Why Am I Always Feeling Hungover?

Why Do I Feel Like I’ve Got A Constant Hangover?

You wake up to yet another day of feeling yucky and tired. Maybe you feel nauseous, or maybe you have a splitting headache. If you find yourself moaning, “Why am I always feeling hungover?” then it’s time to review your drinking habits.

When you are socializing it is easy to lose track of how much alcohol you are consuming. In fact, you may not even be aware that your friend keeps topping off your wine glass. But there is a limit as to how much alcohol the liver can metabolize. When we exceed that limit we pay the price the next day.

What Is a Hangover?

A hangover is a physical and mental evidence of drinking more than your body can safely handle. Hangovers are really just mild withdrawal symptoms. As the body is going through the steps to process the alcohol, it lets you know it isn’t happy.

Hangover symptoms might include:

• Nausea and vomiting.
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Excessive thirst and dry mouth.
• Sensitivity to light and sounds.
• Shakiness
• Dizziness or a sensation that the room is spinning.
• Muscle aches
• Irritability
• Mental confusion.
• Decreased concentration.
• Sleep disturbance.
• Feelings of anxiety, called “hangxiety.”

To help soothe the symptoms and not always feeling hungover, you should drink plenty of water. Gatorade can also help, as it will replace electrolytes. Over-the-counter meds, like Tylenol for a headache, and Pepto-Bismol can relieve stomach distress.

How Does the Body Process Alcohol?

Each person will process alcohol differently. Things like body-mass index, sex, alcohol, and tolerance impact the rate that the alcohol is metabolized. To provide guidance for safe drinking rates, the CDC has established guidelines. These include:

• Safe drinking: One drink per day for women; two drinks per day for men.

• Excessive drinking: Eight or more drinks in a week for women; 15 or more drinks in a week for men.
• Binge drinking: Four or more drinks in a single session for women; 5 or more drinks in a single session for men.

A drink equates to a 12-ounce beer, 8 ounces of malt liquor, 5 ounces of wine, or 1½ ounces of liquor. The legal blood alcohol limit in the U.S. is .08.

The reason for these safety guidelines is that excessive alcohol consumption impairs motor coordination, reflex response time, judgment, and self-control. It takes the human body about an hour to process a half-ounce of alcohol. When the intake exceeds that level, the liver becomes overwhelmed, which could even result in alcohol poisoning.

What Your Body Is Telling You

Alcohol overuse can trigger a variety of physiological responses. These include the inflammatory response, dehydration, irritation of the stomach lining, expansion of blood vessels, and a drop in blood sugar levels. These responses are what lead to the physical symptoms experienced in a hangover.

You may also be experiencing the effects of alcohol intolerance. This is a genetic condition caused by a missing enzyme called ALDH2. Signs of alcohol intolerance include:

• Headache
• Diarrhea
• Low blood pressure.
• Fatigue
• Coughing
• Chest pain.
• Hives
• Nasal congestion.

So, the two main reasons that could explain why you’re always feeling hungover are alcohol abuse or alcohol intolerance. To remedy both these conditions, you need to stop drinking.

What Are the Signs of Alcoholism?

The term “alcohol use disorder” (AUD) pertains to a wide span of disordered drinking patterns. Therefore, an AUD is staged from mild to severe based on the number of signs and symptoms that are present.

These are the criteria used to diagnose AUD:

• You notice it takes more alcohol to get the desired effects.
• You are obsessed with drinking, always thinking about getting alcohol and seeking excuses to drink.
• You drink in response to stress or negative emotions.
• You experience blackouts.
• You neglect responsibilities.
• You lie about how much you drink and hide alcohol around the house.
• You isolate yourself from friends and family so you can drink.
• You have problems at work, diminished work performance, and loss of a job.
• You are having legal problems, such as getting a DUI.
• Your drinking is negatively impacting relationships.
• You have alcohol cravings.
• You want to stop drinking but cannot.
• You have withdrawal symptoms when the alcohol wears off.

Get Help for Alcoholism

If you wonder why you always feel hungover, you may be struggling with an alcohol problem. If so, why not first visit your doctor to make sure the symptoms are not related to a health issue. If they are not, then it’s time to schedule an appointment with a treatment center.

The clinical staff can guide you through an interview and assessment in order to discern whether you have AUD. During the interview, you’ll be asked questions about your health, your mental health history, and your drinking habits. The more open you are with the clinician, the more accurate the diagnosis will be.

If it is decided that you do have AUD, then they will recommend a treatment plan. If they believe you should first complete alcohol detox, then they will explain that to you. They will also recommend the correct level of care to treat your AUD.

There are basically two treatment settings to be considered. These are:

Outpatient treatment. There are two levels of outpatient care: intensive outpatient program and partial hospitalization program. Outpatient treatment offers more flexibility in terms of being able to live at home and still work to some degree. These programs are also less costly. However, outpatient treatment is a better option for someone with an emerging or mild AUD.

Residential treatment. The residential program allows you to reside at the rehab for the duration of your treatment plan. This is a better option for someone with a more advanced AUD because it provides 24-hour support and monitoring. Residential treatment features a structured environment and a full daily schedule of therapeutic activities. In this setting, you won’t have exposure to substances or to people in your life that could undermine your efforts.

If you are sick of feeling terrible every day, then go ahead and reach out for help today.

Golf Drug Rehab Provides Comprehensive Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder

Golf Drug Rehab is a luxury rehab that features golf in its menu of treatment elements. Golf therapy is an excellent way to practice new recovery skills while also getting some sunshine and exercise during treatment. If you ask, “Why am I always feeling hungover?” then let us help. Call us today at (877) 958-5320.