Scientists Discover Booze That Won't Give You a Hangover

Kwang-il Kwon and Hye Gwang Jeong of Chungnam National University have discovered that drinking alcohol with oxygen bubbles added leads to fewer hangovers and a shorter sobering up time. People drinking the bubbly booze sobered up 20-30 minutes faster and had less severe and fewer hangovers than people who drank the non-fizzy stuff. Kwon said: "The oxygen-enriched alcohol beverage reduces plasma alcohol concentrations faster than a normal dissolved-oxygen alcohol beverage does. This could provide both clinical and real-life significance. The oxygen-enriched alcohol beverage would allow individuals to become sober faster, and reduce the side effects of acetaldehyde without a significant difference in alcohol's effects. Furthermore, the reduced time to a lower BAC may reduce alcohol-related accidents."

Comments

Beer

[sopssa]

Reducing hangover is all fine and good, but if it sobers you up faster couldn't you just get a beer with less alcohol? The effect is basically the same.

For that matter, the high and fast drunkenness is probably even worse. You know it goes away fast, so you drink faster and more. This would probably be good for taking a one quick beer at lunch or so, but hangover isn't an issue then.

If I'm going out or take some beers otherwise, I rather have it last longer and be more balanced over the night. That's also why I prefer those Belgian 11% beers. In addition to having more taste in them, one glass lasts a lot longer and you don't need to be pissing all the time.

Now give me a 80% vodka with no hangovers and I'm ready to roll.

Re:Beer

[Anonymous Coward]

no he meant 160 Proof, he doesn't f$%# around when it comes to Vodka.

Re:Beer

[sopssa]

No, I did mean 80%. It kicks ass ;)

Re:Beer

[Anonymous Coward]

"couldn't you just get a beer with less alcohol?"

Sorry, I'm not interested in drinking Natty Light piss water. The beers I like, mostly IPAs, have alcohol contents in excess of 6%. A solution to the problem does exist, though. It's called "everything in moderation."

Re:Beer

[Anonymous Coward]

Trouble with adding oxygen to beers is it spoils the beer! You would have to dissolve it in the beer immediately before serving and assure that all of it was consumed in a timely manner. This is also ignoring the fact that carbonation actually does contribute some flavor to beer.

Cheers.

Re:Beer

[ircmaxell]

Reducing hangover is all fine and good, but if it sobers you up faster couldn't you just get a beer with less alcohol? The effect is basically the same.

Unless it has a retroactive effect... What I mean is that you can drink regular beer all night, and then the last beer or two are these oxy-enriched beers. That way the added oxygen helps speed up recovery, but doesn't have a detrimental effect during drinking (At least as far as the buzz factor goes)...

Now, that I think about it, I wonder if these effects are limited to oxygen enriched beer, or if it's just the oxygen itself. If it's just O2, you could have a portable O2 enricher that lets you breath pure O2 for a little while... Or O2 enriched water (oh yay, another way for them to charge more for H20)...

Re:Beer

[h4rr4r]

No, he meant 160 proof double vodka.

Re:Beer

[Otto]

Actually, he used a percentage measurement. Which is valid on both "sides of the pond", as well as anywhere else in the universe that has "math".

Most people measure alcohol in percentage ABV. Only old-timers use "proof".

And "degrees proof" is only really used in the UK, despite it making no sense. "Degrees" of what, exactly? In America, it's just "proof", if it's used at all. Usually it ain't, as places that require labeling of ABV require a percentage measurement. Nowhere requires a "proof" to be put on there, but it is generally allowed.

Re:Beer

[CrimsonAvenger]

Now, that I think about it, I wonder if these effects are limited to oxygen enriched beer, or if it's just the oxygen itself. If it's just O2, you could have a portable O2 enricher that lets you breath pure O2 for a little while... Or O2 enriched water (oh yay, another way for them to charge more for H20)...

Seems to me I have read before that fighter pilots have been using a shot of O2 to clear up a hangover for a long time. At least since the 80's.

Re:Beer

[Mandelbrot-5]

When I worked in the ship yards as a welder, I would find a job to do that involved using a cutting torch when I was hung over. For the first few hours of the day I would take regular "hits" of pure O2 from the tank, worked like a charm.

Re:Beer

[Anonymous Coward]

As a brewer by profession I would like to make it known: Oxygen is the enemy plain and simple. After/during fermentation it should not come in contact with the beer/wort until it's in the customer's glass. We take great measures to assure this.

Re:Beer

[b4upoo]

A 190 proof white lightening session will mess you up so bad that you'll never even know that you had a hangover.

Re:Beer

[Igarden2]

I heard stories from my father about fliers using O2 to sober up during WWII. Never went well. Basically burned out their brains.

Re:Beer

[JWSmythe]

    That sounds like a dangerous idea in a smoking bar.

    I still drink in good ol' fashion pubs, where they serve more dark ales than pale American drink (it hurts to call it beer). Most of the customers smoke. About half the bar staff smoke when there is a lull in orders. It's not an ideal place to release a gaseous oxidizer.

Re:Beer

[Stonefred]

I'll give you a 80% vodka with no hangovers and you're ready to troll.

Re:Beer

[Anonymous Coward]

Back when I lived at the geek compound, I think we had a hangover every fucking day. Emad inisted that swallowing a load of man chowder before passing out (or after!) would get rid of the hangover -- the proteins counteract the alcohol or something. Didn't seem to work but that didn't stop us.

-- HeUnique

Re:Beer

[thetoadwarrior]

Agreed, I actually do better with stronger beers because I know it's more powerful. I won't be driving. I'm just looking to avoid puking and hang overs and something stronger will do it for me.

Re:Beer

[nabsltd]

Though most of them are now listed in the "%ABV(#Proof) format. Kind of sad, since it shows that some people are too stupid to realize that proof is just ABV/2.

Irony, thy name is "Omestes".

Proof = ABV * 2, not ABV / 2.

Re:Beer

[cromar]

I agree. Plus, there's just something intrinsically better in the names of, say, "Bacardi 151" or "Absolut 100" than "Bacardi 76" or "Absolut 50."

Re:Beer

[hesaigo999ca]

>Now give me a 80% vodka with no hangovers and I'm ready to roll.
I am with you there, I thought this is what it was about, but there is no bubbles in vodka, although I have noticed when I mix with diet pepsi, the sting of an all nighter is not as present as when i drink vodka and cranberry...

Re:Beer

[sjames]

Reducing hangover is all fine and good, but if it sobers you up faster couldn't you just get a beer with less alcohol?

Not really. The idea is that if you would normally get buzzed with a given number of drinks and take 2 hours to sober up, this lets you get just as buzzed on just as many drinks but (for example) take only one hour to sober up. Half the alcohol will only get you half buzzed. Drink enough half beer to get buzzed and you're back to the 2 hour sober up.

Re:Beer

[tholomyes]

Next you'll be saying that they should stop mixing the nitrogen into Guinness...

Re:Beer

[CaptKeen]

A solution to the problem does exist, though. It's called "everything in moderation."

... including moderation.

I find I personally like my moderation in moderate amounts.

Re:Beer

[morgauxo]

- but if it sobers you up faster couldn't you just get a beer with less alcohol? Then you wouldn't get as drunk in the first place. I believe the idea is to get as drunk but just not stay that way as long. That way you can enjoy it till the party is over but be sober again sooner.

Re:Beer

[rocket rancher]

Now, that I think about it, I wonder if these effects are limited to oxygen enriched beer, or if it's just the oxygen itself. If it's just O2, you could have a portable O2 enricher that lets you breath pure O2 for a little while... Or O2 enriched water (oh yay, another way for them to charge more for H20)...

Seems to me I have read before that fighter pilots have been using a shot of O2 to clear up a hangover for a long time. At least since the 80's.

I can add some anecdotal evidence here. I was in the USAF in the 80s, and it wasn't just fighter pilots. We'd all congregate around the environmental support shop (maintained cockpit and ejection life support systems) on Monday mornings and wait our turn to take a hit from the O2 bottle. Worked like a charm -- a couple snorts and you were right as rain.

Re:Beer

[cayenne8]

I don't think O2 is even needed for beer....just booze in this case.

I mean, it isn't easy to get a hangover from beer. It is mostly water, you can drink and drink and drink the stuff, get a good buzz, but rarely can you drink enough to get a bad hangover in my experience.

However, these days...and yes, I'm getting older and the old liver won't function quite as well...but you drink half a bottle or so of scotch...and you're gonna be hurting a bit the next day.

I'd have to think tho, that adding O2 to good scotch would have to affect the flavor? Not to mention pissing off a few Scots?

Re:Beer

[Otto]

Kind of sad, since it shows that some people are too stupid to realize that proof is just ABV/2.

That was sort of the point of my original conversation.

Proof = ABV * 2, but only in the United States. In the United Kingdom, Proof = 7/4 * ABV. Meaning that pure ethanol is 175 degrees proof in the UK, but 200 proof in the US. A vodka that US people would call 80 proof would only be 70 proof in the UK.

Proof is basically an historical measurement only, and here in the US we don't even have the correct ratio to make it historically accurate. 7:4 is the correct ratio for the gunpowder explanation, not 2:1. So proof, as you use it, is totally meaningless.

