Festive season parties entice young and old to indulge in both food and drink. Organizers and hosts spend considerable time effort and incur expenses to supply the best for their guests.
However this is a time for all to be sensible of overindulgence particularly of alcoholic beverages. In most cases there is an abundance of alcoholic beverages and many find it easy to consume more than they can tolerate.
Alcohol is a drug and can only be eliminated by oxidation in the liver.
A small amount is exhaled and evaporated through the skin except the liver must rest down 90 per cent of the alcohol ingested.
Alcohol is absorbed through the stomach wall and in the small intestines and most of the ingested amount finds its way into the bloodstream within 20 minutes. This happens when the stomach is empty. In order to delay absorption fatty and protein-rich foods should be consumed prior to drinking.
Carbonated alcoholic beverages find their way to the blood stream much faster like they accelerate stomach motility.
Once alcohol reaches the liver enzymes (aldehyde dehydrogenase alcohol dehydrogenase catalase and cytochrane) start breaking it down and ultimately reduce it through time to water and carbon dioxide.
Pending on body weight and gender the rate of breakdown changes. A man (150 lbs. – 69 Kg.) can eliminate 14 grams or ½ oz. Pure alcohol per hour i.e one bottle of beer @ 5 per cent alcohol ABV (Alcohol by Volume) 30ml=1 oz. O spirits @ 40 per cent ABV and 100 ml= 3 ½ oz of wine @ 12 per cent ABV.
It is best to stick to plain spirits that have been aged for a few months and not in barrels.
Brown spirits generally aged in barrels for more than a year include congeners that cause severe hangovers. Still white wine is fine but for red wines individuals should be aware of barrel aging although many light red wines are not barrel aged.
Drinking a lot water or juices before going to bed helps to some extent. Alcohol is diuretic.
Oxygen seems to help some individuals eating protein-rich food others. Some benefit from rest although a few do so by exercise according to researchers but who with a severe hangover would want or could exercise?
It is a fallacy that coffee makes a drunk sober. All it does is make a drunk individual wide awake but nothing more.
The best way to consume alcohol is moderation and sticking to clear drinks and to pace drining to one drink per hour. If consuming spirits do not mingle it with sweet soft drinks and try to drink neat or diluted with a little of water. A severe hangover can last up to two days and by all accounts is a very unpleasant experience; you can avoid it by following above recommendations.
Enjoy but be moderate and careful.