[TheForge] alcohol

[Jeffrey Polaski]

>However, I'm not sure that any of this relates to
>alcohol in the body.  As I understand it, alcoholic
>beverages dehydate you.  I know from my own experience
>that hangover can often be avoided by drinking water
>along with alcohol - even with beer.
Alchohol is a diuretic -- it make your body think there is more water in
it than there actually is, so you pee out more water than you would
otherwise. At least that's what my JC anatomy instructor told us. You're
right, drinking water helps a lot, as does taking B vitamins (or a good
multi-vitamin). Some people take aspirin before they go to sleep, to
help with the hangover effects on waking). 

I don't usually drink very much, but sometime when I'm out with friends
I'll have a few beers, or a nice glass of mead. Blacksmithing events
tend to be fairly beer-intensive, too. All it takes is a couple of
glasses to make me feel the effects the next morning. 

~Jeff