Drinking Habits
 
You should know, especially if you are a seasoned drinker, that your drinking habits are the main cause of your hangovers. Examine the chart below to see how your drinking habits may be making you ill.

Changing your drinking habits is the best solution for ending your hangovers, however this is an unrealistic solution for most people. Read more about what you can do to prevent a hangover.

WHAT you drink

Sweet, tropical drinks, such as Margaritas and Mai-Tais, are too sweet. The sweetness disguises the taste of the alcohol, and you may not realize just how much alcohol you are really drinking.

Here is a tough one: the stronger the drink(s), the higher percentage of alcohol you consume and the more drunk you will become. This means. . .lay off the shots.

Drinks with a higher level of congeners (the darker colored liquors) will make your hangover worse. Read more about this on the congeners page.

Lower quality alcohol is more likely to give you a hangover. It is cheaper to produce because they don’t remove as much of the congeners.

Mixing different types of alcohol seems to “confuse”  your body’s detoxification efforts.

HOW you drink

Ok, slow down there ‘speed racer’. The faster you drink the alcohol, the faster the alcohol hits your system. By flooding your system, your body cannot handle the overload and the toxins build up, making you feel ill.     

WHEN you drink

Alcohol plays a role in many special occasions such as weddings, bachelor(ette) parties, and so on. However, if you find yourself drinking alone, and at odd hours, or alcohol appears to dominate your life, you may have a problem and you should seek some help.   

Beware the “Hair of the dog” hangover remedy. This refers to drinking more alcohol to relieve the affects of the alcohol consumed the night before. This is not a remedy, but merely a hangover delay. It can lead to alcohol abuse, or possibly indicate that you have a drinking problem. Read more about “Hair of the dog” and other remedies on our cures page.

Biology l  Congeners l  Drinking Habits |  Back to Causes