Re:Beer

[cayenne8]

"Agreed, I actually do better with stronger beers because I know it's more powerful. I won't be driving. "

How do you get your car back home then....?

Re:Beer

[afidel]

This is the 80's, and pilots we're talking about, right? Because if so I think it was the coke still in the mask and not the O2 that was giving the pick-me-up =)

Re:Beer

[zippthorne]

Well since "proof" is determined by mixing the liquid with a specific amount of black powder and attempting to set it alight, perhaps "degrees proof" refers to how much that mixture can be further diluted with water before it fails to ignite?

Re:Beer

[Red Flayer]

Ahah, you're obviously from the left side of the pond. Over here on the correct side, pure ethyl alcohol is 175 degrees proof.

Meh. Over here on the left side of the pond we get ethyl alcohol at 190 proof (95%) marketed under the brand Everclear. (Not available in all states).

Also, FWIW, "pure ethyl alcohol" is 200 proof by definition. The liquors we are referring to are not pure ethyl alcohol -- they are, however, pure ethyl alcohol and water. No flavorants or colorants.

Re:Beer

[Red Flayer]

Eh, nevermind. Didn't realize that the UK boozers used a different formula for calculating proof.

I'll go shut up now.

Re:Beer

[Red Flayer]

Hangovers are at least partially caused by dehydration. The "quality" of your vodka will have no effect on that.

I'll second that.

Another cause is nervous system acclimation to the alcohol. EtOH is a central nervous system depressant -- in response to prolonged periods of EtOH intoxication, the nervous system ramps up production of some neurotransmitters. When the alcohol intoxication wears off, your nervous system is primed to over-react to stimuli. This is why loud noise and bright light is so bothersome to people with hangovers. I believe it is also why some of the effects of dehydration (especially the headache!) are so pronounced when hung over.

Re:Beer

[AndersOSU]

As a mere hobbiest, you probably know better than I, but isn't it desirable to oxygenate the wort for the beginning of the fermentation process - you aerate after boiling don't you? I don't have any literature in front of me, but I seem to recall that the yeast like to start off aerobically - can't remember why at the moment.

Re:Beer

[AndersOSU]

white lightening = moonshine = immature whiskey, right?

I kind of doubt it's possible to get to 190proof in a home still, and I know you can't buy that wretch.

Re:Beer

[Omestes]

Given the topic, I wish I had alcohol as an excuse...

Re:Beer

[badboy_tw2002]

I'm pretty sure since most people in the US who drink (millions and millions of us) understand what "proof" is, it has meaning. Just because you don't like it doesn't make it wrong.

Re:Beer

[AndersOSU]

Mature beer is another way to say spoiled beer.

Re:Beer

[DougF]

Getting yourself a buzz is one thing, making yourself sick as a dog blackout drunk is another.

Or, as I like to call it: "Time Travel..."

Re:Beer

[demonlapin]

I kind of doubt it's possible to get to 190proof in a home still, and I know you can't buy that wretch

All it takes is a good fractional distillation apparatus. I once fermented some sugar water and distilled it in the chem lab, just to say I'd made my own alcohol once. I ended up with about 40 mL of probably 75% pure ethanol from a single distillation pass where I was concerned about recovery. If I had been less concerned about recovering all the EtOH, I'm certain I could have gotten 95%. A quality home apparatus would be comparable.

And you definitely can buy it in some states. Fun fact for those trying to drink on the cheap: 750 mL of 95% ethyl alcohol, poured into a 1750 mL container, and diluted with good quality water (either distilled or Brita-filtered) to volume produces 1750 mL (aka a handle or half-gallon) of high-quality 40.7% EtOH for far less money than a decent vodka. Be sure to do the dilution step, however, as 95% ethanol does not mix well (so you can't just use half as much as you would of vodka).

Re:Beer

[demonlapin]

Caffeine, not bubbles, is responsible for that one.

Re:Beer

[thetoadwarrior]

While I can drive and hold a US license,I find it unnecessary to drive where I live in the UK especially when costs more and would take longer to get to work thanks to awful traffic. So I don't have a car. Which, for the reason you mentioned, not needing one comes in real handy when co-workers want to go out drinking.

Re:Beer

[dwywit]

Yup - the yeast see all the O2 and sugars and start an aerobic party, rapidly reproducing over the next ~24 hours. Then the O2 runs out, the yeast say "oh, well" and start on the anaerobic after-party, producing (amongst other things) ethanol and CO2, When the sugar runs out, or the ethanol content reaches a certain level, the yeast roll over and go to sleep. You want as little O2 as possible in contact with the fermenting wort until you've bottled/kegged it, matured it and poured it.

Re:Beer

[CrashandDie]

This would probably be good for taking a one quick beer at lunch or so, but hangover isn't an issue then.

I take it you never had lunch in a proper Glaswegian pub.

Re:Beer

[Gilmoure]

Reduced sober up times means sooner to arm chewing off.

Ouch!

Re:Beer

[Kazymyr]

It is the oxygen. A little known but very effective trick to get rid of hangover, which was taught to me by a scuba instructor. When hung over, breathe pure oxygen for a couple minutes. Makes the hangover go away instantly.

Re:Beer

[BatGnat]

yeah! Approximation Rules, forget specifics...

Re:Beer

[MBGMorden]

I kind of doubt it's possible to get to 190proof in a home still, and I know you can't buy that wretch.

Everclear is a commercial alcohol that is available in a 190 proof version. Effectively just 95% unflavored ethanol - basically the same thing as what a 190 proof moonshine would be.

I don't know of anyone who drinks the stuff straight though. Typically it's mixed - usually into a large tub of something for college parties and the like.

Re:Beer

[JWSmythe]

Since nitrogen isn't an oxidizer, I don't think we have a problem there.

    Open the Guinness taps, I'm thirsty!

Re:Beer

[rrohbeck]

Sounds like screwdrivers: pure ethanol from the lab and 20% OJ. That's why it was always good to have a couple chemistry and pharmacist friends (as a CS student.)

Re:Beer

[TheLink]

Not supposed to "light up" while using O2 :).

Re:Beer

[eyendall]

Irrelevant: brewing and distilling are two distinct operations; not to speak of aging.

Re:Beer

[jasonq]

I mean, it isn't easy to get a hangover from beer.

explain that to my splitting headache!

Re:Beer

[wkeri11a]

Somehow I suspected this. I determined that I seemed to feel better drinking 2-3 bottles of Champagne than I would consuming a comperable number of white wine bottles. I just assumed I had game...

Re:Beer

[lowrydr310]

Here we go again, somebody taking cheap shots at America whenever they have a chance.

As an American and a beer lover, I've been offended by the crap that is called "American Beer" and somehow remains extremely popular among the drinking crowd. Recently I've been doing some more world travel and I've learned that nearly every country has their share of mass-produced, mass-marketed beers, which are light colored (coloured), boring, and bland tasting.

Now I can't lie, there are certainly much better mainstream beers in the UK that are as easily available as Bud/Miller is on this side of the pond, but it's not all that bad here. We still have many decent alternatives that are easy to find; Sam Adams, for one, is a fine 'mainstream' American beer. I just wish our culture was more open and accepting of Alcohol. On a recent trip to Barcelona, I had the freedom of grabbing a can of Estrella Damm and enjoying it on a park bench while relaxing after a day of walking. Do that anywhere in the USA and you'll get funny looks from people, and within minutes a visit from a police officer.

Re:Beer

[shawb]

Do you smoke?

Re:Beer

[JWSmythe]

    Well, they are cheap shots where due, and it appears you agree. :)

    I'm an American. The shot was at the "American" beers. In most places, you can get 2 to 4 selections of a pale something. For the most part, I could be given a cup of one, and wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

    I do know there are great beers, and awful beers everywhere. It's just that the bad beers are so heavily marketed that makes it annoying. I've gone to places where the choices were a handful of American beers, or water. I've chosen water. :)

Re:Beer

[lowrydr310]

D'OH! Your mention of a "good ol' fashion pub that serves dark ale" made me (wrongly) assume you're from the UK. I live just outside NYC where there are a ton of great quirky holes that serve up a variety of beers.

"I've gone to places where the choices were a handful of American beers, or water. I've chosen water."

I do the same; though I have to admit that I can tolerate Miller Lite. I'd never pay for one, but if someone offered to buy and that's all that was available I wouldn't say no.

Re:Beer

[JWSmythe]

      Well, I do hang around with a lot of foreigneese people. :) That and I have family on the East side of the pond.

    Pretty much, if it says "Bar" on the sign, I know they have standard drinks. If it says "Pub" there tend to be better drinks and more atmosphere.

    I spent a good bit of time in NYC doing work, but only a very little bit of that gave me the opportunity to visit any drinking establishments. I will say though that the ones I did stop in were good.

    I went out camping with friends a while back, and they bought the beer. It was Busch or Miller Lite, I can't remember which. I just remember never feeling anything from it, and peeing an awful lot. I probably should have picked up a bottle of 190 proof Everclear (it's legal in that state).

Re:Beer

[RockDoctor]

white lightening = moonshine = immature whiskey, right?

On this side of the pond, a "white lightening" is vodka and milk. Never bothered with it myself, but I remember one utter lunatic who was a devotee of them. Can remember his face, but not his name.

