Alcohol intolerance

Alright, first and foremost, some background info. I'm seventeen years old, weigh about 105 lbs., and have been drinking since the age of thirteen. I didn't start actually going out to parties and drinking until about the age of fourteen or fifteen. I have anxiety and there is a high probability that I am anemic, I'm just totally freaked out by needles so I refuse to get my blood drawn to confirm this. (But my mom is and I'm always tired and whatever, so I just assume I am...) I'm not taking any iron supplements or anything though.

Anyways, being a senior in high school means one thing in my town (and most everywhere): getting drunk. I really enjoy getting and being drunk however if I pass the point of being tipsy I experience some really adverse effects. For example, last Monday I was with a friend and we decided to make drinks. Mine had three or four shots of vodka and then I proceeded to drink another shot or two in some orange juice, totalling about five shots. Needless to say at my weight, I was pretty drunk.
For any other normal person, I would have gone home, went to bed, and woke up fine the next day. However this is NEVER the case for me. We drank at about 3 p.m. and I went home at 8 p.m., to find myself feeling sick and tired. I tried to just go to bed but ended up throwing up twice before I could finally fall asleep.
This happens to me every single time I get drunk. I'll be fine, having agood time and enjoying myself and then several hours after I stop drinking (usually four or five), I get very sick and throw up. Just a note: I AM NOT OVERDRINKING. I am actually a very responsible drinker, I know my limits. This has made drinking very challenging for me because I really do enjoy getting drunk but it always ends horribly.
I'm just wondering if anyone else has the same problem or if you guys know what could be the cause, like if it could be due to my anemia or something? Or any suggestions of what I could do to prevent myself from getting sick. I'm really not looking for an answer of "don't drink" because that's not an option, as I enjoy it and am going off to Ohio State for school in the fall.

drink less.. no further than the point of tipsy.

I'm gonna shift this thread over to Healthy Living from Homeless. Let's see if we can get some good responses from there

CB.

try eating a moderate size to light size meal about 2-3 hrs before u start. i used to be that way then i started eatin before and now all is well

taternuts said:

try eating a moderate size to light size meal about 2-3 hrs before u start. i used to be that way then i started eatin before and now all is well

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Yeah, I guess when I think about it the example I gave of the past Monday I hadn't really eaten hardly anything the whole day.

However I did some research on google and found out that if you lack some sort of enzyme that properly breaks down alcohol, that could be the source of my problems. Does anyone know if it's possible to get tested for that or if there is a medication or something to increase the number of enzymes?

By the way this is completely off topic but northern Michigan certainly is not hell; it's gorgeous up there!(in reference to your location)

Switch to guinness, it's high in iron.

you should probably be eating more.

As others have said, it's almost definately just a lack of food. I can't tolerate drinking at all if I haven't eaten (not even a single beer). Just eat, and make sure you drink water to stay hydrated as well, dehydration from alcohol is one of the worst feelings IME.

stop being a wimp and get tested for anemia. Or at least take iron supplements, sheesh. Also, 5 shots on an empty stomach at 105 pounds would make anyone sick.

Be careful, you don't sound very responsible.

caff said:

As others have said, it's almost definately just a lack of food. I can't tolerate drinking at all if I haven't eaten (not even a single beer). Just eat, and make sure you drink water to stay hydrated as well, dehydration from alcohol is one of the worst feelings IME.

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Yeah it really is a terrible feeling, whenever I'm playing beer pong or something I usually have a water bottle to drink in between cups to stay hydrated...my mouth tends to get really really dry after drinking.

everyones mouth gets dry after drinking alcohol....

your fine dont drink so fast and u wont end up puking. it takes an hour for your body to metabolize one serving of alcohol so try not to exceed 1-2 drinks an hour if you don't want to get smashed!! and definitely eat before you drink like every one else said.

Based on what little information you've given, I don't think that you have an alcohol dehydrogenase deficiency...someone with that deficiency would probably die from 5 shots of alcohol. It does vary in degree though, I still don't think that's it.

