Hangover

A "hangover" is the illness resulting following the comsumption of large amounts of one drug or another. It is particular associated with the comsumption of alcohol.

Different sorts of alcohol are reputed to give differing strengths of hangover. Dark drinks (red wine, stout's) are reputed to give particularly awful hangovers. It has also been suggested that the more expensive the drink the less of a hangover it gives. This is widely thought to be propangda? distributed by the rich.

An alcohol hangover is associated with variety of symptoms, including dry mouth, headaches, bloodshot eyes, nausea and vomiting, and sensitivity to light and noise.

It is thought that hangovers are multi-causal. Alcohol is an enuretic? resulting in dehydration, which is undoubtedly one cause. The large amount of fluid passing through the kidneys also results in a loss of blood sugar, and other water soluble vitamins and minerals. Alcohol is also a metabolic poison, and its impact on the stomach lining probably accounts for the nausea. Finally there are various nervous effects. The removal of the depressive effects of alcohol in the brain probably account for the light and noise sensitivity. It is also thought that the presence of methanol mixed with the ethanol that exagerates many of the symptons, which probably accounts for the association with dark drinks.

Hangovers are really unpleasant, and are normally associated with statements such as "I wish I were dead" and "I am never drinking again". The former is almost universal true, and the latter almost universally untrue. There are a wide variety of hangover cures. Indeed there appear to be nearly as many ways of curing hangovers as there are of getting drunk in the first place. These hangover cures have one major thing in common which is that they are no where near as effective at curing a hangover as alcoholic drinks are at getting you drunk.