Hi johngl,
Thank you for your question.
http://www.mynrma.com.au/motoring/help/question_answer/alco.shtml
Question:
What's the best way to bring my blood alcohol content (BAC) down?
Answer:
Your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) will begin to rise as soon as you
start drinking, and will usually reach its maximum 20-60 minutes after
you stop.
There is no quick way to reduce your BAC after you've stopped drinking.
Supposed remedies such as exercise, drinking coffee, fruit juice or
water, taking a cold shower or deep breaths of fresh air won't lower
your BAC.
Time is the only cure.
It can take one hour for the body to metabolise each standard drink
you have. Therefore, make sure enough time has passed before you drive
(even the next morning), especially for drivers with a limit of 0.02.
Question:
How can I reduce the risk of exceeding the limit?
Answer:
Start with a non-alcoholic drink.
Eat before and while you are drinking to slow the absorption of
alcohol into the bloodstream.
Avoid salty snacks (eg: pretzels, chips, peanuts) which make you thirsty.
Make every second or third drink a non-alcoholic beverage.
Have one drink at a time (don't "top up" your drinks).
Try low alcohol alternatives - either "light" beers or non-alcoholic cocktails.
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Drugs Info File by Dr. Miriam Stoppard
http://www.drugsinfofile.com/alcohol.html
What happens
Although it takes minutes for alcohol to reach the brain, it takes the
liver an hour to break down the alcohol in a glass of wine or half a
pint of beer.
The less you weigh the more alcohol affects you, so there's a good
reason for alcohol being illegal below a certain age. A slim teenage
boy will get drunk far more quickly than a large adult male.
A girl will feel the effects of alcohol faster and for longer than a boy.
THERE'S NO MAGIC CURE FOR A HANGOVER
*****
Know you limits
A unit is a half-pint of normal-strength beer or lager, a medium glass
of wine or one measure of spirits. A relatively safe daily intake for
adults is 2 - 3 units for women and 3 - 4 units for men. But that's
probably too much for an 18-year-old, let alone someone younger.
However, no-one should drink every day. (This doesn't mean it''s safe
to save up the units you haven't drunk to binge drink your weekly
allowance in one go! )
*****
DON'T MIX ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUGS
BE SENSIBLE
Do eat before you drink; even a glass of milk can help prevent a hangover.
Do drink twice as much still water as alcohol, and a pint of water before bed.
Do sip rather than guzzle when you drink alcohol.
Do avoid fizzy mixers and alcopops. The bubbles get the alcohol to
your brain faster.
Do stay off alcohol completely for a few days after a party to let
your liver get back to normal.
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Some Key Points With Respect to Hangovers
http://www.mcmaster.ca/health/hwc/Student%20Writers/drinking_before_thinking.htm
A hangover is your body?s way of telling you it?s been poisoned and
your body?s reaction to withdrawal from alcohol. Do you feel
dehydrated the day after you drink? Alcohol robs your brain cells of
water and glucose, which is why you would feel the effects of
dehydration, a headache, and the shakes the day after the night of
heavy drinking. Your body will probably tell you this but drink a lot
of water or juice when you get up from a hangover. When you have a
headache or any type of ache or pain, do you have a tendency to grab
some Tylenol? Key thing to remember is NOT to take acetaminophen
(medicine found in Tylenol) after a night of drinking until the
alcohol is cleared from your system! Combining alcohol and
acetaminophen can cause serious overload to your liver. The only real
cure to a hangover is time and the knowledge gained to limit your
drinking the next time so you will remember the party and avoid the
unpleasant side effects
[edit]
Myth:
If I get drunk I can just have a coffee or something to eat to sober me up!
Fact:
False! Once alcohol is in your body, no amount of food or drink can
change its effects!
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http://www.recovery.org.uk/druginfo/index.html
What effect does it have?
The impact of drinking alcohol depends on the state of the brain at
the time, and this in turn depends on the drinking environment.
In a quiet environment (little brain activity), perhaps at home in an
armchair, an alcohol user will experience relaxation or drowsiness at
low to moderate doses.
In a social setting, with lots of sights, sounds and social
interaction (lots of brain activity) low doses of alcohol may feel
stimulating. This is caused by depression of the higher brain centres,
which produces apparent stimulation by reducing anxiety and
self-consciousness. A drinker may become more talkative than normal
and demonstrate increased self-confidence and loss of self restraint.
So alcohol can feel like a stimulant - but it's not - these effects
are a result of the inhibition of normal brain activity.
As the alcohol dose is increased, significant depression of brain
activity can result in slurred speech, loss of limb co-ordination and
loss of emotional control. High doses of alcohol can inhibit vital
brain functions - this can produce deep sedation and slow down the
breathing rate, which can result in coma or death.
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Do this to reduce the effects of a hangover
http://www.signmein.co.za/authentication.aspx?turl=kuduclub&psid={B081C0C0-AC45-48D8-AD46-67CBCEE40CF4}&sn=Global&sa=500000&surl=http%3A//www.health24.com/Woman/Food_eating/711-732%2C12377.asp&lg=e
Why do we get hangovers?
"Hangovers are linked to high levels of alcohol in the bloodstream,"
says Christina Dye in her book titled Hangovers: An Ounce of
Prevention. "About 95 percent of the alcohol content of a drink is
broken down in the liver. What?s left is excreted in sweat, breath and
urine. But when intake outpaces output, blood alcohol level remains
higher longer and the likelihood of a hangover increases."
"The liver metabolises alcohol at a rate of an ounce of per hour - a
full glass of wine or a large glass of beer. Obviously age, sex and
weight also play a role. Hangover symptoms are felt as quickly as one
hour after the last drink was consumed, but the worst symptoms strike
8 - 10 hours later and can last up to 24 hours. The body is basically
responding as if it has been mildly poisoned - that accounts for the
dizziness, headaches, dehydration and heartburn."
Alcohol is a diuretic, which dehydrates you. Methanol and acetone are
found in some drinks and many believe these cause hangovers rather
than ethanol(alcohol). Brandy seems to be worst for hangovers, test
results in the British Medical Journal have shown. Too much alcohol
also depletes the body of vitamins and minerals and plays havoc with
the blood sugar levels.
How to prevent hangovers
There are things you can do Dye says, apart from swearing never to
drink a single drop again.:
Don?t drink on an empty stomach, as food slows the rate at which
alcohol is absorbed.
Drink slowly - sip rather than gulp. Never drink alcohol because you
are thirsty, as it will only dehydrate you further.
Space your drinks - drink fruit juice or soda water in between your
alcoholic beverages
Don?t mix drinks. This seems to make hangovers worse.
Set a drinking limit for yourself and stick to it.
What you can do if you have a hangover
Drink lots of water as this will rehydrate you and every time you
urinate, you will be getting rid of some of the alcohol from the night
before. Stay away from coffee.
Do a bit of exercise, like a walk in the fresh air.
Eat lots of food. If you are feeling nauseous, constantly nibble on
some dry toast.
Lie down and get some rest. Your body needs it. Take an aspirin or two
to sort out the headache.
Be patient. This too shall pass.
The only real cure for a hangover is prevention. "There are no true
hangover remedies available," said a spokesman for the Distilled
Spirits Council of the United States. "The only real cure for a
hangover is sobriety." A sobering thought indeed.
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Men's Room - Hangover Cures
http://www.supanet.com/mensroom/boozer/hangover.html
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Best regards,
tlspiegel |
