This is Annie Grace and you're listening to this naked mind podcast where without judgment,

pain or rules, we explore the role of alcohol in our lives and culture.

Hi friends, it's Annie Grace from This Naked Mind and I am answering readers questions.

And today I have a question from Erica.

Erica says, when someone stops drinking their body and mind more or less return to normal,

but then they allow themselves to have some alcohol, even it's a minimal amount,

is it normal for hangovers to feel twice as bad?

In the couple of times that I cheated, it was way less than what I'm used to drinking,

but the way I felt this next morning, it was as if I could have drank six bottles of wine.

Yes, it is totally normal and I want to explain why.

It's a few reasons, but I remember during my drinking days, one thing that I was super proud of was my tolerance.

And so I was really excited about the fact that I could out drink the co-workers at work

and I wouldn't have a hangover the next day even if I drank more than a bottle of wine.

And it was something that I kind of wore as this badge of honor.

And when I look back on that, now knowing what I know about what tolerance really is,

it is astonishing to me.

I can't believe that I was so proud of something that was literally destroying me in such a profound way.

So, you know, tolerance, what happens there is your body says, okay, there's something inside that you're putting in,

and it assumes you don't have a choice.

I don't think that you're actually going to put ethanol into your body, something that causes cancer

and it makes you feel off balance and all this other stuff.

So what it does is it tries to combat that.

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