I kind of doubt it's possible to get to 190proof in a home still, and I know you can't buy that wretch.

190 proof in America ~=95% v/v ?
Yeah, you could get to that with a well-made home still. Would take several passes or a very good fractionation head (which would be hard to disguise as anything else to a suitably-trained policeman), but you should be able to do it. My old still ... hmmm, would probably take 4 passes, and I could build or dismantle the still to innocuous parts in about 5 minutes.

Re:Beer

[lewiscr]

People who would want to take away my proof, are as bad are the wankers who want to convert pints to metric.

Convert away! I'll take a half-liter over a pint anyday. A US Pint is 473ml. Now, if I could get a proper UK Pint (568 ml), I'd take that, but that's pretty unlikely here in the US.

Tag as synthohol?

[Anonymous Coward]

Can someone tag this as synthohol from star trek.

Re:Tag as synthohol?

[ipquickly]

Can someone tag this as synthohol from star trek.

Not without getting the Ferengi(the original inventors of synthehol) upset.

Re:Tag as synthohol?

[K. S. Kyosuke]

Either that, or, in case of 100% oxygen-enriched alcohol, as oxyliquit.

My fool-proof no-hangover method

[Pojut]

I have followed this rule religiously once I started drinking socially. As a result, I have never gotten a hangover. Here it is:

For every three beers or three shots you drink, drink a glass of water. Also, try to make sure you drink a glass of water before falling asleep.

You will be hangover free...guaranteed. Simple, safe, and effective.

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[zeroduck]

I have a cure as well: start drinking again.

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[markass530]

That takes planning and thought, and a lot of other things I do not have while drinking. Some kind of windows-update-automated-cant-fuck-it-up version of this is needed.

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[h4rr4r]

They have that, they are called girly drinks they include 8oz of water to 1 shot of booze.

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[jimbolauski]

you forgot make sure to go to bed with an adult diaper on

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[Darth Sdlavrot]

On top of that I'd add staying awake until the world stops spinning.

Works every time.

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[oldhack]

Don't need any of the pussy nonsense if you drink anti-socially.

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[Hatta]

The girly drinks contain a lot of sugar. Sugar which leads to radicals which can increase your hangover. If they're really syrupy they can even be hyperosmotic, which wouldn't help hydrate you at all.

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[houghi]

I stop hiccups by concentrating on my breathing.

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[Anonymous Coward]

Not exactly. Hiccups have nothing to do with being thirsty.

Hiccups are sudden, involuntary contractions of the diaphragm. As the muscle contracts repeatedly, the opening between your vocal cords snaps shut to check the inflow of air, thus making the hiccup sound. Irritation of the nerves that extend from the neck to the chest can cause hiccups. Eating too quickly, drinking too much water after a workout (because your body wants oxygen when you're panting, not water, yet), or simply not getting enough oxygen (which is why holding your breath doesn't get rid of hiccups).

It's usually the presence of too much pressure on your diaphragm. Drinking water would add to that pressure and make it worse. However, using the restroom can help remove some of that pressure and in turn stop the hiccups.

Taking a few deep breaths can also help as it helps you to relax and allows the airflow to be monitored and the diaphragm to resync to "normal" function.

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[Anonymous Psychopath]

There are a small percentage of people able to process alcohol in such a way that they _never_ get hangovers, at least according to my doctor. Since you've never had one, it's possible that you're one of them and would never get a hangover no matter what you did or didn't do.

Staying hydrated helps, but there is no guaranteed method that will work for everyone.

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[Crashspeeder]

Spoonful of sugar usually works for me. Oddly enough it was my mom that encouraged it. I think it only failed to work two or three times. Got a friend of mine to do it too and it worked for him as well.

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[kimvette]

Staying hydrated helps, but there is no guaranteed method that will work for everyone.

Not drinking excessively* works for everyone.

*excessively meaning beyond a person's tolerance threshold. In some people's cases this may mean 0 drinks.

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[clone53421]

Not drinking excessively?

That most definitely doesn’t work for some of us...

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[wiredlogic]

Even better is to finish off with Gatorade or an equivalent sports drink. Most of the effects of a hangover can be replicated by severe dehydration. Cotton mouth, hiccups, headache, they're all from the dehydration. Only the liver toxicity is specific to the after effects of alcohol.

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[Urkki]

I have followed this rule religiously once I started drinking socially. As a result, I have never gotten a hangover. Here it is:

For every three beers or three shots you drink, drink a glass of water. Also, try to make sure you drink a glass of water before falling asleep.

You will be hangover free...guaranteed. Simple, safe, and effective.

Safe... Absolutely.

Effective... Well... depends on person, and total amount of alcohol, and type of alcohol, not 100% effective in all cases. But is pretty sure to at least reduce the hangover dramatically.

Simple... Uh, sure, as long as you haven't drank so many glasses of water that you no longer can count how much alcohol you drink between glasses of water ;-).

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[Lehk228]

make all your mixed drinks with gatoraide, they will taste bad but you won't get the dehydration part of the hangover and keeping yourself hydrated helps with the other parts of the hangover

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[guyminuslife]

*sigh*

You couldn't have started talking BS about hangovers on a Friday?

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[mongolian]

One easy tip to not get a hangover? Tell me it was discovered by a single mom and I'm in.

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[chowdahhead]

If I can add...in college I always ate a really salty snack with a large glass of water before going to bed and I never had a headache in the morning. Dehydration is only part of being hung over and nothing seems to work for the GI side effects of what is essentially alcohol toxicity.

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[Anonymous Coward]

I have followed this rule religiously and I have NEVER gotten a hangover. Here it is:

Drink Coke and watch everyone else get plastered.

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[vorpal22]

As a very experienced drinker, I can say that while this certainly reduces the intensity of a hangover, it is in no way fully preventative (at least, it isn't for me). I drink a lot of water by habit (often 15-20 cups a day), so this is no difficult feat for me: when I drink alcohol, I alternate one alcoholic beverage and one equal sized glass of water. These days, I usually end up consuming the equivalent of maybe 10-12 shots of vodka when I drink, and despite the water and a multivitamin, I wake up with a raging hangover the next day:

I wish that there was a way to guarantee the elimination of a hangover, but from what I can tell, there isn't. The only thing that works to reduce a hangover is a nice greasy, salty meal and a couple of benzodiazepines, which make me functional. For really bad hangovers, the only thing that helps is hair of the dog, as revolting as that seems at the time.

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[deuist]

Also, try to make sure you drink a glass of water before falling asleep. You will be hangover free...guaranteed. Simple, safe, and effective.

...and then wet the bed.

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[LiENUS]

For really bad hangovers, the only thing that helps is hair of the dog, as revolting as that seems at the time.

What if I don't have any pets?

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[MidnightBrewer]

Unless your metabolism is different, and factors such as lifestyle, health, diet, climate, and temperature are not taken into account. Oh, oh! and body weight. And age. And assuming that you don't have the genetic defect that renders all types of alcohol poisonous. Otherwise, absolutely guaranteed.

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[mqduck]

As a person who often drinks far more than he should, I can tell you that what you say only works to a point. Drinking tons of water will *help* (quite a lot), but your 14+ hour hangover ain't going anywhere.

Re:My fool-proof no-hangover method

[TheLink]

If you drink a lot of water, maybe you should also add some salts.

Just drinking lots of water alone can be dangerous.

Get Back to Work!!!

[Maniacal]

No hangover - Good
Faster sober - Bad

You're not done mister, get back to the lab.

Re:Get Back to Work!!!

[jellomizer]

(Tom Paxton)

[Chorus:]
Bottle of wine, fruit of the vine, when you gonna let me get sober. Let me alone. Let me go home. Let me back and start over.

Well, I've rambled around this dirty old town singing for nickels and dimes.
Times getting' rough. I can't get enough to buy me a little bottle of wine.

[Chorus]

Well, little hotel, older than hell, cold as the dark in the mine.
Light so dim, I had to grin, I got me a little bottle of wine.

[Chorus]

Well, the preacher will preach and the teacher will teach. The miner will dig in the mine.
I ride the rods, trusting in God, huggin' my little bottle of wine.

[Chorus]

Well, pain in my head, bugs in my bed, pants so old that they shine.
Out on the street, I tell the people I meet to buy me a little bottle of wine.

[Chorus]

Bottle of wine, fruit of the vine, when you gonna let me get sober.

Re:Get Back to Work!!!

[sakonofie]

If you read (or at least scan) the paper being referenced by the article, this is only studying sobering up faster (or more accurately the time until BAC is effectively 0). They are not testing headaches and hangovers. The only mention of headaches and hangovers is a throw-away sentence in the discussion section at the end.

Re:Get Back to Work!!!

[Urkki]

No hangover - Good
Faster sober - Bad

You're not done mister, get back to the lab.

I don't know... A common problem, especially when drinking cocktails or shots, but also when being in a bar that serves a lot of different beers you want to try, is that you want to drink more, but you're already so drunk that drinking more will be a bad idea in oh so many ways.

Re:Get Back to Work!!!

[Fujisawa Sensei]

No hangover - Good Faster sober - Bad

You're not done mister, get back to the lab.

Why is faster sober bad?

You can just make up for it in quantity.

Re:Get Back to Work!!!

