We think of alchohol as fun, an escape, a way for us to really throw ourselves into the party and leave our cares behind. There are also those of us who think of alcohol as a sophisticated hobby, something we relish in while we sip our hundred dollar bottles of scotch with our other fancy, snobby friends.
What we don't think of is how it affects us. Sure, a little tipsy feeling is commonplace and maybe some of us get headaches if we have that fifth glass of wine, but what about the ways we don't consider? What about the downsides you never see coming?
Reddit user, Knock_Outed, wanted to hear about the flip side of party nights when they asked:
"What are some less known downsides of alcohol?"
You're out with friends, drinking you're seventh gin and tonic, when suddenly your stomach starts to do "that" dance. You think you know what's about to happen.
You have no idea.
Killing You Inside
"In my alcoholism I woke up one day puking massive amounts of bright red blood. I was also sh-tting it. I had so much blood loss I almost passed out and had to call an ambulance. Turns out the combination of drinking a handle of vodka a day and throwing up caused my esophagus to split open. Blood had been constantly draining into my stomach, as I understand it. They said the puking was the main reason it went so far overboard. I didn't even quit drinking until a few months after. F-ck that. I'm 60 days sober tomorrow, feeling good, and in a cool recovery house. Physical dependence to alcohol is f-cking horrific."
meetmeinthebthrm
Physically Keeping You From Recovering
"For me, it really disrupts my ability to regulate my temperature when I’m trying to sleep. Anything more than one or two beers, I’ll either struggle to nod off or I’ll wake up four hours later overheating."
Ilovecheesenwine
Burning In The Chest
"Acid reflux"
Rare_Spot_8294
"When I was younger I had pretty much constant acid reflux from drinking, to the point that I always taking pills for it. Now that I don't drink nearly as much, it's much more rare (usually if I drink a few days in a row+eat acidic or greasy food). However, one trick I learned and still use when needed is to sleep on your left side."
"Basically, when sleeping on your back or right, you're opening your esophagus up to your stomach acid. On the left, it prevents this from happening somehow. I always remember it by 'right is wrong, left is best.'"
Aureliansh-tlist
Do All My Friends Hate Me Or Do I Just Need To Go To Sleep?
"Didn’t start happening until my late 20s/ early 30s. SEVERE panic attacks and anxiety after a heavy night of drinking"
mayorpaco
"Hangxiety."
"Alcohol is a GABA agonist. When you drink, it makes you relaxed because alcohol is a depressant and crosses the blood brain barrier. This reduces the amount of GABA your brain makes. When you sober up there is not nearly as much GABA in your brain as you need, leading to awful feelings of anxiety and that uncomfortable jumpy feeling."
C-ntdracula19
Rushing To The Bathroom
"Early morning emergency dump"
Disastrous-Brush620
"Beer sh-ts are among the worst type of sh-ts."
VXNBC
This Is A New One
"If you’re histamine intolerant or histamine sensitive, alcohol will trigger it and cause things like:"
- Sneezing/allergy symptoms
- Severe menstrual symptoms
- Horrible mood/feelings of depression for the few days after drinking (even without a hangover)
Making You Slow To Everything
"150 days sober here: the “playing from behind” feeling the next morning. It would take way more effort to get the same result: waking up, getting a clear head from depressed or bizarre thoughts, guilty feelings, or strange thought patterns or actions. Body taking a beating that feels sore throughout the day. Always low water-wise. Never “regular” digestion."
"Finally getting better about 11am-2pm (I was an excellent employee despite all this; imagine what I could’ve done with a clear head/body/mind) just to look forward to doing it all over again bc that whole experience was overcame and then there’s just everyday work stress (I was a middle school teacher) that you feel like you need a reward for defeating. I left the job to take care of a family member and sobered up and have lost a bunch of weight. But waking up without basically this inhibitor spell on you for most of the day before you can feel regular again was the worst."
GMane2G
And then there's the other consequences of drinking, the ones that don't hit you physically in the way you expect or the method they affect your wallet.
Up, Up, Up, Down, Down, Down
"My personal one... as someone who drinks too much (not an alcoholic I don't think.. but more than I probably should.)"
"For me I've had a few struggles with depression and boy does alcohol make you feel better."
"But the day after it's much much worse. Booze dampens those pesky inner demons and gives you your confidence back but when you take it away again they're back and they're back hard."
"I can see how easy it would be to become a full blown alcoholic, the high feels worth chasing but the lows are unpleasant. Keep drinking and the lows never quite make their way through but that's a very very unhealthy way to live."
HueyLewisAndTheShoes
Keeps Adding On And On
"Calories. Alcohol has a lot of calories and you're not really avoiding that problem by drinking Michelob Ultra or vodka, though some seem to think they are."
Nyctanolis
"While that’s true, there’s a significant difference between say a vodka seltzer which is around 100 calories vs a “normal” beer at 150 or so for a 12oz vs a fruity ipa at 200 calories vs a rum and coke which could be closer to 250 calories."
