Unless you are a complete teetotaler, you have probably experienced at least mild hangover symptoms after a night of drinking. Hangover symptoms can range from mild to brutal, to “somebody shoot me and put me out of my misery!” The truth is, alcohol in any amount is toxic to your body, and every time you indulge, your liver has to work overtime to process and eliminate it from your system.
How Your Body Metabolizes Alcohol
While alcoholic beverages contain calories, just like fats, carbs and protein, alcohol is in a category of its own. Each gram of alcohol provides about 7 calories, compared to 4 for carbs and protein and 9 for fat. Because alcohol is metabolized fairly quickly compared to other nutrients, it quickly enters your bloodstream and travels to you liver to be broken down and eliminated.
Steps of alcohol metabolism are as follows:
- Alcohol is quickly absorbed into your bloodstream from your digestive tract and carried to your liver.
- In your liver, an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) helps convert alcohol to acetaldehyde, a toxic carcinogen.
- Acetaldehyde is then further broken down to acetate by another enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). The amount of acetate formed is dose-dependent — the more you drink, the more acetate you produce.
- Acetate is then broken down to carbon dioxide and water, mainly in tissues other than the liver.
While alcohol metabolism proceeds fairly quickly, the presence of acetaldehyde in your system can cause serious damage to tissues in your liver, pancreas and other vital organs. If your drinking session stretches out over several hours, acetaldehyde has plenty of time to do some damage. Moreover, elevated levels of acetate can slow fat metabolism, preventing you from losing weight.
Why You Get a Hangover
A hangover is essentially a response from your immune system, reacting to acetaldehyde toxicity. Your body pulls out all the stops to try to eliminate the offending toxins.
- You produce more urine to flush out your system. This can lead to dehydration, which in turn may cause a whopper headache and make you dizzy and thirsty.
- Your digestive tract becomes inflamed and you produce more gastric acid, along with pancreatic and intestinal digestive fluids. This can make you feel nauseated and may cause you to throw up.
- Alcohol metabolism triggers the accumulation of triglycerides and lactic acid in your liver, causing your blood sugar to drop, making you feel weak, tired and irritable.
- Alcohol disrupts your normal sleep patterns. Not only are you likely to go to bed later than normal, but you spend less time in the REM (rapid eye movement) stage and more in deep, slow-wave sleep. In essence, you are giving yourself the metabolic equivalent of jet lag.
IV Hangover Cure to the Rescue
If this is not your first hangover rodeo, you are probably familiar with the many time-honored remedies available, from a hair of the dog that bit you, to over the counter analgesics, to food, fasting and a plethora of other solutions that barely make a dent.
In most cases, time, sleep and water are the ultimate cures, if you can afford to wait it out. But if you have to put on your game face the morning after and perform at your peak, you need a speedy and effective remedy, like a hangover cocktail. Before you throw up again, rest assured there is no alcohol involved and your queasy stomach will not have to digest anything.
A hangover cocktail is delivered directly to your bloodstream via IV infusion, with powerful ingredients to target your hangover symptoms, including:
- Electrolytes and fluids to rehydrate your system.
- Headache medicine to stop the pounding pain.
- Anti-nausea medicine to calm your queasy stomach.
- Vitamins to restore energy.
In just a little over an hour, you will feel your hangover symptoms fade away and be ready to face your day.
IV Hangover Cure in NYC
If you need to get rid of your hangover fast, contact Advanced Cryo NYC in the heart of SoHo. Relax or even nap in our spa-like clinic while your IV Hangover Cocktail works its magic, soothing your symptoms and restoring your equilibrium. While you visit, be sure to ask about our menu of other vitamin cocktails and services, like cryotherapy, NAD therapy and more, to keep you feeling young, healthy and vibrant, no matter what life throws your way.