[Maniacal]

There are 2 other comments here that have practically the same message as you. Either you guys all have unlimited income or you own a bar.

Re:Get Back to Work!!!

[arndawg]

Don't work that way. What goes up, must come down. Any drug you take to make you feel more AWESOME will make you feel like shit if you do too much of it. That's just how it is.

Re:Get Back to Work!!!

[mqduck]

Exactly. This sounds to me like "light" cigarettes. All it's going to do it make people drink more.

Re:Get Back to Work!!!

[Maniacal]

I see that point. Yeah, I was trying to be funny but to some extent I was busting on them for making people sober up faster.

I would rather see a way to sober up on command. A pill or drink I could consume that would sober me up immediately (or within 15 mins) if needed. Invent THAT and you'll be basically printing money.

Tag is misspelled.

[dgatwood]

It's synthehol, not synthahol.

Soju with oxygen?

[Singularity42]

I'm sold! I'll go check the local Uwajimaya (Asian superstore) for some of this. I don't even remember Soju being in liquor stores. Beer or sparkling wine have carbon dioxide, which it looks like doesn't count.

Re:Soju with oxygen?

[maeka]

I'm sold! I'll go check the local Uwajimaya (Asian superstore) for some of this. I don't even remember Soju being in liquor stores. Beer or sparkling wine have carbon dioxide, which it looks like doesn't count.

One goes to great lengths (for good reason) when bottling beverages to remove existing oxygen, and prevent introduction of new oxygen.
If this technique for reducing hangovers becomes popular it will need to be done shortly before consumption. (Value-added service at the bar?)

Re:Soju with oxygen?

[Shagg]

One goes to great lengths (for good reason) when bottling beverages to remove existing oxygen, and prevent introduction of new oxygen.
If this technique for reducing hangovers becomes popular it will need to be done shortly before consumption. (Value-added service at the bar?)

Exactly. What this really means is that nobody gets a hangover because heavily oxidized alcohol beverages taste like @$%!

Re:Soju with oxygen?

[Joe Snipe]

Soju is in most liquor stores, but I don't believe it is sold pre-oxygenated.

Re:Soju with oxygen?

[Anonymous Psychopath]

Guinness had to solve this exact problem, except with nitrogen instead of oxygen. I think they have a patent on the little plastic capsule filled with gas that only releases when the can/bottle is opened, but other than that I don't see why the same method couldn't be used to release oxygen.

Re:Soju with oxygen?

[maeka]

Interesting thought (if that is indeed how the "draft head in a can" works (as opposed to nitrogen in solution)), but Guinness targets a higher market and can afford to employ such technology in their cans and bottles. I doubt the stereotypical "Joe Sixpack" is as price-insensitive. Though, who knows, perhaps the idea of reduced hangover would enable brewers to increase margins even at the low end of the market.

Re:Soju with oxygen?

[Shagg]

The Guinness "widget" works because it doesn't require a trigger to release the nitrogen, the pressure change of opening the bottle/can does it. It's based off the fact that nitrogen won't dissolve into beer very easily. I don't think the same device would work with O2.

Re:Soju with oxygen?

[ShakaUVM]

>>I'm sold! I'll go check the local Uwajimaya (Asian superstore) for some of this. I don't even remember Soju being in liquor stores.

The only downside, though, is that you're drinking soju.

Profit for Bars!

[Some guy named Chris]

This should also increase profits for bars, since people will have to drink more while they're there to stay good and plastered.

Wine

[DirtySouthAfrican]

Plus it makes red wine taste great!

Re:Wine

[Anonymous Psychopath]

Only to a point. A few months back I had this really nice red wine that was great after about an hour breathing, but then started getting worse from that point. Still good, just not as good. Aerating is tough and it's hard to find the sweet spot, since it can be different from varietal to varietal, vintage to vintage and even bottle to bottle. But yeah, generally speaking, adding some air to a freshly opened bottle is a good thing, but leaving it in a decanter for a week is not.

time to soberness

[godrik]

When you are drunk, you are for hours. I don't think removing 20/30 minutes is that relevant.

Re:time to soberness

[ircmaxell]

The rule of thumb is 1 bottle of beer per hour. So if the effect of the addition to alcohol is linear (with respect to number of beers drank), then you'd recover from each beer after 30 to 40 minutes. So if you drank 6 beers, instead of taking 6 hours to get back to BAC of 0.000, it'd only take between 3 and 4 hours... I guess it would also depend on the rate you drank at how much of an effect this has. Drinking 6 beers in 1 hour is a whole lot different than drinking 6 in 6 hours...

Re:time to soberness

[clone53421]

What he neglected to say was that 1 bottle of beer wears off per hour. So if you only drank at a rate of 1 beer per hour, then ... yeah, you’d never get drunk.

1 beer per hour should be just about enough to keep you drunk, though.

Re:time to soberness

[Hurricane78]

From one beer? Nah. One good cocktail makes me glow a little. Two and i’m happy. Three and I am at the best level and had enough. Then after 1.5 hours, I’m back to somewhere between glowing and happy. The rest follows an exponential curve downwards.

So, it all depends on what you still call “drunk”.

I personally prefer to NOT sober up quickly. Because: Why would you cut short on the very point you’re drinking alcohol in the first place? :)

But I got my tried and true method anyway: A filet steak on the evening BEFORE, enough hydration while, and a slice of bread with raw ham plus some pickled gherkins on the morning after. I hadn’t had a hangover ever since. And I never ever had to thrown up from alcohol in my life.

Re:time to soberness

[aXis100]

I find that the drinking rate required to maintain a level (eg if you're trying to stay under the limit, but equally if you've just trying to maintain that buzz) is too slow to be comfortable and you end up standing around for 1/2 hour without a drink in your hand.

If this reduces the recovery time, you could drink every 30/40 minutes instead of once per hour, and maintain a level. Better for my hangover, not so great for my pocket.

Couldn't they

[hoytak]

just make shots of liquid oxygen? it burns on the way down, but hey, what's new? With the right chaser, it'd be the next big thing...

Side effects...

[Antony T Curtis]

I am not sure of the benefits of a alcoholic drink which "sobers up faster" other than "sells more booze, kaching!".

Since it has dissolved oxygen, would it whiten teeth too?

What would be revolutionary would be a drink which kept the imbibers drunk for a lengthy but known amount of time but after that time, the imbiber would sober up quickly without hangover...

Re:Side effects...

[digit1001]

What would be revolutionary would be a drink which kept the imbibers drunk for a lengthy but known amount of time but after that time, the imbiber would sober up quickly without hangover...

Or even better... something you take at the end of the night to absorb the alcohol and remove it from your system. Like a pizza.

i call bull

[circletimessquare]

mix it with some RED bull! party! aiiiieee! (cue allegro mariachi music)

Do NOT Want

[Conchobair]

If I want to be sober, I just won't drink. However, when I do drink, (I won't drive) I want to be drunk and stay drunk. I want to be drunk all night and when I wake upside down in a sleeping bag trying to get it open with my toes, I want to wonder how I got there and not be able to remember. This just takes all the fun out of drinking.

Re:Do NOT Want

[Hurricane78]

Hate to tell ya after all these years, but sleeping bags usually are two-way, so you can open them on either side. ^^

Re:Do NOT Want

[adolf]

I think he meant "head first," not "inside out."

Re:Do NOT Want

[k-macjapan]

The Magic Beer Scooter

How many times have you woken up in the morning after a hard night drinking and thought 'How on earth did I get home?' As hard as you try, you cannot piece together your return journey from the pub to your house.

The answer to this puzzle is that you used a Beer Scooter. The Beer Scooter is a mythical form of transport, owned and leased to the drunk by Bacchus the Roman god of wine. Bacchus has acquired a large batch of these magical devices. The Beer Scooter works in the following fashion:

The passenger reaches a certain level of drunkenness and the "slurring gland" begins to give off a pheromone. Bacchus or one of his many sub-contractors detects this pheromone and sends down a winged Beer Scooter.

The scooter scoops up the passenger and deposits them in their bedroom via a Trans-Dimensional Portal. This is not cheap to run, so a large portion of the passenger's in-pocket cash is taken as payment. This answers the second question after a night out 'How did I spend so much money?'

Unfortunately, Beer Scooters have a poor safety record and are thought to be responsible for over 90% of all UDI (Unidentified Drinking Injuries), such as skinned knees and a sore spot on the top of your head.

An undocumented feature of the beer scooter is the destruction of time segments during the trip. The nature of Trans-Dimensional Portals dictates that time will be lost, seemingly unaccounted for. This answers a third question after a night out 'What the hell happened?'

With good intentions, Bacchus opted for the REMIT (Removal of Embarrassing Moments In Time) add on, that automatically removes, in descending order, those parts in time regretted most. Unfortunately one person's REMIT is not necessarily the REMIT of another's and quite often lost time is regained in discussions over a period of time.

Independent studies have also shown that Beer Goggles often cause the scooter's navigation system to malfunction thus sending the passenger to the wrong bedroom, often with horrific consequences.

For the family man, Beer Scooters come equipped with flowers picked from other people's garden and Thump-A-Lot boots (Patent Pending). These boots are designed in such a way that no matter how quietly you tip-toe up the stairs, you are sure to wake up your other half. Special anti-gravity springs ensure that you bump into every wall in the house and the CTSGS (Coffee Table Seeking Guidance System) explains the bruised shins.

