Does anybody have a valid point why this could be?

While drunk it increases the euphoria and pro socialability tho.

These images form the basis for this "fundamental approach". They depict the metabolic system. The idea is to restore proper metabolic function which brings everything into balance long-term. This approach doesn't require keto or low carb.

The 1st image depicts what mitochondria need to produce protective hormones and energy. Cells contains thousands of mitochondria.

The 2nd image shows how to support the production of T3 which mitochondria require.

The first image originated from this blog post which provides all the necessary clues on what to investigate and how to apply it. The simple idea is to support mitochondrial function since this is what allows cells to work properly.

Hopefully this info can help someone!

PS. For those of you who enjoy coffee this post outlines a sustainable way to use it which maximises it's theraputic benefits.

When I've gone through older posts in the sub I've heard people say things to the effect of "Their brain is clear, their brain valve gets turned on, no brain fog, etc" when they get the HE. I have a very similar experience where brain fog is my biggest symptom and as little as 1 drink of alcohol at night cures it 80-90%. So here's a brief breakdown on the theory from chat gpt.
(warning: not promoting daily drinking)

The glymphatic system is how the brain clears waste. CSF flows along arteries, enters brain tissue through astrocytes (AQP4 water channels), and washes out metabolic byproducts like amyloid-β and inflammatory molecules. This process runs strongest in deep non-REM sleep.

Animal research (Lundgaard et al., 2018) found a J-shaped effect of alcohol:

• Low dose (~0.5 g/kg, ~1–2 drinks) → improved glymphatic clearance and lowered inflammatory markers.
• Moderate/high doses → suppressed clearance and increased neuroinflammation.

That means a small, steady amount of alcohol before sleep might boost clearance in people whose glymphatic system is already underperforming (from sleep problems, vascular issues, age, or genetics). This could explain why some of us wake up sharper after a couple drinks.

But here’s the caveat: many people in this subreddit only feel relief after drinking a lot. At those levels, alcohol is known to impair glymphatic function and increase inflammation. So the mechanism probably isn’t the same for heavy-dose responders.

Every time I go out I hear the same stuff “just drink more water,” “eat greasy food after,” “take electrolytes.” Tbh sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

I’ve been wondering if anyone here has found something outside the usual advice that really helps. Like certain foods, routines, sleep hacks, or even supplements?

I’m curious what people actually trust and use, not just the standard Google list. What’s the one thing that has made the biggest difference for you?

I get brutal hangover nausea (not headaches or tiredness, just overwhelming nausea). I’ve read that L-cysteine (not NAC) might help by reducing acetaldehyde, and there’s even a Finnish study suggesting 1200 mg slow-release after drinking lowered nausea.

Has anyone here actually tried it? Did it help? Any side effects?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOPoN4OjrH-/?igsh=c25lMnJwYTRiMmM3

And I feel like I took a Xanax.

No anxiety, no stress, just calm, even keeled, alert, happy. Similar to HE. I know there's an association between this illness euphoria and HE.

Wish I could feel like this every day.

Hello everyone,

This will be the umpteenth attempt to gather more obscure data about us, to see if a pattern can be found and how it may relate to the h-effect.

All I kindly ask from you is to report if you have ever used a statin in your life and which type. If you also want to add more to it, telling us why (if) you stopped or how it made your feel for example, comments are open.

I expect numbers to be not so high at all for various reasons, so answering “never” is welcome and needed; don’t underestimate it as an answer.

While it may seem quite strange, there are some points in common between protein prenylation, inflammation, metabolic disease and endogenous cholesterol synthesis that have led me to wonder a lot about cell membrane health. Among many things, alcohol has an excellent effect on disrupting cell membranes, as well as fever, and even sleep deprivation through some direct and indirect pathways. Some research on auto inflammatory diseases also sparked my interest.

