Drinking and hangovers?

[Prefx]

I'm not of the age to drink yet, and don't plan to break the law-- yet I find myself wanting to make a character who does have an alcoholic problem. The problem is, I don't want it to sound unrealistic. I want the reader to (slightly) relate to the character's feeling while drunk and hungover(?).

I realize the experience is different for others, so I'll just ask those (who are willing to share) what goes through their senses and thoughts while drunk. I'd also like to know about the aftermath.


Thanks.

[bendoran]

drinking can usually be narrowed down into a few types of evenings for me. if you start to drikn in a good mood then the night is usually of the type where everything seems funny and good natured, with much comraderie and talk of the old days. after a few drinks i become much less self conscious and talkative with strangers. i find talk tends toward the depressive as the evening goes on, where single peopel fan out lookin for women and those with girlfriends talk about life and how its changed so much. from there the night can go downhill or level out at a nice peak.

the other type of night is when i dont really want to be there and either drink nearly nothing or down pints like there is no tomorrow. i tend to sit at the edge of every conversation and dont get involved or go off and gamble. i watch people as if they all want to kill me and my mood varies from manic depressive to raging homicidal maniac. the more i drink the worse it gets. i look like i want a fight, and generally thats why most people stay clear yet i havent been n a fight for over six years and am proud of that.

the next morning is wholly dependant on the night before. if i was foolish enough to eat a takeaway i generally feel like my guts are trying to vacate my body. if i dont drink any water i feel like there is a thuindercloud in my skull. usually i am grouchy and ill feeling for most of the morning, so i get up and douse myself in cold water. painkillers, fried food and mash potatoes are good cures but five alive tropical is like ambrosia and can usually solve a hangover in short order.

i am also cursed wiht a really bad memory, many nights iu dont remember coming home or what happened at various points throughout the night. this isnt dependnt on how much i drank either as this has happened when i have only had a few glasses of wine, i wasnt drunk, i just cant remember the end of the night. of course then comes that good old catholic guilt, an a cursed imagination that pictures all manner of sins and crimes, none of which occur as i am the first to leave the pub, dragging the missus to the chippy then back to bed with a pint of water and two paracetemol just in case

[chrispenycate]

I'm quite good at drinking by now- I started when I was fourteen, for reasons that seemed quite good to me at the time, and I enjoy the taste of alcohol, which means I can enjoy drinking for reasons other than getting drunk. Low levels of alcohol dim your critical faculties- you feel more capable, the people around you are funnier. you know everything in the world (of course, I'v got a tendency toward the latter in real life) No longer nervous about what others may think of you, you bloom, socially. You know you aren't drunk, and despite evidence to the contrary know you can play snooker or darts better than you ever could, and that finally you can sing in tune. Of course you want a little more; after all, things are better now, they'll get better still, right?
Wrong. Those freinds who were so sympathetic a few drinks ago are now trying to persuade you to stop. The only one who's still on your side is drooping, and occasionally his head touches the table, but "shirtainly will have nother one with you". Your limbs have gone a little numb, so when you bang your shin getting up to get another round there's no pain. Navigating to the bar is somewhat complicated, so the return with the tray of drinks is done with exagerated caution. For some reason, which your brilliant intellect can't quite fathom, the floor keeps moving, and vertical is a question of opinion, and the people around you are tending to fog out, and it's so nice to sit down again, even if the room is turning slow cirles around you, and you close your eyes just for a minute, just to reduce the disorientation…
The next morning, as you wake up still largely dressed, the first priority is the toilet, although you're not quite sure which end is the most urgent. That acheived, you notice that your head is rhythmically expanding to twice its normal size in time with your heartbeat, someone has poured hot, dry sand into your eye sockets, while your mouth! Ah, you must have forgotten to clean your teeth, perhaps that'll…
The small quantity of water you drink while rinsing reinitialises the vomit reflex; it's obvious you aren't going to be able to eat anything this morning. Morning? Not any more. As you get used to your present symptoms, the telephone rings, startling your headache into first place. It's one of the freinds who helped carry you home last night, and he doesn't seem at all sympathetic to your plight, just wants to know if you're still alive (possibly this has something to do with you throwing up on his jacket) Opening the curtains, you discover that the sun's brilliance has been increased by a factor of a hundred. Undress for a quick wash, ugh, and the scab on your shin and various bruises add their voices to the chorus- not that there's any risk of them competing with the headache. Might as well throw away the clothes- they're impregnated, underware out, with a variety of noxious substances, and the sheets will need changing before you can take refuge in the horizontal again, and the fresh air you so desperately craved a moment ago sends you rushing back to the toilet… Another drink, anyone?

