# Hangover



## person2 (Jan 1, 2008)

It might sound strange, but when I am hungover most of my anxiety symptoms are gone. I've done some research and from what I understand the main physiological components are a drop in blood sugar and an increase in glutamine. I have tried taking glutamine (the kind sold as a supplement) and it has had some of the same effect (though it could be placebo).

I would describe the effect as something like my mind being cleared, I am able to think properly, and I don't feel so unsure of myself. When drinking, it seems to take 5 drinks (yes, kind of a lot but I'm not a frequent drinker).

Has anyone had an experience similar to this?


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## SADFighter (May 4, 2007)

Really?! Because usually I experience the exact opposite. In contrast to the calm, uninhibited (aka great) feeling I felt the night before, I feel even more anxious, self-conscious and all the more frustrated that I can't be at ease all of the time. Different body chemistries I guess.


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## mcnabj (May 21, 2005)

yep I feel much worse for the next few days. My anxiety is through the roof. I guess this is a good thing and stops me from drinking in excess. I wonder why you feel better the next day? I mean chemically?


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## lilly (Mar 22, 2006)

I feel horrible the next day after drinking usually anxiety and depression-wise.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Yeah, a hangover will cure anxiety, since it's hard to think of stuff to be nervous about when your mind is much more focused on barfing or an intense headache.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

Hangovers are easy to prevent. For every alcoholic drink you have, take a drink of water. Wow wasn't that simple?


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## Social_butterfly00 (Jan 28, 2008)

When I'm hungover my anxiety is twenty times worse.


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## livingnsilence (Feb 4, 2008)

UltraShy said:


> Yeah, a hangover will cure anxiety, since it's hard to think of stuff to be nervous about when your mind is much more focused on barfing or an intense headache.


That's only simple when you're not to drunk that you forget there is such thing as water or any other drink without alcohol in it and when people force you to drink water you end up puking it right up. (yeah I have trouble w/stopping once I start to drink)

Anyways back to the actual topic I often have the worst anxiety ever the day after, during my hangover, b/c I'm too worried about everything I did in the blackout.


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## batman can (Apr 18, 2007)

I'm worse the day after too. But I oddly don't care at the same time. It's weird.


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## opinion_m (Feb 15, 2008)

I've felt both..... but generally acording to studies hangovers increase anxiety/depression
The reason I didn't feel anxiety as much when having a hangover was due to me concentrating on how wierd I felt w my hangover.. like sick/out of it/groggy etc
But generally it does make me more anxious.

I drank 3x in the last week (which is a lot) & heavy drinking too... this last time when I had a hangover I had the worst anxiety & depression EVER! Like I had a strange feeling like something horrible was about to happen, or I was in a nightmare. Idk it was wierd.. kind of felt I was going crazy but I knew it would pass. So hangovers=NOT good for me.


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## nervous (Nov 30, 2006)

my anxiety is usually much worse the next day. unless i drank so much that i wake up still slightly intoxicated. but once thats over, its back to reality


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## letsgo (Feb 29, 2008)

yes. i know exactly what you mean. i feel more in control the day after a night of drinking. with a slight hangover, i feel more self assured, and can have conversations without getting nervous.


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## ToEkNeE (Aug 20, 2004)

I've had that happen to me after a lot of drinking, and I usually have to black out for it to happen. I become very talkative and have a great sense of humor, and feel confident. It's like I can really be myself without SA getting in the way. Person2 has the glutamine continued to work for you? Has anyone else tried it?


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## NJexplorer313 (Feb 12, 2008)

I think a slight hangover is almost the same effects as sleep deprivation which also makes me feel more sociable w/out the anxieties.