The final add-on Bacchus saw fit to invest in for some scooters is the TAS (Tobacco Absorption System). This explains how one person can apparently get through 260 Marlboro Lights in a single night.

PS: Don't forget the on-board heater, which allows you to comfortably get home from the pub in sub-zero temperatures, wearing just a T-shirt.

Bathroom break

[MrEricSir]

That only works because you end up spending half the evening in the bathroom, and therefore consume less alcohol than your buddies.

Re:Bathroom break

[Pojut]

With our Civilization 4 drinking game (drink every time you hear Leonard Nimoy's voice from ANYONE's Civ 4 game in the LAN), there is no such thing as consuming less, lol :-)

Re:Bathroom break

[jellomizer]

Why is that a bad thing?

Drink enough to enjoy yourself not enough to regret it in the morning.

Re:Bathroom break

[rubycodez]

what, you don't enjoy getting puking drunk and a day-long hangover to follow? geez, what's the point then?

Re:Bathroom break

[thetoadwarrior]

Hey buddy, stick to your sodas and milk if you can't hack waking up in a puddle of your own puke and feces. Leave alcohol to the real men.

Re:Bathroom break

[cayenne8]

"Drink enough to enjoy yourself not enough to regret it in the morning."

Trouble is...drinking is just like potato chips, you can't eat just one.

:)

That's the problem, when you drink, you feel good and just want to drink more to feel better. That and everything starts to go down much easier after the first one or two. Ever notice how that first shot of tequila is a bit rough (unless you are drinking some SERIOUSLY good stuff), yet the next ones get easier and smoother?

Re:Bathroom break

[Seq]

"beep beep beep beep" brings a tear to my eye, every time.

Re:Bathroom break

[jsvendsen]

Meh, I'm fine with my current strategy of drinking enough to regret it in the morning but not enough to not remember why.

Re:Bathroom break

[bar-agent]

No point in putting perfectly good alcohol on the floor to evaporate...

"Dude...I drank so much last night, I'm getting buzzed just smelling the vomit..."

Bah...

[mdm-adph]

You can get the same thing with an alcohol enema.

And we've all been there, right?!?

Right...?

Re:Bah...

[Anonymous Psychopath]

That's the sound of a grasshopper riding a tumbleweed.

Re:Bah...

[couchslug]

"And we've all been there, right?!?"

That bottle was hell to get out. Damn Grolsch with the ceramic stopper....

Re:Bah...

[oldhack]

Well.... I did read about douchebags that stick e pills up their ass... Guess it gets rid of the nasty lingering bitter taste at least...

Question?

[vertinox]

Is the drink mentioned in the article available for purchase or is there equipment that you can use to oxygenate your own liquor?

Hydration

[Itninja]

Booze never "gives" you a hangover. A hangover comes from the lack of water in your system; dehydration. Just make every second of third drink a glass of water, *poof* no hangovers.

Re:Hydration

[zepo1a]

*Specifically, the cushion of water between your brain and your skull. The brain bumping around your skull is what gives you the hangover. The little bottles of liquid you put in your gas tank when you have water in the line? Alcohol! It evaporates the water in the line just like drinking gets rid of the cushion around your brain. So try to drink water while, or directly after, drinking.

*A Doctor told me this (could very well not be true. I am not a doctor but it sounded reasonable at the time.)

Re:Hydration

[chronosan]

Is your doctor badanalogyguy?

Re:Hydration

[zepo1a]

Well, as car analogies go, compared to what I've seen here before it's a pretty good one.

Re:Hydration

[Attila Dimedici]

That is only partially true, some aspects of a hangover are a product of niacin deficiency. So in addition to making sure you are hydrated, also make sure you have a surplus of niacin when you start drinking alcohol.

Re:Hydration

[ameline]

I disagree -- My observation has been that it's the lack of booze in your system (after boozing) that correlates with the hangover. The easy solution; don't stop drinking.

Re:Hydration

[rocket rancher]

Booze never "gives" you a hangover. A hangover comes from the lack of water in your system; dehydration. Just make every second of third drink a glass of water, *poof* no hangovers.

absolutely -- dehydration is a big part of the hangover experience. for what it is worth, dying of thirst feels a lot like a hangover for that very reason. Another part of the hangover experience is caused by old-fashioned lack of sleep. a couple of analgesics before you hit the hay (if you aren't too gone to remember) moderates the stress you undergo from the dehydration, allowing you to actually get rested while you sleep.

Re:Hydration

[turing_m]

Booze never "gives" you a hangover. A hangover comes from the lack of water in your system; dehydration. Just make every second of third drink a glass of water, *poof* no hangovers.

An alternative to that is drinking as much water as you can before bed (usually 3-4 glasses for me). Works well.

Re:Hydration

[Tromad]

Dehydration, congeners, and possibly B vitamin (thiamine) deficiency. I stick to vodka, decent scotch, and belgium beers and I never get a hangover. My relatives came over one day with a bounty of coors light and the hangover it caused was one of those "I'm never drinking ever again!" moments. Same with the $4 bottle of vodka in plastic (Gordons I believe). I learned my lesson and now stay reasonably hydrated (you reach a limit of how much alcohol+water you can drink without having to visit the bathrooom every 5 minutes), take a B vitamin complex before bed, eat a piece of bread (if your stomach is growling all night and you get no sleep=worse hangover), and drink decent quality alcohol and I never get hangovers anymore.

Re:Hydration

[MishgoDog]

Were you drunk when he told you?
Because a *lot* of things sound 'reasonable' when you're drunk. Such as stripping naked and burying your sleeping bag (with you in it) in the middle of a sports field right before a big game.

So... yeah...

Does this help my Liver?

[karcirate]

Any scientists out there who can take a guess if the extra oxygen will reduce the harmful effects of binge drinking on the liver? Will this allow people to get all the great benefits of alcohol with less risk?

Oxygen + Beer

[vacantskies9]

Too bad oxygen ruins beer.

Re:Oxygen + Beer

[Dartz-IRL]

Yup

Showed this to a brewer with Diageo at their St. James gate plant.... he lolled. Oxygen might prevent a hangover... it'll prevent you from bloody drinking by spoiling your pint.

Re:Oxygen + Beer

[Matimus]

This was my first reaction too. It would also require that the beer be pasteurized. Oxygenating (live) beer just gives the yeast more food. which it will then convert to CO2. It is a little more complicated than that, since the yeast needs sugar too. In any case you are seriously messing with the beer's chemistry. Perhaps a system where flat beer gets oxygenated just before serving would work. It might not make good beer, but is worth trying. Of course, I don't tend to drink enough beer to get hang-over drunk anyway. It just takes too long.

Re:Oxygen + Beer

[coolsnowmen]

I know it will spoil your bear if you keep it that way, but what if you oxygenate it right before it comes out of the tap, like a soda fountain. It doesn't go bad instantly does it? If you have a chance, I'ld be interested to what your brewer has to say.

Is that suppose to be good!!!?

[viraltus]

Without the hangover is not real fun... check the movie http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1119646/

Homebrewing with oxygen

[fear025]

As a homebrewer, I know that oxidation of beer can give it "cardboardy" flavors, so this technology is probably useless for beer.

I'm not sure how long oxidation needs to occur before the off flavors manifest though, so perhaps you could force-oxygenate at pour time.

Sounds like some experiments need to be done...

Re:Homebrewing with oxygen

[lawpoop]

As a homebrewer, I know that oxidation of beer can give it "cardboardy" flavors, so this technology is probably useless for beer.

Given what people are already drinking outside of the home/micro-brew scene, I don't think this will be much of a problem.

Re:Homebrewing with oxygen

[sevennus]

Let's make sure we know the difference between oxidation and oxygenation. Oxidation is responsible for the alcohol in your beer! Starches (from whatever grain with which you're brewing) are (long story short) oxidized into carbon dioxide (bubbles) and ethanol (drunk). Oxygenation is the infusion of gaseous oxygen into a medium. Granted, an excess of dissolved diatomic oxygen in your beer may speed up oxidation a little bit, it's nowhere near the rate of enzymatic oxidation that occurs during the fermenting process. Especially if the beer is kept cold enough (as it should be anyway) during and after oxygenation, free oxygen isn't going to mess up your brew.

Less drunk == less hungover?

[ghislain_leblanc]

This is really shocking! Who is founding those "researches"?

Flammability

[Ukab the Great]

It's not just for 75 proof anymore.

Also, the Molotovs are amazing

[liquiddark]

Light a match in pre-oxygenated alcohol, should be fun times for the smoke-when-you-drink crowd!

And it is....

[Device666]

pure water.

hmm...

[theheadlessrabbit]

What does the article talk about hangover-free drinking, then show a picture of soju? Soju is not alcohol; it is punishment in a bottle.

What will all this free oxygen do to people who consume the alcohol? Could it have some sort of side effect on the stomach/intestinal track? bleach your teeth?

ST:TNG Synthehol...

[humdinger70]

with all the deliterious effects left in, has finally arrived.

This beer needs high altitude research!

[voodoo cheesecake]

If any of you readers have an aeroplane, I'll volunteer to sit in the back and get wasted. By the way, my special recipe is Bacardi 151 and orange jolt. I never get a hangover.

one beer . . .