You might be deficient in aldehyde dehydrogenase (I think that's what it's called), and that might explain your symptoms, if this were the case you would get drunk and have fun and then start to feel shitty, instead of skipping straight to the shitty.

Are there any Asian people in your family tree? Has it always been this way or is this after-drinking but not yet hangover sickness a recent development?

Most importantly, if you get sick from drinking you've simply had too much to drink. Even people with severe alcohol dehydrogenase deficiency can drink a little bit, slow down eh?

spacefacethebassace said:

Based on what little information you've given, I don't think that you have an alcohol dehydrogenase deficiency...someone with that deficiency would probably die from 5 shots of alcohol. It does vary in degree though, I still don't think that's it.

You might be deficient in aldehyde dehydrogenase (I think that's what it's called), and that might explain your symptoms, if this were the case you would get drunk and have fun and then start to feel shitty, instead of skipping straight to the shitty.

Are there any Asian people in your family tree? Has it always been this way or is this after-drinking but not yet hangover sickness a recent development?

Most importantly, if you get sick from drinking you've simply had too much to drink. Even people with severe alcohol dehydrogenase deficiency can drink a little bit, slow down eh?

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Yeah I do have fun and then later start to feel like total shit. There's no Asians in my family, all of us are white. My brother who is older doesn't have this problem and never has...and yes, it's always been this way for me pretty much. Is there any way to fix this aldehyde dehydrogenase deficiency that you were talking about?

^Not that I know of.

If that is what you have then you need to stop drinking alcohol because it will be considerably more harmful to your body than to one with sufficient enzyme levels.

I'm not a doctor and I really don't know much about this stuff, but the bottom line is that you are drinking too much if you get quite ill. Stop it. It could kill you.

Ah, another thing I forgot to add to this. I also (even in relatively small quantities - maybe after 3 shots or beers) start mildly shivering I guess it's like...I don't know, it's really strange.

From what you're saying I don't think you are overdrinking or that it's because you haven't eaten. It really does sound like you're having a reaction to something in the alcohol. My grandma is actually allergic to sulphur dioxide which is a preservative in some alcohols (mainly wines though, not spirits) so it could be something like that. In any case - I'd definitely stop drinking until you work out what it is, this could be really bad for you! I'm sure a doctor would have more idea and wouldn't necessarily have to take a blood test.

footscrazy said:

I'm sure a doctor would have more idea and wouldn't necessarily have to take a blood test.

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Only problem with this is that I'm 17 and still go to the pediatrician...I can't imagine how awkward that would be to have that conversation with my doctor: "So, I know I'm four years shy of legally being able to drink, but I've been doing it for a while now and I think I have some sort of allergies to it!"

eat more and gets LOTS of iron in ur diet

anonymous1419 said:

Only problem with this is that I'm 17 and still go to the pediatrician...I can't imagine how awkward that would be to have that conversation with my doctor: "So, I know I'm four years shy of legally being able to drink, but I've been doing it for a while now and I think I have some sort of allergies to it!"

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qut being a pussy and go the doctor get some blood work done and don't worry about being underage there is this little thing called patient doctor confidentiality laws so you won't be getting any trouble. as for the awkwardness quit bein a pussy

firefighter said:

everyones mouth gets dry after drinking alcohol....

your fine dont drink so fast and u wont end up puking. it takes an hour for your body to metabolize one serving of alcohol so try not to exceed 1-2 drinks an hour if you don't want to get smashed!! and definitely eat before you drink like every one else said.

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This is a very important point. The rate x amount of your consumption is most likely what is causing you to feel sick. The reason you feel sick so long after you stop drinking is that it took that long for your body to metabolize the alcohol. Don't forget that alcohol also has a stacking effect, so even though you might drink slower, and eat first, you will still feel the effects if you over do it.

My advice would be to stop taking shots all together and drink your sipping drinks slower. Try not to consume more than 1 alcoholic beverage within each hour. And eat. If you try this and it still doesn't help then I would talk to your doc about it.