homebrew & hangovers-the science

I pulled out my yellowed and creased copy of Papazian's classic The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing. Those dated 70's photos were amusing but what really struck me was the venerable author's scientific analysis of the hangover and way to help avert the affects of "over consumption"

He really digs deep into such topics as glucose levels, fat metabolism etc. I dont "over consume" so much these days but if in college I had known to eat a B vitamin before passing out and showering immediately upon awakening I might have lifted my GPA a tenth or three.

Anybody out there willing to donate a 22oz'er of barley wine for an uncontrolled experiment??

Well the cold shower is BS, but I'd believe the vitamin B. In fact wouldn't it reason that taking vitamin's in general would make you feel better over time, assuming you have a deficiency in that area?

If I guzzle a couple pints of water before passing out, I'll wake up headache free... then if I eat a full breakfast, eggs, toast, bacon, milk/OJ I'll feel 100% all day.

I don't need a shower, but it can be nice... not a cold one though, that would suck so bad I'd rather have a hangover.

Hey how 'bout a hangover sticky. Might overwhelm the server

It also depends a huge amount on the person. I know people who get horrific hangovers from sixpacks, but for some reason I can get into the double didgets and wake up feeling fine despite having very mediocre alcohol tolerance. I think its because I didn't drink that much in college and don't drink a lot very often, keep my liver strong

me being hungover has way to many variables to play in....depends on where I'm drinking (one bar I go to is a 'get f'ed up bar) another is very chilled and relaxed, and the other is a social atmosphere. Also depends what I'm drinking, beer, wine, liquor, or all three, who is pouring, it just makes no sense. And then there are days like today, where the weather sucks, and it's depressing, and now I have a headache. Was fine before I realized it wasn't raining earlier.

SO I dunno, but I'm interested in this vitamin B thing....lots of water before bed always helps, and big time. One thing that I have been trying to do is drinking beer-water-beer-water....etc

It's all based on the purity of the ethanol. The cheaper stuff is less pure and that gives really bad hangovers. Back in WWII at the shipyards, they use to be "hangover" tents. Basically, you'd go there and they give you a shot of B12 and would pick you right up.

Drink water before bed, maybe even take a multivitamin.. next day go for a jog to sweat out the alcohol and I feel 100%

z987k said:

but I'd believe the vitamin B. In fact wouldn't it reason that taking vitamin's in general would make you feel better over time, assuming you have a deficiency in that area?

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B12 is a cofactor for alcohol dehydrogenase, thus, helps you break down alcohol faster. In my college days I swore by taking B12 before going out (about 300-500% of daily recommended dose), and pounding a couple pints of water before going to sleep....wish I still did that now, still drink as hard, just a lot older and no wiser.

takes some activated charcoal with that B12.....the charcoal soaks up all the nasty by products of alcohol oxidation
(mainly acetaldehyde, which is the chemical that causes hangovers). This is basically whats in those hangover pills.

Alcohol deprives your body of water because it is a diuretic. Replenishing the water and any lost vitamins will go a long way in preventing hangovers.

What I found was that drinking a big glass of water before bed and taking a couple of headache pills (aspirin, aceteminofen, ibuprofen-- it didn't matter which) generally worked wonders.

I have always thought that the preservatives in beer helped cause my hangovers. Since I started brewing they have gone away by about 90%. On occasion when I do over indulge my stomach can still go whacky but the headaches are very mild if any.

In 'Scent of a Women', Pacino says that dehydration is the root cause of hangovers.

A diuretic will leach away electrolytes (and vitamins) as well as water. Seems gatorade or equivalent and a Centrum or something would be the best preventative/cure.

Stuff I can suggest that YOU do, but then I'm lazy, and just suffer, myself....

McCall St. Brewer said:

What I found was that drinking a big glass of water before bed and taking a couple of headache pills (aspirin, aceteminofen, ibuprofen-- it didn't matter which) generally worked wonders.

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The problem is that the mixture of certain pain killers and alcohol tend to cause stomach problems. I don't recall which one's they were, but when I was in college I could have told you in a heartbeat. I don't mean taking pain killers when you have a hangover, I mean taking them before you went to bed (or passed out).

I'm a big fan of drinking a LOT of water before sleeping/passing out. That usually causes me to wake up early (by a couple hours usually0 to take a piss, then I pop a few ibuprofen to drop the headache. Usually does wonders.