[bendoran]

i think the best way to sum up a night of heavy drinking is to listen to the levellers song "just the one".

[shandril]

the night was great the drinks were flowing in quantity and varity...there was so many people around and her aim of the night was to talk to at least everybody once even if ti was just to ask them the time.
The music was pumpin the dance floor was packed you could only imagine what it would be like to live in a sardine can....as the night passed the air got harder to breath and the need for fresh air was great...stumbled out of the into the brisk night the cold breeze brought on instant goose bumps shuddering and swaying made her way to the still open hamburger van (dont laugh there used to be one behind the night club i used to go to many years ago)....."three jam donuts please"...the lady heated then up in the microwave for a minute but it seemed like an hour .....money and good were exchanged and the auto piolet for the way home one foot infront of the other, turn here, watch out for rock there, is that somebody walking my way?
food in mouth food is good food is really good....trudging up the hill chattering wondering why i hadnt got a taxi ......oh thats right didnt want to what at the stand for them....*dogs bark in the distance* please dont let them be out....one foot in front of the other almost there now.....**** where did i put my key....i know its in one of those little compartments....ahhh here it is .....stairs coming up dont forget to lift...****....*falls down*....hope i didnt wake mum....*squints at door*...where's the key hole...*sound of key trying to find the hole*...got it ...goes in side shuts door behind little louder than would have liked.....stumbles into bedroom falls on bed and kicks shoes off.....passes out4.30am....wakes up at 8.30am to the sounds of doors being slamed and stomping....holds head....ooooo...could have been worse if not for the donuts....passes out again...comes to at 10.30am to a silent house...gets up makes way to shower to detox....stands under shower for 30mins....gets out makes self smell barable again ....phone rings friend from last night....there is an offer of hot grease food!!...YAY!...and an afternoon of vegging doing nothing takes it up and proceeds to do so ....5.30pm rolls round and the offer to do it all again comes up ...looks in the mirror looks back at friend and say yeah sure why not...lol...
thus the cycle continues.....true story ya know

[Auer]

Ah drinking - the favourite pastime of us finns during the dark winter (and every time else too). How does it feel - well, for my part I've got to say that the first beer's always are the best.
The warm, slightly lightheaded, buzzing feeling when you start to get drunk - the happiness when everything seems to be fantastic and you start to feel like the king of the world. If you have friends around, everyone suddenly starts to speak louder and louder and having a good time, but later, after many drinks and beers the loss of coordination steps in. You start overturning glasses and stuff, standing up from the nice and warm couch or chair takes more and more concentration and you really have to concentrate on walking to the toilet, and back (via the counter to buy new drinks)... You want to say something to someone, but the words come out totally wrong... and soon it starts to piss you off so you shut up and just drink more.

It doesn't matter what's in the glass, it flows down like water, and fast, drink after drink after drink... the bar seems to get darker and fuzzier and you can't remember where the hell the toilet was and when you want to buy more drinks - damn where did you put the money - no, it's not in this pocket, or this... ah here it is - no that's the bus ticket. After an angry look from the bartender you find the money and you get one more drink... it tastes bad, but you gulp it down...

... and then you wake up... keep your eyes shut because you have to think - where the hell are you? The brain cells don't work and the only thing you know is that your mouth feels like someone else ate cat's crap with it.

Finally you dare to open your eyes and see the room spinning and you realize you've been sleeping in your own sofa, or on the floor covered with your carpet. You thank the gods because at least you've made it to your own home (hopefully - or is this someone else's place) but when or how - that's to be figured out later.

Head spinning you check your pockets and find out you've spent about 200 euros in one night and then the two hangovers some together - the fysical hangover and the moral hangover. And you have just one wish in your mind - that every single one of your friends were as drunk as you were, so you don't have to hear about all the crazy or stupid things you've made last night.
When the worst hangover steps in you are first afraid of dying - and later you are afraid you're NOT dying You open up the fridge, find a cold beer in it, drink it and hold your breath to keep it down. If it stays down, your winning the game and here we go again!!

Writing this made me thirsty..

[Marky Lazer]

I never have a hangover after drinking. My liver is well-trained. Sometimes I do have a dry mouth in the morning.

[Omega]

Aah but think about the true cause of a hangover, dehydration, that's all it is plain and simple, drink plenty of water after a hard session then go to bed.

[Prefx]

Thank you all for some interesting stories and revelations. :-)