What causes hangovers?
 

I know it's dehydration, but, when I went to Cuba last year, my friends and I drank more everyday than we ever do here when we go out. We started early, and finished late, every single day. Mostly we drank rum. In a whole week of drinking we did not get a single hangover. Yet here, now and after our return, we do. We either get headaches the day after a binge, or we're simply tired the whole day following heavy drinking... I was wondering if that's because the alcohol here is lower quality?

What would explain the lack of hangovers in Cuba?

I know americans can't travel to cuba, but has anybody experienced this while travelling to the Dominican Republic or Jamaica?

dehydration, mostly - other effects relate to sugar level, which is a function of the type of organic fermented.



2hp

alcohol plus sugar is one of the causes of some "hangover" symptoms

so why didn't I have hangovers in Cuba?

better quality rum?

also, withdrawal. If you're drinking continuously - you might be avoiding the withdrawals. I don't have hang overs at shows cuz we start drinking by noon and continue all day long.

the higher the quality alcohol (especially among grades of vodka), the less impurities and the less of a "hangover effect" also comes into play.

I figured starting early probably explained it.

It's true...i've found out that as long as I have food in my stomach and start drinking fairly early in the day (but make sure to keep drinking until I go to sleep) there's less of a chance I get a hangover the next morning. :2 cents:

For testing purposes i'll start drinking some soco right now (it's late here) and won't stop until I pass out. If I wake up in the morning with a hangover my hypothesis still holds true lol :thumbsup

I hate to plug a product I don't know about, but what I DO know is they explain it well on the cellular level.

:thumbsup

http://www.hangoverhelper.com/Pages/how_it_works.html

1. Dehydration - Alcohol is a diuretic, ie a drug that increases urination and flushes fluids from the body. Drinking coffee the next morning may increase this problem as coffee is also a diuretic (however, caffeine has a possible advantage, which will be discussed later).

2. Mild poisons in the drink - A hangover may be a toxic reaction or even a mild form of alcohol poisoning. Complex organic molecules such as methanol and acetone are found in some drinks and are said to be responsible for hangovers rather than ethanol (alcohol). This view is supported by researcher Dr. Ian Calder of the National Hospital for Neurosurgery (London).

3. Too much alcohol depletes the body of necessary substances required to stay healthy, including blood sugar, vitamins and minerals.

4. ?There?s good evidence emerging that the chief cause of hangover is acute withdrawal from alcohol,? says Mack Mitchell, M.D., vice president of the Alcoholic Beverage Medical Research Foundation in Baltimore, and assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University. ?The cells in your brain physically change in response to the alcohol?s presence; when the alcohol is gone, you go through withdrawal until those cells get used to doing without the alcohol.? Couple that with the effects alcohol has on the blood vessels in your head (they can swell significantly), and you end up living through a day after that you?d rather forget.



Which form of alcohol is worse?
From worst to best: bourbon, whiskey, brandy, rum, red wine, white wine, gin and vodka.

drink greygoose and soda. i never get hangovers.

I have always loved vodka. :thumbsup

It's with the location I guess. It's your first time to be in Cuba right? :(