[hideouspenguinboy]

No wait . . . 12 beers.

Alcohol+oxygen as blood thinner?

[dazedNconfuzed]

Does adding oxygen somehow affect the blood-thinning properties of alcohol?

For that matter, how DOES alcohol act as a blood thinner, and for how long?

Those on Warfarin (aka Coumadin) want to know...

Re:Alcohol+oxygen as blood thinner?

[berashith]

Maybe the red blood cells will just absorb the oxygen and transport it around like they would oxygen from the lungs. If done correctly, you really could drink like a fish!

"No thanks, I like my beer like I like my women"

[PrescriptionWarning]

cold and devoid of oxygen

Hope they don't try this with hard liquor

[Timmy D Programmer]

Oxygen bubbles plus high alcohol could be an explosive hazard.

Re:Hope they don't try this with hard liquor

[JWSmythe]

So you're saying oxygen enriched Bacardi 151 or 190 proof Everclear could be hazardous? :)

Re:Hope they don't try this with hard liquor

[clone53421]

Mmmm, Everclear...

Re:Hope they don't try this with hard liquor

[JWSmythe]

    I have to admit, shots of Everclear are a bit harsher than most drinks I've had. :)

Re:Hope they don't try this with hard liquor

[clone53421]

I’d be able to tell a story about Everclear, if only I remembered it.

Re:Hope they don't try this with hard liquor

[cayenne8]

" I have to admit, shots of Everclear are a bit harsher than most drinks I've had. :)"

Yeah, but back in High School and College..it was the PERFECT stuff for a jungle juice party. You just have the price of admission be a pint or half pint of clear booze, preferably PGA (Everclear)...line a large trash can with plastic liners, fill with ice, booze and hawaiian punch (or something similar) and then, instant party. Man, you could get chicks trashed with that stuff quick too!! This was really great too if you had some type of theme with that party that had girls dress in bikinis or togas even...

Re:Hope they don't try this with hard liquor

[afidel]

Everclear is pure silky smoothness next to it's backwoods cousin white lightening =)

Re:Hope they don't try this with hard liquor

[Red Flayer]

The worst drinking experience I ever had involved everclear and an unexpected laugh. I snarfed it, and though the liquor stopped flowing out my nose very quickly, it was a good half hour before the blood trickle stopped.

Re:Hope they don't try this with hard liquor

[JWSmythe]

Ahhh, the good ol' days. I remember those parties. It's respectable-ish to start, and pretty much an orgy by the end of the night. What I wouldn't give to be a stupid teenager again. :) Maybe in the next life. Of course, we have to remember the "no fat chicks" rule on the party invitations. Well, unless one of your friends is a chubby chaser, and he'd better corral the cows out of sight. :)

    [/me ducks from the "big boned" women in the audience]

Are they really sure ...

[Ihlosi]

... that putting oxygen in alcohol is a good idea? It sounds like a recipe for rocket fuel to me.

Re:Are they really sure ...

[Ihlosi]

Dude that sounds like a good drink!

Now that you mention it ... that must be part of the Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster. One false move with the glass in your hand, and your remains will be scattered all over the galaxy.

Re:Are they really sure ...

[Ihlosi]

Rather than putting oxygen in my alcohol supply, they should be working on putting alcohol in my oxygen supply

Just put the stuff in the humidifier of your CPAP machine. Problem solved! (Warning: Do not smoke or otherwise create sources of ignition in the same building).

my diving instructor swore to it

[kubitus]

if you have a hangover, just dive to 20 meters for 20 minutes.

Then ascend according to your dive computer / decompression table.

Hangover - over

Re:my diving instructor swore to it

[Sechr Nibw]

I could never hold my breath for 20 minutes...but wait! I've got beer with oxygen in it! Solution!

Re:my diving instructor swore to it

[holmstar]

As long as you don't spew into your regulator... i know that supposedly it is ok to do that, but ewww.

Re:More concerned with what hangs over the belt

[zero0ne]

I'll make sure to ref. this post when my manager asks me why I am brining in a 6 pack of beer instead of my daily 6 pack of pepsi

Yeah...

[lbalbalba]

But does it get you *drunk* ?

Somewhat Makes Sense from a Diving Perspective

[PerfectionLost]

Recently I became a licensed Scuba diver. One thing you learn in scuba diving classes is that you are more likely to get nitrogen poisoning if you are dehydrated, or had been drinking substantially the night before. Typically the way you do a first response treatment of nitrogen poisoning is by supplying pure oxygen.

I'm sure there's a Q.E.D. in there but I'm pretty sure I'm missing some steps.

Re:Somewhat Makes Sense from a Diving Perspective

[ramk13]

I think it has more to do with the fact that the bends are caused by nitrogen coming out of solution in your blood, and doesn't really have to do with the oxygen. The point of the pure oxygen is that it doesn't have any nitrogen. You will immediately lower the nitrogen concentration in your blood that way.

Re:Somewhat Makes Sense from a Diving Perspective

[soupart]

Congrats on your Open Water certification. I hope you enjoy the new world that is open to you!

However, there is no such thing as nitrogen poisoning. While it is true that when you are under water, your body is experiencing added pressure and the nitrogen from the air in your tank that you breathe has a much harder time escaping your blood stream you can't really be "poisoned" by it. Given you are trained, you know the importance of the 15-20 foot safety stop. The purpose of this is to let your body release any trapped nitrogen it can in the time you spend. Thus, the 3-5 minute safety stop (more if you went past deco limits - a serious no-no). If you do not make the safety stop (or make a rapid ascent), you stand a higher chance of getting the bends - nitrogen bubbles that form in your body and can cause anything from mild tingles of the arms/legs/joints to flat out passing out - and worse.

Now, nitrogen narcosis is a different beast. At the advanced recreational depths of 60-130 feet the added nitrogen will make you feel a little "drunk" and any simple math (one we use on divers going for the Advanced Open Water Cert) will take 2 or 3 times longer to do than they do on the surface. This can cause a diver that isn't prepared a whole world of trouble. You have to watch your gauges, and understand what they mean.

That said, oxygen can kill you at depth. Nitrox is a good course to take so that you understand how oxygen under pressure can be dangerous. Sure, it really has great benefits for bottom time. But, you must understand the mix you have and the depths you plan to go to.

If you are considering diving as a serious hobby, I *highly* recommend going up to the Rescue Diver (or equal) course offered by your local dive shop.

Also, if your local dive shop is talking about nitrogen poisoning, I might find a different local dive shop....

Re:Somewhat Makes Sense from a Diving Perspective

[soupart]

I will add.... I drink like a fish. Most of the divers I know do the same. But, we do drink a lot of water before and after diving.

You are correct on the application of O2 on anyone that has symptoms of the bends. Followed by chamber treatment, if available.

Now that I think about it.... maybe I've never heard the bends called "nitrogen poisoning" and that would be a "mental note made" on my part.

Never-the-less, enjoy your diving!

Yes, I'm drinking. =)

Fat Chicks Next Please!

[jjjpinkojjj]

If they could develop a variety of alcohol that will inhibit me from going home with fat chicks... I might start drinking again.

Re:"No thanks, I like my beer like I like my women

[Arthur Grumbine]

Stout and thick-headed?

fire?

[AxemRed]

I bet oxygen-enriched vodka would burn like hell.

Literally. :)

Now This

[SolarStorm]

is a RTF I am going to read!

well known amongst aviators...

[advocate_one]

many a time I've had a hit of the oxygen the morning after while doing the pre-flight servicing on Phantoms... just plug the PEC in and take a good hit while doing the check of the audio and oxygen systems... anyone questions you, just state you thought you smelt something odd in the breathing air mix and was taking a long sniff to check...

ps, I was doing this over thirty years ago... and it was well known as a hangover cure back then...

Use a CPAP/APAP machine

[gb7djk]

Since I find myself on one of these every night, one side effect seems to be that I don't wake up with a hangover (I might get slightly more apnoea). Since I am getting some extra pressure, I must be getting more oxygen as well. So they may have a point.

Re:"No thanks, I like my beer like I like my women

[bregmata]

Flat and skunky?

Oxygen Tank

[BlueBoxSW.com]

It's more effective if you just take a hit from an Oxygen tank.

Why try to jam the O2 into your drink?

Re:Oxygen Tank

[srmalloy]

It's more effective if you just take a hit from an Oxygen tank.

Why try to jam the O2 into your drink?

And, in response to this insightful observation, we will see drinking establishments combining with oxygen bars, with the added boost to income since, after Last Call, they will be able to continue to sell oxygen shots to the customers before they stagger out the door, the oxygen not being an intoxicating beverage.

Re:Oxygen Tank

[BlueBoxSW.com]

Sign me up!

Re:Oxygen Tank

[Kuruk]

I would think there is a difference to drinking something rich in O2 and breathing rich O2 air.

Re:"No thanks, I like my beer like I like my women

[Anonymous Coward]

Pale and Bitter?

If this doesnt get the Nobel Prize

[Phizzle]

I dont know what will.

Re:"No thanks, I like my beer like I like my women

[mayko]

Light and Tan.

Now for hookers that don't leave sores.