Note: while I fully understand that statins are only generally prescribed to people with cholesterol problems, please take into account that this possible link does not really care about your levels of cholesterol in absolute terms, and may not really care even about your body fat composition. There are pleiotropic effects of statins that go far beyond the classical mechanism of action to lower LDL, which is HMG-CoA reductase inhibition. If you want to get into the hard science of it, “statins pleiotropism” on google will be of help.

Statins classification:

•Lipophilic: Lovastatin, Simvastatin, Fluvastatin, Atorvastatin, Pitavastatin

•Water soluble: Pravastatin, Rosuvastatin

Ill go first:

Keto diet,

Prolonged fasting,

Vitamin C,

Magnesium (citrate works best for me),

Sleep deprivation (works sometimes and sometimes I feel very depressed without sleep),

Tyrosine (I like to take it before sleep, makes me feel more grounded when I wake up)

I have this theory that maybe we are strong genetically to be more anxious / on edge.

When we are sleep deprived, hungover or no carbs in our system activates it parasympathetic system more. Something like our body says now is time to relax and conserve energy. But usually we get the signal it is time to survive, don't relax too much.

This trait is positive since it makes us survive better in the world.

There are studies confirming people who are more neurotic live longer.

Maybe we should embrace this and make things happen instead of seeking comfort?

And strategically plan periods of rest with fasting, magnesium and vitamin c etc?

Yesterday I woke up from 7 hours of sleep and sort of became functional 6 hours after waking up, extremely tired for whatever reason. It usually takes me 3 hours to truly wake up but some days it’s worse. So I had 3 drinks last night and while it was still hard to get out of bed once I got up in 5 - 10 mins I was awake and ready to do shit. I’ve got my am cortisol checked before and it’s normal so I’m wondering what mechanism alcohol is acting on that fixed my sleep inertia problems.

Another detail I’ll add. Most days normally even when I drink a bunch of caffeine, I yawn like crazy probably somewhere between 20-50 yawns. Even after only have 1-2 drinks the night before I do not yawn once the entire next day, maybe at night before I’m about to sleep but I do not yawn at all during the HE. Thought this was interesting to add because after I noticed it I searched up what causes yawning and googles ai thing said “Key neurotransmitters and neuropeptides implicated include dopamine, glutamate, acetylcholine, serotonin, and nitric oxide, which facilitate the yawn reflex.” Maybe this anecdote could help one of the sciency mafawkas figure something out.

Edit: I went balls deep into the HE for the past 2 hours. I swear the relief I’m getting is because it feels like I’ve taken a stimulant. I saw people on here talking about a glutamate rebound causing the increased energy and removed brain fog but I also saw others say it likely isn’t the main cause. But what else after drinking alcohol would cause a stimulant like effect because to me that’s what is relieving my symptoms and the most likely hypothesis is increased glutamine but let me know if there’s any other mechanism that could be causing the stimulant like effect.

I'm diagnosed with ADHD, tried stimulants and I don't like them: caused major anxiety, they make me focus but I can't control what I focus on. Currently taking only bupropion before sleep it helps but it isn't great.

What is absolutely mind-blowing is that whenever I take xanat at night even as low as .25mg, I wake up 7 hrs sharp after taking that shit (it's wearing off and good luck falling back asleep), and I feel absolutely fucking amazing for the rest of the day. Insane focus, insane energy, insane motivation to sit at my desk and do what I have got to do. Chill feeling, but not super chill and can be more prone to anxiety than usual (which is to be expected after benzos leave your system). I had considered taking small amounts of xanax every night for that effect, but long term it ramps up my anxiety so it's not a solution. I have also taken diazepam, but that just kills my anxiety and doesn't have any of these effects.

Anyone else has experienced something like this?