"If you’re having multiple drinks that obviously gets compounded, so if you have a 6 pack of fruity beers like tangerine express ipa you’re looking at 1200 calories vs 6 vodka seltzers at 600 calories."
MastleMash
Ever Spend $15 On A Bud Light In Vegas?
"It’s expensive especially if you go out. I spent thousands and thousands of dollars going out in the past. I did the math once and it was wild. I don’t think a lot of people truly grasp the full amount."
EstusSoup
"My husband has an app that tracks how much money he's saved by quitting drinking. He plugged what his spending was when he quit 3ish years ago and it's tracked what he would have spent ever since. We have a hefty lifesavings now because of it. Now granted, we lived in LA and went to bars a lot so his spending was probably above average but it's still amazing how much more well off we are just from that."
rachface636
Drink responsibly. Isn't that what they say?
What are some of the downsides of drinking alcohol people may not consider? Tell us about it in the comments.
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After a wild night out, you unfortunately have to deal with the repercussions. Those being the dreaded hangover. Everyone has their own technique to deal with hangovers (mine is orange juice and lots of bread), and some of them can be pretty out there. Here are some of the best ones.
u/just_a_firenope asked: What is your go to hangover cure?
Always effective.
Water. Before bed and first thing waking up.
If I plan on drinking I'll put a couple bottles on my nightstand.
A ludicrous amount of water during drinking for me. Like I force myself to drink a ton of water, like 2-3 cups per drink or more. I pee a ton but even if I'm super drunk I'll wake up just fine in the morning with little to no hangover. Water and staying hydrated is the key.
Solid tip.
GiphyPedialyte is my ultimate savior. Much better than Gatorade!
Put it in the freezer so it's like a slushy. Tastes much better.
Nothing cures a hangover better than more alcohol.
A big breakfast and a Bloody Mary.
Bloody Mary, full of vodka, blessed are you among cocktails.
Breakfast of Champions.
GiphyWeed, Gatorade, and a breakfast/lunch that's horribly unhealthy (Mickey D's, 5 Guys, Dominos, etc).
[deleted]
Just had a big basket of Long John Silver's for lunch. Can confirm, feeling much more functional now.
Love a good egg.
Eggs and water. Too much alcohol depletes the amino acid (glutathione) involved in the preferred metabolic pathway, causing it to use another pathway and build up acetaldehyde, which is responsible for the hangover. Eggs are high in cysteine, which is a precursor to glutathione, and helps get your body get back on track.
Sounds about right.
A nice greasy slice of pizza before bed and a baconeggandcheesesaltpepperketchuponaneverythingbagel in the morning with a large ice coffee.
Found the Jersey person.
Finally, a sensible one.
GiphyEat some pickles and drink some of the pickle water, it has more electrolytes then Gatorade.
Alternatively, only do picklebacks the whole night.
Also good advice.
- Sleep
- Get out of bed
- Try not to die
- Get something to eat and a gallon of water
- Don't die and sleep more
Or my favorite one: just don't drink.
I accidentally discovered that black tea works for me. Straight black tea, no sugar, nothing. But the catch is to drink it before going to sleep, on the night I was consuming alcohol.
Next morning I wake up tired, but very little hung-over.
Probably coffee would work equally well, not sure.
First dates can be awkward; ridiculously painfully awkward. In my case they've been particularly awkward because not everyone involved has always known it was a first date. Yeah. It's been cringey.
One Reddit user asked:
Waiters and waitresses, what are some signs you're serving a first date?
and that sent me down this weird rabbit hole like ... how many servers were fully aware of all the cringe that happened? Did they go back into the kitchen and talk about it? How many people now know??? After I stopped spazzing I realized that situations like watching someone get shut down, stood up, awkwardly fumble their way through first dates, etc. must all be pretty commonplace for servers. These responses totally confirmed my theory, it happens a lot and sometimes it's just as awkward (and in at least one case potentially dangerous) for the servers as it is for the people on those dates. Brace for cringe in 3...2...1...
Waiters Share The Most Ridiculous Requests They've Gotten From A Customer
Everyone... EVERYONE should sometime in their life wait tables. It's not a lazy person's job or a stupid person's job. It takes skill and stamina and PATIENCE! We forget when we are customers that our wait staff are humans. They aren't Superheroes or servants. And special requests are getting out of hand!
Redditor u/Graceful_Swan_Ronson wanted the servers of the world to hold hands and let go by wondering.... Waiters/Waitresses of Reddit, what's the most ridiculous request you've gotten from a customer at your restaurant?
The blockbuster movie "The Hangover" is just entertainment, not a blueprint for a fun night out before your I Do's.
A night of abandon that is recorded in the friendship history books. But all the activities included in those evenings should be within reason! Remember you're still committed to this other person. You're just out for a good time, you're not single for a day. So let's not get too crazy!
Redditor theukmoody wondered People who have witnessed a "There's not going to be a wedding" moment following a bachelor/bachelorette party: what went down? Gird your loins kids!