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## SadZak (Oct 19, 2009)

YES!!! I just did a search on "hangover and social anxiety" because I experienced the same thing, no anxiety whenever i was extremely hungover. And it only happened when I blacked out, which usually took 10 or more drinks the night before. I stopped drinking almost a year ago because it was so dangerous, but i can remember how great(and awful) i felt during some of those mornings. I would use the opportunity to speak with as many people as possible while i had this little stretch of super outgoingness. I could make others laugh as if i were a comedian and even had an extremely heightened libido too and would be extremely flirtatious with my girlfriends (on the phone that is. Was too sick to even move when i was this way). But I definitely feel that some chemical change was taking place. I purchased glutamine before since i looked into this phenomenon a while back, but after taking it I felt panicky and depressed. So i don't know if it's the glutamine. Whatever it was, i had no social anxiety whatsoever. This is definitely something we need to look into more.


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## ivankaramazov (Aug 22, 2009)

I typically hydrate pretty well while drinking so I don't really get hangovers, but I've found on mornings after drinking I'm unusually personable. All smiles, if you will. I've always just assumed it was leftover alcohol or just being in a good mood from the night before.


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## Torque (Oct 20, 2009)

I always worry in case I've said anything stupid or acted in a shameful way. Worry all day :no


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## strikefoot (May 18, 2010)

Same case for me. Social anxiety is almost totally gone the day after getting belligerently drunk (today). Is there anything that can mimic this chemical reaction without being hungover?


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## Strange Brew (Apr 20, 2009)

I have had the same type experience. I went to work the other day with a hang over and felt great socially. Weird.


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## Nomad326 (Jun 3, 2010)

I only get anxiety during a hangover if I don't remember what happened the night before. I start worrying about things that I might have done or said.


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## livefast3315 (Apr 22, 2010)

I love those hangovers when you wake up in a fog, still drunk and out of it. :clap

Yeah my anxiety is def down with hangovers.


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## zeramis (Oct 25, 2010)

Okay, i simply had to register in order to throw my 2 cents in on this phenomenon.

I too have noticed i have 0 anxiety when "suffering" from a hangover.

Someone else in this thread described what i experience pretty much exactly.
Extreme increase in confidence, charm, word recall, ability to generate humour.
"you're so irresistible today" - some chick
Needless to say, it feels good. 
I do however find that my empathy for other people takes a massive hit... or maybe my normal empathy is just a paranoid delusion ... .

3 out of the last 4 times ive got lucky happened to fall on a hangover day. And considering ive only been hungover like 6 or 7 times in the past 3 months, i feel its significant and alluring in an obvious way.

Anyway, initially i thought it was something to do with blood sugar, as i do believe i have insulin resistance or at least some kind of blood sugar irregularity, jury is still out on that theory.

My second theory was it having something to do with histamine response.
Now this is the one im most interested in right now.
I have recently found out that LSD (acid) has a very similar effect on my confidence (irresistible charm and whatnot).
Apparently LSD binds strongly to histamine receptors in the brain... i also know alcohol has some kind of big interaction with histamine, dunno what to think as of yet...

Acid actually makes me even more confident than a hangover, and that's saying something.
the remaining 1 out of 4 times i had sex is down to acid, and it was good times.

My third and final theory involves gaba. Alcohol is known to increase gaba according to the internets. It's a calming neurotransmitter, but i doubt the effect of this persists into the next day...

In conclusion - i desperately want to know if can harness this awesome power in any way. I would be thankful for anyone experiencing anything similar to give me their opinion and maybe a bit of background information on their health status. I have several hormonal disurbances, problems with candida, h.pylori i believe, chronic sinusitus, tinnitus, low sex drive, bla bla happy to provide more info on request.

Oh acid is also the only thing that clears up my sinus issues.


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## wjc75225 (Jul 24, 2010)

Hmm. I've only had one hangover in my life, and I felt really anxious and kind of paranoid. I think I was paranoid because my eyes were really dilated, and I thought people would think I was on drugs.

I've since learned to drink a lot of water with my alcohol. Now, I don't get hangovers even when I drink a lot :boogie. A lot of the hangover symptoms are caused by extreme dehydration.


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## Recipe For Disaster (Jun 8, 2010)

cant say ive ever noticed this.


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## pita (Jan 17, 2004)

I have never noticed any positive effects from a hangover. But this is a catchy tune.


