New to alcohol reaction

[Anonymous]

I'm nearly 40 and never had alcohol for religious reasons. I'm not religious anymore so I just tried my first drink. I had water and food with it. After several sips of this "tropical mule" at a restaurant, my face is flushed and feels a little puffy. Does this mean I'm allergic to alcohol? I'm not finishing it obviously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm nearly 40 and never had alcohol for religious reasons. I'm not religious anymore so I just tried my first drink. I had water and food with it. After several sips of this "tropical mule" at a restaurant, my face is flushed and feels a little puffy. Does this mean I'm allergic to alcohol? I'm not finishing it obviously.

Not allergic, it’s just a reaction to it. I get a reaction like this so I don’t drink. I feel like some people are more prone to this (I think people of Asian descent), but I can’t remember.

[Anonymous]

Or maybe your allergic to the "tropical" fruits in it...?

[Anonymous]

Are you of Asian descent, by any chance? Some people just get really red-faced/flushed when they drink.

[Anonymous]

Common in Asians. Try something less strong first anyway, like wine. It's more natural.

[Anonymous]

I'm Caucasian, European descent. My face was puffy but it turned into looking just like a sunburn after about an hour. I'm a natural blusher. Thanks for your responses. I suppose I'll know what to expect if I try again. I assume it doesn't wear off after more exposures. Kind of disappointing.

[Anonymous]

What happens when you drink alcohol

When you drink alcohol, you don’t digest alcohol. It passes quickly into your bloodstream and travels to every part of your body. Alcohol affects your brain first, then your kidneys, lungs and liver. The effect on your body depends on your age, gender, weight and the type of alcohol.…

… Alcohol affects women more quickly than men. Women are usually smaller and weigh less than men, and have less tissue to absorb alcohol.

A woman’s body has more fat and less water than a man’s body. If a man and woman are the same size and drink the same amount, the alcohol is stronger in the woman's blood than in the man’s. The woman will get drunk more quickly and feel the effects for longer.

Alcohol also stays in women’s blood for longer. They have lower levels of the enzyme that breaks down alcohol.

Women feel the effects of alcohol more quickly before a period and during ovulation. The contraceptive pill can have the opposite effect – it takes longer for alcohol to leave the body. A woman in this situation might drink more than she realises before she feels the effects…



…When alcohol enters your bloodstream, it widens your blood vessels. This causes:

blushing, as there is a greater flow of blood to the skin surface
a temporary feeling of warmth
heat loss and a rapid decrease in body temperature
a drop in blood pressure

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/what-happens-when-you-drink-alcohol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm nearly 40 and never had alcohol for religious reasons. I'm not religious anymore so I just tried my first drink. I had water and food with it. After several sips of this "tropical mule" at a restaurant, my face is flushed and feels a little puffy. Does this mean I'm allergic to alcohol? I'm not finishing it obviously.

Anecdotal, but I get this whenever I drink anything with Tequila in it, for some reason. I’m fine with other alcohols.

[Anonymous]

Most ‘mule’ drinks also contain ginger beer, could you be allergic to ginger?

[Anonymous]

No, I cook with fresh ginger.

[Anonymous]

If you get red faced and sweaty, take a Pepcid or any other heartburn medicine with famotidine in it. It prevents the reaction.

[Anonymous]

It is a clinical reaction to alcohol. It happens to anyone who drinks. If you drink you are use to it.

[Anonymous]

Don’t drink liquor on your 1st go.

Actually stay away from liquor mostly.

[Anonymous]

My DH is not Asian and gets this. It’s a harmless reaction. Enjoy the booze.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is a clinical reaction to alcohol. It happens to anyone who drinks. If you drink you are use to it.

No it doesn’t happen to everyone. Bodies are different