I also used to be a big fan of the "sweat it out" school of thought. I remember in college, my buddies would literally drag me out of bed to go mt. biking after a night of hard drinking. They thought they could ride faster than me for a change if I was hungover. I'd start out feeling like hell, but a mile or so into a ride, it felt like somebody flipped a switch and I was as good as normal.
Wish I was still in that kind of shape.

i thought the yeast in the bottom of the bottle had alot of vit B in it? i never get hang overs from my homebrew, bubble guts is a diffrent story lol, i dont think my ABV is very high either though, i drank a 12 pack of some porter one night and had a slight buzz and woke up feeling fine, it was hot btw, i also have very little body fat, tall and very very skinny lol so it normally doesnt take much to get me drunk, i also find eating before i start drinking(if im going to get hammerd which is the case sometimes lol) it kinda helps out with the hang over. heck im only 24 so hangeovers dont effect me much anyways lol (unless im drinking whiskey) but beer is no prob!

Hopleaf said:

Drink water before bed, maybe even take a multivitamin.. next day go for a jog to sweat out the alcohol and I feel 100%

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I'm not gonna start jogging everyday lol

Seriously though, I find starting boozing again before you hangover has a chance to take hold normally works.....

Offence is the best defence as they say

Gatorade, definitely gatorade. That stuff isn't made for athletes, it's made for drinkers. I also usually drink a few glasses of water before bed, mainly to assure that I wake up in the middle of the night so I can take some advil (avoid acetaminophen, bad for the liver when mixed w/ booze)

But, the most important thing for me is grease. Corned beef hash, a couple eggs over-easy, and some hash browns. Smash that all together, serve w/ toast and coffee and it'll either kill ya or cure ya!!

A little puff of the shrubbery helps too, if ya know what I mean....

Ignore the hangover. It does not exist. Power through.

Geordiepete said:

I'm not gonna start jogging everyday lol

Seriously though, I find starting boozing again before you hangover has a chance to take hold normally works.....

Offence is the best defence as they say

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lol i agree! i just try to drink enough that im still drunk when i wake up in the AM its hard to be hungover when you are still drunk

blefferd said:

lol i agree! i just try to drink enough that im still drunk when i wake up in the AM its hard to be hungover when you are still drunk

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You're just postponing the inevitable...

You could try tapering off over the course of a few weeks.....

The production of acetaldehyde in the body really screws you up the next day, its caused when you overload the alcohol dehydrogenase system iirc, its also responsible for that feeling of being really drunk ie not tipsy from the ethanol but falling down, can't stand up drunk from the acetaldehyde, you might as well be sniffing paint thinner if you over indulge in a big way .

=Seriously though, I find starting boozing again before you hangover has a chance to take hold normally works.....

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Ahhh nothing like a Bloody Mary to ward off the morning shakes. I miss those days. I think I've found my favorite forum after 13 years online!

blefferd said:

lol i agree! i just try to drink enough that im still drunk when i wake up in the AM its hard to be hungover when you are still drunk

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Exactly, an as your still drunk in the AM your better able to deal with the oncoming hangover by eating food drinking plenty of fluids etc, rather than if your asleep and at the mercy of it.

On painkillers, FWIW: aceteminofen (sp?) (i.e. Tylenol) has been fouind to be extremely hard on the liver when combined with even small amounts of alcohol in the system.

So the best practice at this point would apparently be to avoid aceteminofen if you drink, and especially don't take it when you've been drinking excessively.

I've noticed regularly taking my multivitamin that has 300% DRV of B12 has been bitchin the past 5 days!

Black coffee and a Lucky Strike.

I swear by blue Powerade. A bottle of that usually cures my hangover. I keep the dry stuff on hand just in case, good for the stomach flu too. I got into that in college when I got to the point that the morning after having a bit too much to drink water would make me sick.

Ans honestly the only time I get a bad hangover is when I mix beer ans whiskey. I don't know what it is. . .I had a couple beers and a nice size drink of Maker's Mark and I was messed up the next morning.

arturo7 said:

Black coffee and a Lucky Strike.

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HA! Agreed....course I smoke reds...

Lucky Strikes are my "out of country smokes" though... Don't know why but for some reason every time I've been out of the states I've smoked luckys

Anyway, I don't drink all that much anymore and when I do I make sure I either don't have **** to do the next day or have don't have to do anything till the late afternoon

When I was in High School though we drank SKOL vodka (holy crap was i dumb!) like there was no tomorrow....mixed with a little tampico juice man we were livin it up! and I swear I never got a hang over...there were a few times when I first started drinking that I got real sick the next morning and blew chunks (once I puked while driving....on an old windy country road) but I quickly learned my limit and used to give my friends my "non-puke guarantee"

last time I puked from drinking was in mexico...woke up in the hostel we were staying in with all of the pictures and stuff that was on the wall no longer there....bottle of cheap tequila smashed on the floor and I was still drunk...woke up......walked to the toilet and took care of business....rest of the day was fine

so I don't know...I think it just takes a lot to get me hung over or I just subconciously know when to slow down

here's one for you guys

If you throw up you probably just removed a lot of the alcohol from your system. Always makes you feel better and probably lowers the chance for a hangover.

Also, best drink to **** you up and not know it is just good ol' everclear and kool-aid.