The Association between Ethanol Elimination Rate and Hangover Severity

Assessments in blood and saliva suggests that the amount of ethanol present in the first hours after alcohol consumption and into the following morning is associated with hangover severity. The current analysis determines how ethanol elimination rate is related to hangover severity reported throughout the day. n = 8 subjects participated in two studies. The first was a naturalistic study comprising an evening of alcohol consumption. Hangover severity was assessed hourly from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., using a 1-item hangover severity scale ranging from 0 (absent) to 10 (extreme). The second study comprised a highly controlled alcohol challenge to reach a breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) of 0.05%. Breathalyzer tests were conducted every 5 min until BrAC reached zero. The ethanol elimination rate, expressed in BrAC%/hour, was computed by dividing the peak BrAC (%) by the time to BrAC of zero (h). At 11:00, 13:00, and 14:00, there were significant negative partial correlations, controlling for estimated BrAC, between ethanol elimination rate and hangover severity. The findings suggest that drinkers with a faster ethanol elimination rate experience less severe hangovers. The observations should be confirmed in a larger sample of subjects who participate in a single study that assesses both hangover severity and ethanol elimination rate.