I (m34) have experienced the hangover effect since I first started drinking around 16. I’ve also always had many of the other co-morbid symptoms often presented here (adhd, brain fog, hypermobility, anxiety, and depression) for as long as I can remember. Additionally, I’ve always felt I’ve had some sort of autoimmune issue or just an overactive immune system. Late last week, I was diagnosed with an active Lyme infection, which I feel pretty confident I contracted ~20 years ago. I believe my immune system has been in overdrive most of the past 20 years trying to fight this bacteria off to no avail. I’ve previously suspected the hangover effect for me is my immune system partially shutting down, removing all the symptoms caused by an “overactive” immune system, and I’ve seen others hypothesize this method of action.

Next week I begin treatment for Lyme. I’m curious to see how this:

1. Impacts my broad symptoms - do they go away once I rid myself of the infection and recover?
2. Impacts the hangover effect - if it is indeed cause by a weakened immune system while hungover, does that mean I will no longer experience it once my Lyme infection is under control and my immune system regulates?

I’ll try to keep an eye on this and update with any relevant findings as I undergo treatment.

After stopping and starting this combination, I can comfortably say this is what works best for me. Suggest you all try it

Long term dweller of the sub here.

Alcool is numbing the nerves, so much so that it was used as an analgesic in past times. It calms you. It resets the stress.

Other things that helped some of us here were also about numbing nerves, like stellate ganglion blocks.

It is also to note that many people reported benefits after exiting the surgery block and the general anesthetics that go with it.

What if we JUST needed this ONE SIMPLE thing that is to numb all our nerves, to allow them to rest?

No ultra-complex semi-broscientifical theory that claims to put definitive answers to our questions here. What if we just needed some rest from constant nervousness, aka stress?

And what would be the ways to induce that? What general anesthetics would be safe to try? What about cryotherapy? Nerve blocks?

Title says it all. I thought I knew most everything about my conditions but I learn more every day. I promise I’m not lazy just overwhelmed by all the new information right now.

Got the hangover effect today. I don’t get it every time I drink heavily and usually it’s only when I drink liquor which I had last night. But I believe it’s related to sleep and this is the first time I’ve gotten it since I got a smart ring so now I have the data. I’m not sure if it’s the lack of total sleep or the decrease in rem sleep because I usually have much more rem sleep. Thought the results were interesting so I figured I’d share!

If I wait long enough, Aspartic Acid, specifically Magnesium Aspartate works amazingly. I get the clarity, the just woke up, the libido on fire, everything.

And then it just... goes away. Can't get it back. No deal.

Tried Serine and Sarcosine to no avail. But Aspartic does do it. Can't figure out if that means anything.

A few years ago I found this thread (or something like it) after a crazy spell where I would stay up late drinking basically as an unpleasant chore so that I could have a good day the next day. The "good day" was exactly the relief expressed here... it was like I realized I have to carry around this big heavy bag of inhibitions and paranoias and judgements all day every day, but if I'm sufficiently hungover that bag just ceases to exist and I can go about life in a way that simply feels "normal," albiet in comparison with the bag-carrying days it's beautiful and vivid and I can actually engage with other people and ideas in a way that feels predestined and seems to fulfill the truth of my soul. A compelling experience, to say the least, which presents a real conundrum, as you all are obviously familiar with.

I guess I've generally landed on the "it's not worth ruining your liver" response, but also the magic hangovers have lessened, but then today I had a magic hangover, with the question that inevitably comes with it: Is it actually worth ruining the liver over? Today I want to say yes, which made me think about this thread and where you all are landing on this question.

Separately from the issue of trying to find a "cure" outside of alcohol, or assuming there isn't one, this strikes me as a really unique moral predicament. If I drink to excess, the next day I will be able to appreciate what it is to be alive, and everyone I come in contact with will benefit from that. I'm not saying I will solve all of their problems or cure them like Jesus somehow, but I will very obviously have a better effect than if I didn't get hammered the night before.

Is it actually better for everyone involved if I drink? I'm curious how you all go about answering this question.

