You can still be impaired…the morning after

As written for Not Your Child Corp.

 

You know how some mornings after a lot to drink the night before you may not be feeling just right? We tend to put that on the fact that it’s just a hangover. After all, it couldn’t be anything else, right? What is a hangover anyway?

A hangover essentially is a set of symptoms that occurs as a consequence of drinking too much alcohol. Typical hangover symptoms include the following: fatigue, headache, weakness, thirst, nausea, occasional stomach pain, sensitivity to light and sound, anxiety, extreme sweating, and increased blood pressure. Having those symptoms could very well tell you that you are suffering from a hangover. Or could you still be intoxicated by alcohol from the night before?

Spending the night out with friends or family having a good time, having alcohol, and a lot of laughs. You may have done the right thing by ensuring you got home safely without having to drive. Good call, but what about the morning after? Could you still be impaired? The surprising answer to some people is yes. The only way to oxidize the alcohol in your body is time. Depending on how much you had been drinking the night before, you could have more than a hangover.

For many people, the search for a way to become sober quickly is an endless one. There seem to be many false beliefs out there that claim to have solved this problem. However, none of these are supported by science. As a matter of fact, if you ask any doctor how to quickly sober up and they’ll tell you the truth that It’s impossible to do it quickly, so sobering up fast is not really an option.

The only thing which can lower the concentration of alcohol in your bloodstream is time. When you begin drinking alcohol, it enters your stomach and it’s quickly absorbed into your bloodstream through the lining of your stomach and small intestine. Some alcoholic drinks can be absorbed faster than others, especially stronger drinks.

After alcohol enters your bloodstream it will be metabolized by the liver. What everyone should know is that it takes roughly one hour for your liver to metabolize the amount of alcohol from a standard alcoholic drink. If you consume alcohol quicker than your liver can break it down, it will cause your blood alcohol level to rise and you start to become impaired.

So, how would you know for a fact if you have a hangover or if you are still impaired? Our friends at Not Your Child Corp have your back. They are offering individual breathalyzers you can use prior to driving. Many may be thinking about how breathalyzers are used after the fun times are coming to an end, but not anymore. Breathalyzers can be used at any time of day or night.

They can easily be used at any time you’re out drinking and socializing with family and friends to know if you should be driving or not. Use the technology that Not Your Child Corp gives you and make having these part of the new normal…even the morning after.