I’ll admit it: I have a drinking problem
Public Group active 3 years, 1 month agoI’ll admit it: I have a drinking problem.
But mainly only with white wine, not red. And always with bubbles.No, it’s not an addiction – far from it.I’ll illustrate this with an instantly regrettable decision I made on morning: I had half a glass of champagne, statyourself.com and by lunchtime, the familiar burn in my temples had sent in.I was grumpy, angry and off my food.
Painkillers didn’t help, and the dreadful feeling has only just lifted this morning. And I’m not alone.Friends report itchy, red eyes after one glass of wine, or a cocktail, while others suffer blotchy skin, or even muscle aches. Dr Rubaiyat Haque explains that some people lack an enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase in the liver, which is involved in the metabolism of alcohol.
Pictured: Stock imageMeanwhile my fiance, Mark, enjoyed half a bottle of Christmas bubbly and two gin and tonics and remained headache-free. In fact, booze rarely even makes him tipsy.
So what’s going on – am I allergic to alcohol? I asked Dr Rubaiyat Haque, who runs a specialist allergy service at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, London.’An allergy to alcohol doesn’t really exist,’ says Dr Haque. ‘Allergies are the immune system over-reacting to a harmless substance – leading to hives, swelling, difficulty breathing, a drop in blood pressure and even collapse. RELATED ARTICLES
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‘But alcohol molecules are too tiny for the immune system to recognise and trigger an allergic response.’Intolerances, on the other hand, could be at play. They are not triggered by an immune response but are usually to do with problems with the digestive system or liver.Dr Haque explains that some people lack an enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase in the liver, which is involved in the metabolism of alcohol. This leads to a build-up of a toxic substance called acetaldehyde, which causes a host of nasty symptoms including a red, flushed face and neck, and occasionally a rapid heart rate, headache or nausea.
Pictured: Stock imageThis leads to a build-up of a toxic substance called acetaldehyde, which causes a host of nasty symptoms including a red, flushed face and neck, and occasionally a rapid heart rate, headache or nausea.However, it’s unlikely this will affect me as it most common in those of south east Asian descent.Roughly one in three Chinese, Japanese and Korean people will suffer this so-called ‘Asian-flush’ reaction, but very few of Caucasian heritage do.For many people, alcohol itself is not the issue – wine is. <div class="art-ins mol-factbox floatRHS health" data-version="2" id="mol-739c76c0-47a2-11eb-bf87-550cc89aece5" website intriguing reason you feel ill after a single glass
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