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## surfmatt (Nov 17, 2010)

A hangover is the kiss of death for me, and depending on the intoxication the night before, the effects can last for a few days. This problem used to (and occasionally does) lead me to having a hair of the dog, ie keep on drinking. This led me over 15 years to slowly get drawn into alcoholism, as any social event would be heavily lubricated with booze. It was a terrible trap, a vicious cirle that lasted nearly 20 years, mainly because I was a very social person before the onset of social panic at age 23. I have finally learnt that it is not the answer, my mind cannot heal in a perpetual state of confusion and worry. I too have tried in vein to look up the physical reasons for the massive upsurge in anxiety after drinking. In the end, I assumed it was just a form of alcohol dependency, but this does not explain why I suffered in the first place. i think I was too niave and out of touch with myself to ask myself. Now I hardly drink, but I can honestly say that when I have just a moderate drinking event, my panic is still terribly bad the next day. It has now got phycological elements as well because I just look so hard for any symptoms (unintentionally) the next day. My mind will not forget the terrible past and just assumes that I will feel like **** the morning after. Its a long road people, and my heart goes out to all of you. x


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## papercat (Nov 14, 2010)

Noca said:


> Hangovers are easy to prevent. For every alcoholic drink you have, take a drink of water. Wow wasn't that simple?


This doesn't actually work. Your body can't absorb water when you are drinking; you'll just pee more. It can, however, reduce the volume of alcohol you can drink, so it will help in that way, but that's it.


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## Recipe For Disaster (Jun 8, 2010)

papercat said:


> This doesn't actually work. Your body can't absorb water when you are drinking; you'll just pee more. It can, however, reduce the volume of alcohol you can drink, so it will help in that way, but that's it.


yeah, i knew his method didn't work but thank you for explaining why. that makes so much sense.

it used to baffle me, because i would think beer is 95% water. beer contains more than twice as much water relative to the alcohol content compared to wine. so if you drank beer only, you would consume the same ratio of alcohol to water as if you drank a glass of water for every glass of wine. and yet, drinking beer will still dehydrate the heck out of you. i mentioned this to a few people and no one really seemed to understand, or gave me a satisfactory explanation. so thank you for solving one of life's little mysteries.


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## papercat (Nov 14, 2010)

Recipe For Disaster said:


> yeah, i knew his method didn't work but thank you for explaining why. that makes so much sense.
> 
> it used to baffle me, because i would think beer is 95% water. beer contains more than twice as much water relative to the alcohol content compared to wine. so if you drank beer only, you would consume the same ratio of alcohol to water as if you drank a glass of water for every glass of wine. and yet, drinking beer will still dehydrate the heck out of you. i mentioned this to a few people and no one really seemed to understand, or gave me a satisfactory explanation. so thank you for solving one of life's little mysteries.


It does help to be well hydrated BEFORE you drink, and not to drink over too long a period, and of course, drink less. Also, an old folk remedy that supposedly really does help is to take a spoonful of olive oil before you go out drinking. If you can't do that, eat something with fat in it, preferable "healthy" fat. Taking extra B vitamins before drinking also helps because alcohol will deplete them.

N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) supplements are supposed to help with a hangover.


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## ZeroG64 (Oct 14, 2010)

zeramis said:


> My second theory was it having something to do with histamine response.
> Now this is the one im most interested in right now.
> I have recently found out that LSD (acid) has a very similar effect on my confidence (irresistible charm and whatnot).
> Apparently LSD binds strongly to histamine receptors in the brain... i also know alcohol has some kind of big interaction with histamine, dunno what to think as of yet...
> ...


Interesting theory but when I've done acid in the past I have seen an increase in confidence to an extent (though I never found acid particularly sociable, maybe in smaller doses and would never want sex on it as that would just be too weird) but when I have a hangover my anxiety reaches very high levels, I am highly unsociable until my hangover wears off. So the effects are very different for me. I hate hangovers so much.