[Anonymous Coward]

And I'll be set!

salt, sugar, vitamin c

[j1976]

The DIY precautionary recipe against a hangover is: Boil one liter of water, add half a teaspoon of table salt, and six teaspoons of sugar. Let cool and drink before you go to bed. For increased efficiency also take vitamin C, either in the form of a pill or as a glass of orange juice. The scientific explanation is that alcohol affects the levels of a hormone called ADL, something which in its turn makes the kidnies less able to take up water and important minerals and vitamins. This leads to dehydration and lack of said minerals. Further, the process of breaking down the alcohol lowers your blood sugar level. Thus, the easiest non-fancy precaution against a hangover using only household ingredients is to compencate the deficits using the above recipe. In sweden it's also possible to buy more carefully balanced anti-hangover pills with a more advanced mix of minerals and vitamins. They too consist mainly of sugar and salt though. Examples of such pills are "Revigör" and "Bakis". Source of above is fraga doktorn, also as crappy google translation.

Re:"No thanks, I like my beer like I like my women

[Captain Centropyge]

Nowhere to be found. I don't drink beer.

Where's my manhattan..?

I misread the title

[KWTm]

Instead of

"Scientists Discover Booze That Won't Give You a Hangover"

I thought it said:

"Scientists Discover That Booze Won't Give You a Hangover"

I thought: gee, what great news! There's no such thing as a hangover! I guess those people with after-party headaches had just happened to come down with some sinusitis!

Re:I misread the title

[AndersOSU]

Alcoholics typically don't' get hangovers, so if the scientists have been studying this subject rigorously, they may actually have discovered that drinking booze won't give you a hangover.

Re:I misread the title

[demonlapin]

You can only get hangovers if you eventually sober up...

Re:I misread the title

[AVee]

"The last time I was sober, man I felt bad." :)

Maybe they could improve on this classic

[archangel9]

Samuel L. Jackson beer, it gets you drunk!

Burn it up

[NicknamesAreStupid]

Being highly reactive, O2 + C2H6O = C02 + H2O. I doubt if that happens in the body, but the liver "gets rid" of ethanol by oxygenating it into acetic acid, a metabolite. A little more O2 might help the liver, but that comes from the respiratory system, not the tummy. Maybe O2 + C2H6 + H3O+ + Cl- = something (perhaps dichloroethane). Anyone know?

Re:Burn it up

[xpenguin51]

Someone had this idea before with regard to athletic performance, and as an answer to carbonated drinks diminishing your aerobic capacity. Turns out the guy re-invented Hydrogen Peroxide and poisoned a bunch of test subjects... Plus, anyone remember that free radicals (non bound free oxygen) are harmful if not highly corrosive?

Re:Burn it up

[treeves]

oxygen, ethane and hydrochloric acid? WTF are you drinking?

Molotov cocktail

[hzoli]

Oxygentated vodka could be the perfect recepie for a really explosive Molotov cocktail

Re:"No thanks, I like my beer like I like my women

[lennier]

Dark, Irish and able to put you on the floor with one hit?

If I Wanted to Get Sober Faster

[handy_vandal]

If I wanted to get sober faster, I would drink less, and quit sooner, during any given drinking session.

I don't have hangovers EVER.

[Hurricane78]

It’s a simple solution, that some of my friends also do: The evening before going out, we eat a piece of good quality red meat. A filet steak preferably. That’s it. No hangover. No headache. Nothing.
We’re doing this for years.

Re:I don't have hangovers EVER.

[aXis100]

Eating in general will help with hangovers, mostly the nausea part. Plus if you can afford a good quality piece of meat, chances are you're buying not drinking cheap vodka and cheap beer, both of which contain alot of impurities/preservatives that cause hangover.

I'm not knocking your strategy though, if you can avaid a hangover then by all means dont change.

Rum!

[Fujisawa Sensei]

Now give me a 80% vodka with no hangovers and I'm ready to roll.

If you're going for 80% Stroh, is really tasty.

Actually even if you aren't going for 80%, Stroh is really tasty.

Re:"No thanks, I like my beer like I like my women

[Hurricane78]

Col. Hans Landa? Is that you?

Who cares what the researchers say

[Fujisawa Sensei]

Who cares what the researchers say.

I'm going to have to do my own research. In cases like this, first hand knowledge is the only way to go.

Re:"No thanks, I like my beer like I like my women

[armyofone]

The perfect tri-fecta of women, coffee, and beer is, 'cold and bitter'! :-p

Seems like there would be another disadvantage

[ATestR]

The thing that immediately struck me when I saw that there would be oxygen bubbles in this beverage is that the drink and the alcohol that it would react with the oxygen. In the case of beer or ale, the yeast would ferment, and the brew would get stronger. Not sure what it would do with the hard stuff, but there's a reason that we don't store food and drink in open containers.

Re:"No thanks, I like my beer like I like my women

[Anonymous Coward]

full bodied and regrettable the next morning?

Re:"No thanks, I like my beer like I like my women

[Chapter80]

Flat and with yeast issues?

Re:"No thanks, I like my beer like I like my women

[Chapter80]

With a lot of head and quick to swallow?

evaporators

[Khashishi]

I heard you can get drunk without hangover with evaporated alcohol.

Oxidation?

[w0mprat]

It's my understanding great lengths are gone to prevent oxidation in alcoholic beverages (and indeed many packaged beverages and foods) because this changes flavour and generally makes the food/drink decompose. This is partly why wine doesn't taste too good after the bottle has been open 24 hours or more, even if chilled. There are 'wine-saver' gadgets that can exclude air with a vacuum pump or in some cases introduce inert gas like nitrogen.

Introducing oxygen into a beverage would have to be done when serving. It could not be bottled long term like this, unless its some kind of tailored artificial alco-pop crap.

Re:"No thanks, I like my beer like I like my women

[Xemu]

Made under the control of the German Purity Law?

Mod parent up

[Valdrax]

I always followed the "drink water" method in college, and I never got a hangover. But I did wake up in the middle of the night once with of horrific, hour-long leg cramp due to depletion of potassium and other electrolytes. Ever since then, I've preferred having a sport drink or two with me at a party or at least to make sure to eat a banana before going to bed.

Re:"No thanks, I like my beer like I like my women

[Valdrax]

Aged 2 months and picked up at the grocery store?

Re:my method

[PachmanP]

my method is even simpler, I don't drink.

Worst... hangover remedy.... EVER!

Oxygen

[watergeus]

"...you could have a portable O2 enricher that lets you breath pure O2 for a little while... "

It is very well known in the divers world. With a hangover, just breath pure O2 for a while.

Young Einsteen

[grolschie]

Easier than splitting the beer atom I guess!

Re:"No thanks, I like my beer like I like my women

[Niris]

More like strong and bitter.

Re:Interesting considering CO2 has opposite affect

[Eskarel]

Well that's not really all that surprising given that your body needs oxygen, but doesn't need CO2.

There's a reason that you breath most of that stuff back out.

Actually...

[Mr. Roadkill]

...if I found myself suffering from methanol poisoning, and I had a bottle of vanilla essence or a tube of hand cleaner close by, I'd probably mix it with a cup of water and squirt it up there just after calling the ambulance. I believe intravenous alcohol solutions are used in hospital to treat methanol poisoning, but rectal administration is about the best I think anyone could manage safely by themselves with ordinary household items.

....FSVO "manage safely", of course. It's also somewhat disturbing that I can come up with a valid reason for a self-administered alcohol enema.

Kava Kava

[mqduck]

Still no such thing as something that'll get you as drunk as you'd like to be without any hangover, but consider kava (also known as "kava kava") as an alternative. As a drug, it has basically the same effect as alcohol. It does not, however, kill brain cells, which is an important part of the effect alcohol has (to compensate, try sniffing some glue). An all-around plus is that it doesn't dehydrate you.

Re:my method

[Michael Kristopeit]

my method is even simpler, I don't drink.

so the only reason you don't drink is so you don't have a hangover?

i drink frequently and never have a hangover.... i guess my method is not being a pussy.

Re:my method

[roman_mir]

Oh, the trollish automaton is back I see. So your excuse for being a duche bag is that you are constantly drunk? Well, that makes sense.

Re:my method

[roman_mir]

muhaha, define irony:

i see it is fear that drives you.

- said Anonymous Coward. The 'o' is missing cause you don't deserve the full spelling, you are bit less than a full douche.

Re:my method

[roman_mir]

oh, that's easy: you are a duche, which is like a small insignificant wrinkled douche. See, now we have a pretty good description of what you look like. Small and wrinkled - duche. /. figured you out just right, but I still think you are a scared little anonymous coward little wrinkled duche, with no discernible skills, you can't even use your mother tongue better than a foreigner, who learned the damn language.

Make some longdrinks with O2 water

[egghat]

Why is everyone only thinknig about beer? Longdrinks with oxygen enhanced water could be quite cool ...

Active O2 (Warning: flashy shit)

Easier solution

[RichiH]

After drinking and before going to bed take a _hot_ shower, drink as much water as you possibly can and toss an aspirin or two. Repeat right after waking up again.

No need to thank me, but if I could sell that procedure in bottles, I would. Bottled water would be a neat product, come to think of it.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)

[piotru]

Just mix drinks with hydrogen peroxide (a cheap antiseptic)
Myself, I'd rather suffer longer hangover than endure the taste of such drink...

