Alcohol and the Hangover

Alcohol blocks the on switch of the brain, called glutamate. Blackouts are because your glutamate system is blocked and therefore you can't lay down memories so you have a blackout. Hangovers are due to withdrawal from alcohol but also to the fact that alcohol is a bit toxic. The body reacts to toxins by producing what we call inflammatory modulators. And they float around in your brain and your body for a few hours,. giving you the hangover. Some people are born able to take more alcohol than others. But it turns out those people are very often the sons of alcoholics. They end up having a high risk of alcoholism because they're not impaired by alcohol. We don't know