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Why do some people get hangovers where others only get headaches?

Usually a hangover is a direct result of drinking too much. However it is not just as simple as that. Whether or not you get a hangover depends on two things. Firstly your biochemical individuality, and secondly type of drink you take.

Some drinks have a more immediate impact than others. For example spirits such as gin and whisky, have a more immediate impact than beers or wines.

Any alcoholic drink that is mixed with carbonated beverage is more quickly absorbed into the bloodstream than if the drink was not mixed. Of course once absorbed the alcohol reaches your brain within minutes.

The immediate effect is one of euphoria or stimulation, followed by a gradual slip into nervous system depression with more consumption leading to numbness, slurring of speech, sleep, and alcoholic poisoning and unconsciousness if a serious over consumption occurs.

The over consumption point is reached much quicker if you are already taking drugs. It is also easier to reach a point where you’re breathing is suppressed because of the interaction between the drug and the drink, and if this occurs when you are in trouble. You have now got yourself to the point where you’re breathing could stop or you could choke on your own vomit.

The severity of the after-effects of drinking alcohol is loosely termed a hangover. It is caused by the by-products of the fermentation process in the manufacture of the drink concerned. These by-products are known as ‘congeners’, and the more congeners there are in a drink, then the more severe the resultant hangover may be.

Here is a list in order from highest to lowest of the drinks with the greatest number of congeners.

* Brandy
* Red Wine
* Rum
* Whisky
* White Wine
* Gin
* Vodka

So you can see from this table that Gin and Vodka which are low in the ‘congeners scale’, but high in the immediate impact list, give the quickest buzz with the lowest after-effects (providing of course you don’t overdo it!)

Did you know?

An average single pub measure of spirits contains 1.5 units, and the average pub measure of a glass of wine is the same. A pint of ordinary beer contains two units, whereas a pint of strong beer is double that at four units.

The recommended daily intake for the average healthy woman is two to three units per day, and for the average healthy man three to four units per day.

Tags: alcohol, hangover, alcoholic drink, recommended daily intake

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