Whiskey Hangover

As many of us know, hangovers suck. They leave us laying in bed with a pounding headache, sensitivity to light and sometimes even make us throw up. Many people know what is going to make them hungover, but they still continue to drink it anyway

A study done by Damaris Rohsenow, published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research says that whiskey is more likely to give you a hangover than vodka. The study was conducted by monitoring “healthy heavy drinkers” ages 21 to 23 while they drink. Whiskey has a higher congener content than vodka because of the way it is made. It is made in oak barrels which takes out different molecules. They were monitored for two nights but were given one night to get acclimated to the whiskey and vodka.  On both nights after the acclimatization night, the drinkers had to build a BAC level of 0.11 (thats about 7 drinks for a 200 lb person). They drank whiskey or vodka on one night, then consumed a matched placebo the next. The study found that whiskey gave the drinkers a worse hangover. Studies also found that the reason for the terrible hangover is because of the level of congeners (37 times more than vodka) within the whiskey.

Although this study gave useful information I believe it could of been conducted better. I think the study could of been larger and also could of contained more alcoholic beverage options. Also, there could be a third variable within the trial causing a worse hangover for the people who drank the whiskey. The third variable could range anywhere from what they ate that day to even a certain prescribed medicine they are taking. It is understandable that whiskey makes a person more hungover due to the congener level, but I think a third variable really comes into play when monitoring a whiskey hangover.  Next time you’re out with your friends or frolicking on frat row, monitor what you drink and see how you feel the next day (if you’re 21 of course).

Unknown

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/in-search-of-a-cure-for-the-dreaded-hangover/

2 thoughts on “Whiskey Hangover

  1. Macy Cellitti

    Another thing to consider would be this: If they were monitored for two nights in a row, maybe they had the worse hangover on the second day because they were still recovering from the first one. They probably should have put a couple recovery days in between each drinking night so that the results weren’t influenced by one another. This article from Johns Hopkins states that a single hangover can last for up to 72 hours! http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology_neurosurgery/centers_clinics/headache/conditions/hangover_headache.html

  2. ram5928

    I have heard that darker alcohol does leave you with worse hangovers. There is evidence, like you mentioned, about there being more congeners in darker alcohol than lighter/clear alcohol. But, I do think that third variables do need to come into play. Some people barely get hangovers every time they drink while others get them often, even after not being considered “drunk”. It depends on genetics, weight, gender, and how much food and water was consumed before drinking. I found an article that related to your blog very well: http://www.wired.com/2009/12/dark-liquor-makes-for-worse-hangovers/

Leave a Reply