Re:my method

[clone53421]

You’re throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Re:my method

[roman_mir]

yes, but in my defense the baby was an alcoholic.

Re:my method

[roman_mir]

that is way out of your depth to decide, however we do see how much of an insignificant wrinkled up used up foreskin like little duche you are. (duche without the 'o', that's a bit too fancy for you).

Re:my method

[clone53421]

No... the baby was drinking. The bathwater was the hangover.

Coming into a discussion about drinking without getting a hangover and suggesting “well, you could just *not drink*”... you’re trolling.

Cost of living too expensive? Kill yourself.

Same analogy.

Re:my method

[roman_mir]

No, it is not a suggestion not to drink, it is my way of avoiding hangovers. Not a troll, informative.

Re:my method

[roman_mir]

they are ecstatic about it, looks like you can't let go of it either.

Re:my method

[clone53421]

The question was, “how can you drink without getting a hangover”. If your answer is “I don’t drink”... nobody asked you, and you’re trolling. Everyone already knows that you’ll never get a hangover if you don’t drink. That’s not an acceptable answer to the question.

Re:my method

[roman_mir]

Incorrect, there was no question. There was a statement: scientists discover booze that does not give you a hangover. There is no question in the headline, there is no question in the summary. So they discover booze and it does not give you a hangover. I say there is this other thing that will not give you a hangover. Not a troll, informative.

Re:my method

[clone53421]

At best, redundant. Everyone knows that not drinking will not give you a hangover.

At worst, and quite probably, troll, because you knew it was redundant and stated it anyway.

Re:my method

[roman_mir]

so we have conceded something now, you are saying it's not a troll but maybe redundant. I may agree that it could be redundant, but where one step was made towards understanding, more steps are possible.

Consider the following:
British Medical Journal published a review on hangover remedies by Max Pittler of the Peninsula Medical School at Exeter University.

It concludes No compelling evidence exists to suggest that any conventional or complementary intervention is effective for preventing or treating alcohol hangover. The most effective way to avoid the symptoms of alcohol induced hangover is to practice abstinence or moderation.

So let's see, a scientific review concludes that avoiding drinking is a good enough 'remedy against a hangover', but I, restating this in a story about discovering booze that supposedly does not lead to a hangover, am considered a troll or at best redundant?

Well then, many things in life could be considered just as redundant, for example your commentary on why my comment is a troll, after my comment is already moderated as one (and I did not ask for an explanation, we are on /., it is obvious that most moderators here are not really up to the job.)

Re:my method

[clone53421]

tl;dr.

As I said... this discussion is about booze that won’t give you a hangover.

As I said... “not drinking won’t give you a hangover” is redundant to the point of seeming trollish.

Re:my method

[roman_mir]

and as I said, your comment on something being a 'troll' that is moderated 'troll' is really redundant.

Now, I do have a point, I cited official medical research stating that the real remedy against a hangover is abstinence. I said the same thing and they said the same thing, it could be a redundant statement, but it is not a troll, it is statement of a fact. You can continue to leave you redundant commentary and since the story is long gone off the main screen of /. it will not be moderated as one, but it should be. Mine never should have been moderated a troll, it is informative, but it was. So that's the reality of /., what is your problem?

Re:my method

[clone53421]

I cited official medical research stating that the real remedy against a hangover is abstinence.

And how exactly did they do a double-blind to find out whether dehydration was a significant cause of the hangover? The treatment is water. You can’t give someone a placebo for water.

Answer: they didn’t. They tested various supplements and nutrients. All of which may or may not have had an effect, but their effect was obviously negligible.

Since dehydration is commonly regarded as the primary cause of a hangover (and is, in fact, the solvent which allows nutrients to be effective in the first place), I reject the results of their flawed study. They did not even attempt to test the effectiveness of re-hydration.

Re:my method

[roman_mir]

Interesting, so now you are shifting the target of your monologue to the contents of a study on hangover remedies as a way to prove that my original comment was redundant? I think at this point you are trolling. I am done here.

Re:my method

[clone53421]

No, I’m refuting the sole claim you have whereby you can call your trolling “informative”. Thanks for playing.

Your comment was redundant and off-topic, you were trolling by posting it, and the citation you offered to support yourself when I pointed these things out is invalid.

And I’m feeding the troll. But I don’t really care.

Re:my method

[roman_mir]

Right, and you have evidence to the contrary of the medical study that I am quoting? That is the definition of trolling.

My comment was on topic, it was informative in that it is supported by an actual medical study conducted by actual medical professionals. As I said, the study on hangover finding that the best remedy against hangover is abstinence could be a redundant study, then my comment could be considered redundant.

However, we conduct various studies that sometimes refute 'common sense knowledge' and sometimes confirm it, in either case the study is INFORMATIVE and even if the results of it do confirm what used to be known as common sense, it is still a valid outcome of a study and it is not redundant and obviously it is not a troll. Saying that such a study is invalid without any actual evidence is trolling, so if you are feeding a troll, you are really just feeding yourself.

Bon appetit.

Re:my method

[roman_mir]

I will show in a second, but first: you are trolling because you have no information to refute the study, you did not conduct your own and did not publish it in a peer reviewed medical journal, and you will not be able to quote one that refutes this study. With these facts at hand, stating that you have the truth and that the truth is that this study is wrong, that's trolling.

In the Introduction section:

Other symptoms in varying combinations may include lightheadedness, nausea, and concentration difficulties. The symptoms seem to be due to a combination of ethanol's main metabolic product acetaldehyde, congeners including methanol, endocrine and immune system disturbances, dehydration, and sleep disturbance.1

From wikipedia (just for kicks)
As to the first question: Hypoglycemia, dehydration, acetaldehyde intoxication, and vitamin B12 deficiency are all theorized causes of hangover symptoms.

So for all of your blubbering about 'creating a straw man', you are the one who created one. The study is quite different from what you are making it out to be. You are not trolling? Well, if you think you are not, you are then deluded.

Re:my method

[clone53421]

Read this a few times until you understand what it means:

Eight randomised controlled trials assessing eight different medical interventions for preventing or treating the symptoms of alcohol hangover were reviewed

No compelling evidence exists to suggest that any conventional or complementary intervention is effective for preventing or treating alcohol hangover

THAT DOES NOT FOLLOW.

If Edison had concluded, after testing EIGHT materials, that no compelling evidence existed to suggest that ANY material would make a suitable incandescent filament, we would not have light bulbs today.

What they meant was: No compelling evidence exists to suggest that any TESTED intervention was effective. They did not test water.

Re:my method

[roman_mir]

Since dehydration is commonly regarded as the primary cause of a hangover (and is, in fact, the solvent which allows nutrients to be effective in the first place), I reject the results of their flawed study. They did not even attempt to test the effectiveness of re-hydration.

- that's your quote.

(just as a side note for various reasons I know something about re-hydration, and the most efficient way to do it is not with pure water, methodology also includes re-introducing electrolites. Yes, solutions of salts and sugars are used, not pure water, that's first.)

I don't see you understand that this study was comparison of many other studies done on the subject. If you think the water was not taken into consideration, you believe that everyone around you is so much dumber than you are, luckily, we will show how you are mistaken in this believe right now. The studies selected for comparison were the most significant, they were published, they had control groups

From the published article:
Table of studies that were compared in this study.

One of the included studies was published by Ylikahrij.

Pay attention: During the challenge the participants did not receive food but could drink water freely.

The other published by Kaivola. Pay attention:
Challenge was done in small groups; restrictions on non-alcoholic beverages and food intake not reported

Bogin: No analgesics or water were allowed after alcohol challenge

Muhonen: Participants were patients in hospital for detoxification

Laas: After alcohol challenge soft drinks, water, and a low fat lunch were offered; no caffeine intake

Wiesse: A meal was taken before alcohol challenge

Pittler: A meal was taken before alcohol challenge

Moesgaard: Participants were recruited at a private party; no restrictions on food and drink reported

---

In any case, you have not conducted an independent research on this matter, you are in fact refuting the findings that are not only reported by this particular comparison study, but by the underlying 8 other medical studies.

Out the the 15 studies that were considered, the above 8 were chosen because they were conducted in a manner compatible with a real study, it is discussed in the 'Methods' section of the publication.

You can go ahead and dismiss all of this work, cited above, the methods, the approaches, but you cannot seriously suggest that it is either trolling or redundant.

But you will, because you are trolling. Cheers, I am gonzo.

Re:my method

[clone53421]

If you think the water was not taken into consideration, you believe that everyone around you is so much dumber than you are, luckily, we will show how you are mistaken in this believe right now.

Do try!

Pay attention: During the challenge the participants did not receive food but could drink water freely.

The people receiving the placebo drank water. The people receiving the nutrient drank water. There was little or no difference. It averaged out.

Unless you’re telling me they somehow found a way to give someone a placebo for water...

they did not test the effectiveness of water.

Only drink this in the non-smoking section.

[matt20102]

I'll have to admit that the first thought that came to mind- besides the fact that the product will have a heavily oxidized flavor- is that this seems like quite a bit of a fire hazard. Smoke a cigarette while you uncork a bottle of oxygenated spirits and you'll quickly become engulfed in flames from a store-bought molotov cocktail...