy479087 4y ago
I’ve asked this repeatedly and never heard a good answer. The wealthiest countries are generally those that have _more_ cultural drinking (Germany South Korea Japan ) not less.
- ahartmetz 4y ago
  My theory is that people in these countries are the opposite of drunk without alcohol, which is good for productivity, but needs compensation in social situations.
  - 2-718-281-828 4y ago
    arab and muslim countries are very productive? can you give some examples?
- merek 4y ago

ilaksh 4y ago

The weird thing as I see it is that somehow the alcohol lobby has convinced an entire society that anyone who runs into severe consequences from routinely ingesting this drug (alcohol) is literally genetically deficient. Pretty much the opposite of the how people react to most drugs, for example opioid pain killers. It's a very powerful psychological tool for promoting alcohol consumption and suppressing anti-alcohol messaging. It may even make some people continue drinking just to prove that they can "handle it" and are not genetic failures. Or even prevent people from admitting they decided to stop drinking, because someone may conclude that you are therefore genetically flawed (alcoholic). This particular aspect is probably one of the things I hate most about our culture.

tsol 4y ago
That's a really interesting point, I've never thought about it that way but that's exactly what it is.
phendrenad2 4y ago
How do you propose to tell people that some people are predisposed to alcoholism and some are not, without some people taking it as a personal challenge? Should we suppress the facts?

pizzaknife 4y ago

ok but how do we feel about four loko?