What Causes A Hangover? Symptoms, Duration, Treatment, and More

Another immune booster, vitamin C is ideal for helping to ease the symptoms of a hangover. “It also contains some B vitamins and is a source of vitamin C, making it the ideal drink after a big night out.” Hussain Abdeh, Superintendent Pharmacist at Medicine Direct, suspects it is unlikely even the worst hangovers can last longer than a day. Newsweek asked medical experts about what to expect from imbibing excess alcohol and how best to deal with “babalaas.” The medical term for a hangover is “veisalgia,” which is a combination of the Greek word for pain and a Norwegian word for “uneasiness following debauchery.”

Wine headache

Alcoholic beverages contain ingredients called congeners. These give many types of alcoholic beverages their taste and smell. Congeners are found in larger amounts in dark liquors, such as brandy and bourbon, than in clear liquors, such as vodka and gin. A single alcoholic drink is enough to trigger a hangover for some people, while others may drink heavily and not have a hangover.

• Some people may only need one or two drinks to get drunk and feel hungover the next day.
• “Much of it is likely due to the way our bodies change in size and shape as we age.
• If you drink enough alcohol to vomit, then that’s even more fluid lost.
• In general, a hangover is highly unpleasant but not dangerous.

How common are hangovers?

Alcohol is absorbed more slowly when food is in the stomach before you start drinking. Without food in your stomach, most of the alcohol finds its how long does a hangover last way into your blood quickly. Some people may have a hangover from just one alcoholic drink, while others can drink excessively and not get a hangover.

Drinking on An Empty Stomach

• Inpatient treatment programs provide intensive therapy and medical care in a residential setting.
• Your hangover might also affect you mentally, making it hard to concentrate or making you irritable or depressed.
• They recommend doing this for everyone, regardless of the presence of a hangover.
• Some people rehydrate using sports drinks containing electrolytes to ease hangover symptoms.
• It all depends on how quickly your liver can process ethanol, the chemical name for alcohol.

Alcohol has a diuretic effect that makes you pee more, leading to dehydration if you’re not also drinking water. If you drink enough alcohol to vomit, then that’s even more fluid lost. Treatment for AUD at Heroes’ Mile begins with medical alcohol detox. During this detox, our veteran staff can help you safely deal with alcohol withdrawals while under 24/7 care.

Why does a hangover cause nausea?

Not drinking alcohol is the only surefire way to prevent a monster hangover in the future. Mild dehydration can give you a headache, dry mouth, and make you feel dizzy and tired — all common symptoms of a hangover. If you haven’t eaten, you’re a lot more likely to have stomach pain and vomiting after drinking.

But the only guaranteed way to prevent a hangover is to not drink alcohol. It’s also good to know the difference between alcohol poisoning and hangovers, though alcohol poisoning symptoms usually show up while you’re drinking, not the day after. At Heroes’ Mile, located in DeLand, Florida, we specialize in helping veterans overcome their alcohol addiction and mental health issues. Our treatment facility was built for veterans, by veterans, and offers our patients the world-class care they deserve. So if you want to try and avoid a hangover in the future, opt for lighter spirits like gin or vodka over whisky or rum, white wine over red.