Alcohol Allergy; Learning to live and deal with an allergy to alcohol

Alcohol Allergy; Learning to live and deal with an allergy to alcohol

Wake up in the morning thinking you have just a really bad hangover you may in fact be experiencing the symptoms of an allergy to alcohol. How can you tell the difference and what does that mean to you?

An alcohol allergy is actually quite rare in non Asian people but half of the Asian population,  including myself, know of alcohol allergy and its discomforts and dangers all too well. The main culprit is the ingredients that go into making an alcoholic beverage.

Quite often people wake up the next morning thinking they just have a REALLY BAD HANGOVER and swear to god they will never drink again but in reality are having an allergy to alcohol reaction

There are 2 main reasons why people are allergic to alcohol:

A preservative called sulfur dioxide or the wheat used in alcoholic beverages. Some wines also have an ingredient that causes rashes and / or flushing. ( which is why an allergy to alcohol is often referred to as the Asian Blush or Asian Glow)
When your body processes alcohol there is a by product or waste product produced in the process.  Normally the body gets rid of this.  For those with an alcohol allergy the body has a much more difficult time and the result is USUALLY the onset of either certain symptoms after having a few alcoholic beverages OR the fore mentioned worse than normal hangover.

What ARE the symptoms of an alcohol allergy you can have after a few drinks:

Facial blushing (red face)
Itching of the skin
nausea
Intense congestions or pressure in the head
Red blotches on the skin (arms, shoulders, chest)
Dizziness

Doctors do not normally say you have an alcohol allergy.  They normally call it intolerance to alcohol.  (Asians call it the Asian Glow, Asian Blush, Asian Flush).

The odd thing is that some people do not experience any of these allergic reactions to alcohol for YEARS and then all of a sudden it hits them. Even more confusing is the allergy to alcohol symptoms can be irregular and sporadic.  You might experience the allergic reaction to drinks only once every five or six times you drink.  Others that are much more allergic and sensitive to alcohol might experience the symptoms the first time they drink and every time they drink.  I myself am he former.

You have 4 possible solutions to your allergy to alcohol:

Quit drinking
If your drinking has increased in volume and frequency over time then quite for a few months and when you resume drink alcohol much less often
Take medications that can have awful side effects worse than the alcohol allergy symptoms
Use the “Allergy to Alcohol Cure” This is fairly new but enjoys incredible popularity and success.  A success rate of 100% has been reported.

One of the side effects of the Allergy to Alcohol Cure is your hangover can be reduced considerably the next day and sometimes completely eliminated!

Even if you do not have an allergy to alcohol one very helpful advice to at least ease the hangover the next day is to drink LOTS of water before you go to bed. (Assuming your drinking alcohol and the you crash)  Drink 2-3 16 oz bottles of water before going to bed.

There are tons more suggestions and secrets in the  Allergy to Alcohol Cure.

Things to avoid are caffeine and nicotine, which can aggravate the symptoms of the alcohol allergy. (I can hear you now – “yea, NOT smoke when I’m drinking alcohol”)