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## Orangecordial (Nov 25, 2011)

Yes i get this as well weird, nervousness is replaced with a convoluted mind


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## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

Im the same way i love the hangover i used too drink just for that.... i got most of my jobs hungover and girlfriends too... i find it allows me too live in the momment


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## namespace11 (Jul 3, 2011)

I have never had alcoholic drink before. Am I missing out on much? You guys seem to describe some really awkward and painful situations.


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## Trmick (Nov 10, 2011)

I think from what I've read, people respond differently- physically and mentally. Me? I get where you're coming from exactly. It really does have an impact as opposed to being just _drunk_.  I don't advocate someone get drunk to experience the "benefits" of a hangover! But I appreciate this post. It has a scientific aspect to it. Whether that be blood sugar or something else, it's recognizable and worthy of some thought from the medical community


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## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

I think it make's you sleep deprived and delusional, you don't really sleep when your black out drunk... after awhile it put's you in a state of dreaming but awake really hard on the body 1-2 cup's of wine are fine but don't ever drink over a 6 pack quitting alcohol can be tough.. losing your mind and your health ain't worth it.... some where it saids being hungover activates the creative gene and lot's of music people abuse it


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## TodHClover (Aug 1, 2012)

im happy to hear this happens to others. ive noticed ive been trying to take advantage of as much of this hangover feeling as possible, and even wishing the feeling would be constant, so I actually looks forward to average hangovers.

it was only todays hangover that made me realise this phenomenon. I feel like my iq increases when im hungover, having allowed me to figure this out. i even feel more playful, just a better person to be and be around.

im new to sas, as well as forums. I hope to grow from this and shed my anxiety, more so social anxiety, for good.


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## Joem7 (Jan 3, 2013)

*Hangover Anxiety*



SADFighter said:


> Really?! Because usually I experience the exact opposite. In contrast to the calm, uninhibited (aka great) feeling I felt the night before, I feel even more anxious, self-conscious and all the more frustrated that I can't be at ease all of the time. Different body chemistries I guess.


Hi,

Like many of you, I suffer following a night of heavy drinking. If I don't drink that much, I find that I have a hangover which consists of a headache and raised body temperature. However, when I drink a lot, I feel as if I have difficulty breathing, I vomit, I feel like I am dizzy and about to faint. My mind races and some strange thoughts become apparent. I feel faint and as if this horrible anxious nervous feeling will never end. I don't drink daily, nor do I drink during a specific time. If I go to watch sport or meet friends then I will drink. After reading many many threads, some people conclude that these feelings the day after are a sign of a dependency or a problem with alcohol whereas others conclude that it is just heightened alcohol due to the lack of minerals and sugar lost through sweating and increased urination brought on by the alcohol. To best describe my drinking habits, I tend to play drinking games with friends for fun and only occasionally. Other times I can be without alcohol for a week, two weeks etc. I do enjoy the odd beer with a football game, but the intention is never to get drunk. The same can be said with a glass of wine with a special meal (family or meeting new people).

I'd be very greatful to see if anyone else feels the same way as I do and what peoples thoughts are.

Many thanks and best of luck to anyone else to feels this way.

JM


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## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

Doing this is playing with fire. Sooner or later your gonna get burned. I can barely mess around with alcohol like this anymore. Without going without sleep for day's cause that how my body responds to alcohol now. Now it not fun going thur DT'S your basically training your brain to over come the effects of alcohol.


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## Harrrro (Jul 19, 2015)

Hey guys. I've been trying to find information on this and there's absolutely nothing on the Internet. This is something I'd really get to the bottom of and I'm sure there are quite a number of people in my shoes. I get extremely happy when I'm hungover. I'm wittier, more talkative, have better verbal fluidity, more interesting, jokes are rad. I feel like I'd write a 2x better essay at half the speed. I become more intelligent. But the greatest thing that happens when I'm hungover is that I'm more comfortable in my own skin. I feel alive. I feel like myself. When I'm not hungover, I'm a little neurotic, ruminate a lot, come off as a little cold, I'm quite irritable and yes, there's a bit of social anxiety. I'd love to know what triggers these good moods so if anyone has any information, it would be a god send. Even if I feel half as good as I do when I'm epicly hungover, my life would be a treat.


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