Any time people drink to intoxication, there is a chance they could have a hangover the next day. Older people are at particularly high risk for harmful alcohol–medication interactions. Aging slows the body’s ability to break down alcohol, so alcohol remains in a person’s system longer. Older people also are more likely to take a medication that interacts with alcohol—in fact, they often need to take more than one of these medications.
What puts people at risk for developing AUD?
As a result, they may underestimate their level of alcohol consumption and not recognize their level of impairment, leading to potentially hazardous situations. Hangovers are characterized by headaches, fatigue, weakness, thirst, muscle aches, nausea, stomach pain, vertigo, and sensitivity to light and sound. During a hangover, attention, decision-making, and muscle coordination can all be impaired.
If you think you are dealing with alcohol abuse and need help, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism provides resources to find treatment. Your body has to catch up and metabolize the alcohol you consumed,” says Cleveland Clinic emergency medicine physician James Roach. One too many adult beverages might help you fall asleep quickly, but the nagging symptoms of a hangover might wake you up earlier than normal. Alcohol can also make it hard for your body to regulate its own temperature, per the Cleveland Clinic.
“It’s more socially acceptable for women to drink excessively today than it used to be,” he says. “Recent increases in binge drinking among women are troubling given growing evidence that women are more susceptible to some of the risks linked to excessive alcohol use, including liver disease, heart disease, blackouts, hangovers, and certain cancers.” Data were obtained from three separate sources, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the Monitoring the Future survey, and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The report provides trend data on past-30-day alcohol use, initiation of drinking, drinking patterns (e.g., frequency, quantity, volume, binge and extreme binge drinking, drunkenness), alcohol-related attitudes, and alcohol-related risk behaviors. While it varies for each person, consuming more than one drink per hour increases the risk of getting a hangover. Chronic, heavy alcohol use can contribute to a range of health problems, including digestive problems, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, weakened immunity, and neurological problems.
Alcohol Use Disorder
It can also contribute to bone damage and increase the risk of several types of cancer. This article discusses the common symptoms of a hangover as well as the signs of more serious alcohol poisoning. To help ease their hangover symptoms, some people turn to electrolyte-rich sports drinks or other products, or even intravenous (IV) treatments, in an effort to treat electrolyte imbalance caused by increased urination and fluid loss as a result of drinking. Research has not found a correlation between the extent of electrolyte disruptions and the severity of hangovers, or the impact of added electrolytes on hangover severity.
What are the symptoms of AUD?
If someone needs more help, the NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator can help. This website provides information about the often-complicated process of choosing treatment for alcohol problems. Rehydrating or taking a nap might help deal with some of the symptoms, but to fully get back to normal, you’re probably best suited just to wait it out. Cleveland Clinic dietitian Julia Zumpano also recommends “bland” foods like bananas, rice, applesauce and toast, which are easy to digest and can boost blood sugar.
What Are the Health Risks?
- Because alcohol mixes with body water, a given amount of alcohol is more concentrated in a woman’s body than in a man’s.
- NIAAA published a special supplemental issue of the journal Pediatrics, presenting a developmental framework for understanding and addressing underage drinking as a guide to future research, prevention, and treatment efforts.
- That, in turn, can cause dehydration, which explains the thirst, fatigue, dry mouth and headaches you wake up with after a night of drinking, experts say.
- Men (28.8%) are more likely to binge drink than women (20.4%), but the difference is getting smaller.
- For example, someone who participated in a binge drinking session will have a longer lasting hangover than a person who had a few drinks over a number of hours.
Unfortunately, although the standard drink (or alcoholic drink-equivalent) amounts are helpful for following health guidelines, they may not reflect customary serving sizes. A large cup of beer, an overpoured glass of wine, or a single mixed drink could contain much more alcohol than a standard drink. In addition, the percentage of pure alcohol varies within and across beverage types (e.g., beer, wine, and distilled spirits). 2015—NIAAA launched CollegeAIM—the College Alcohol Intervention Matrix, a new resource to help schools address harmful and underage student drinking. In 2020, NIAAA published significant updates to the CollegeAIM website, updating resources and scientific evidence. NIAAA also added a clinician’s portal to the Alcohol Treatment Navigator website, helping clinicians to feel more confident making patient referrals for AUD.
Related Resources
Similarly, if your blood sugar is low, you’re more likely to feel the effects of drinking alcohol. One of the main components of alcoholic drinks is sugar, used in the fermentation process to turn ethanol into beer, wine, or spirits. A hangover is a collection of unpleasant physical hangovers national institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism niaaa and mental symptoms that occur after a session of heavy alcohol consumption. The severity of hangover symptoms can depend on many factors, such as how much alcohol was consumed and the type of alcohol. Generally, the length of hangover symptoms is largely based on how much you drink and what you drink. For example, someone who participated in a binge drinking session will have a longer duration of hangover compared to a person who had a few drinks over a number of hours.
The series pays tribute to Mark Keller, a pioneer in the field of alcohol research, and features a lecture each year by an outstanding alcohol researcher who has made significant and long-term contributions to our understanding of alcohol’s effects on the body and mind. Ultimately, the only surefire remedy for a hangover is to avoid getting one by drinking in moderation or choosing not to drink. The laboratories and researchers housed within NIAAA seek to unravel the biological basis of alcohol use disorders and related problems and to develop new strategies to prevent and treat these disorders. Here, we briefly share the basics about AUD, from risk to diagnosis to recovery.
- In 2020, NIAAA published significant updates to the CollegeAIM website, updating resources and scientific evidence.
- According to a 2016 report, studies show that a person may not feel effects until minutes after eating.
- If you think you are dealing with alcohol abuse and need help, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism provides resources to find treatment.
- Ultimately, the only surefire remedy for a hangover is to avoid getting one by drinking in moderation or choosing not to drink.
Alcohol is the main culprit in a hangover, but other components of alcoholic beverages might contribute to hangover symptoms or make a hangover worse. Protect yourself by avoiding alcohol if you are taking a medication and don’t know its effect. To learn more about a medicine and whether it will interact with alcohol, talk to your pharmacist or other health care provider. Some medications—including many popular painkillers and cough, cold, and allergy remedies—contain more than one ingredient that can react with alcohol.
If you wake up feeling weird after a night of drinking, taking more time to rest your body will help ease the discomfort. From alcohol detox to relapse prevention care, our dual diagnosis program is ready to help you achieve lifelong sobriety. By helping you work through your mental health and addiction struggles, we will empower you to regain control of your life.