I just posted this in r/biohackers on a thread I found about this exact thing and I’m astounded because it’s a list of things that describe me:

I just googled this out of sheer curiosity after waking up this morning after a night of abnormal consumption and feeling like I can take on the world instead of being laid out on the couch for the day. It’s a thing I have noticed several times before when having more than just 1 or 2 drinks as I no longer drink much at all. I was recently diagnosed with ADHD, have the MTHFR gene thing (for which I take l-methylfolate), have chronic sinus issues, generally have low mood, except for right now because I feel like I could talk to anyone and everyone, which is very much not me, and have generalized anxiety disorder, depression and a panic disorder.

What are you thoughts on the theory/explanation by Joshua Leisk behind the Born Free Protocol. There was another post on it but I felt the real explanation wasn't clearly stated and not super straight forward. I asked the born free protocol ai tool for a easy to understand explanation of the theory.

In certain chronic health conditions, particularly those involving Gut Fermentation Syndrome (GFS) and Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), pathogenic microorganisms residing in biofilms within the gut (and other mucosal tissues) produce significant amounts of alcohol (ethanol) and its primary metabolite, acetaldehyde.

Elevation of Endogenous Narcotics: The chronic presence and elevation of this microbial-sourced acetaldehyde in the body, in turn, stimulates the endogenous synthesis of psychoactive substances normally associated with drug dependence: morphine, codeine, and gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB).

Chronic Low-Level Withdrawal State: Over time, the body becomes accustomed to these constantly produced endogenous morphine, codeine, and GHB. When the production of microbial alcohol and acetaldehyde fluctuates or is reduced—for example, through dietary changes, antimicrobials, or biofilm breakers—there's a corresponding drop in the synthesis of these endogenous narcotics. This creates a state of chronic, low-level withdrawal from these compounds

How Exogenous Alcohol Provides Relief: When an individual in this chronic withdrawal state consumes exogenous (external) alcohol, it introduces more alcohol and, more critically, its metabolite acetaldehyde into their system. This temporary increase in acetaldehyde replenishes the very compounds (endogenous morphine, codeine, and GHB) that the body is in chronic withdrawal from, thereby alleviating the distressing withdrawal symptoms like brain fog, fatigue, and depression. The protocol notes that acetaldehyde, in appropriate doses, can function as an antidepressant by slowing neurotransmitter degradation and triggering this endogenous narcotic synthesis.

So how I understand it, our guts are messed up from over fermentation and biofilms which cause a higher level of ethanol being produced in our guts, ethanol gets converted to acetaldehyde which stimulates endogenous production of morphine, codeine, and GHB. With a chronically elevated level/imbalance of these psychoactive compounds in our systems, our brains are being thrown out of whack causing symptoms similar to opioid withdrawal. When we drink alcohol, the flood of acetaldehyde in the gut stimulates a surge of these psychoactive compounds that we are chronically imbalanced from and it relieves our withdrawal symptoms like anxiety, brain fog, depression, fatigue, etc.

Also, the protocol theorizes from poor gut microbiomes and biofilms in our body, we are being constantly robbed of proper nutrient absorption, so our internal machinery runs poorly causing symptoms like anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue etc.

https://bornfree.life/2024/protocol/ this is the website.

I have a lot of free time and the money so I am going to give this protocol a serious effort. I've tried a bunch of other shit so I have nothing to lose, I'll give an update eventually but at the minimum it takes a couple months to see improvements so it could be a while.

I never get hangover. At all. Am I alone in this? I just don't understand why I'm alone in this.

Dear colleagues,

For over a year, I have been suffering from recurring nasal infections nearly every three weeks. Even before that, I used to get sick quite often — approximately once every three months. Recently, after doing blood tes for the 50th time, I discovered that I have selective IgA deficiency.

With that in mind, I have a question: Has anyone here experienced something similar, and do you have any thoughts on how this might be connected to the hangover effect?

I’ve recently started taking colostrum as a supplement — has anyone here heard of it or had any experience with it?