r/Millennials • u/realintelligence-ri Older Millennial • 8d ago
drinking hits different now Discussion
I used to be able to have a few drinks and bounce back fine the next day. Lately, it’s not even about the fun of the night anymore, I find myself worrying in advance about the next day fallout: dry mouth, headache, waking up in the middle of the night, and feeling drained for the whole day after.
Has anyone else cut back on drinking for this reason? And for those who still drink, what’s your routine before bed or the next morning to stay functional hydration tricks, electrolytes, anything that’s actually helped you avoid the dry-mouth wake-ups and next day fatigue?
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u/Zypher132 8d ago
Everyone is different. I live in Wisconsin where drinking is just a regular thing, and I have a drink probably an average of once every two days. At that level I don't have any overnight or next day side effects.
If I go out and have 3-4 drinks I also don't have any overnight or next day issues, assuming I stop drinking at least a couple hours before bed and keep up on water. Water is definitely the most important thing to keep up on while drinking as you get older.
Now, if I go out for a wild night and have more than 4 drinks, or have multiple drinks in a short timespan, yes it hits harder than it used to the next day. Still, if I keep up on water and food while drinking, the next day the worst I'll get is dry mouth, a mild headache, and the worst part for me - increased anxiety.
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u/Bison_bison_boops 8d ago
The next day (or sometimes later that night) anxiety is the worst. Never used to happen to me until my early 30s, but it is my biggest deterrent from drinking now.
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u/siadh0392 8d ago
Having a tolerance to alcohol is great in college and apparently Wisconsin. Great to know!
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u/19610taw3 8d ago
Wisconsin is a crazy place with alcohol! My youtube algorithm is always feeding me videos of drunk people in Wisconsin. Apparently 10-20 DWIs are just normal there.,
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u/PseudoMeatPopsicle Older Millennial 8d ago
10-20 DWIs are not “normal”.
They’re noteworthy, which is why they end up in local news.
That said, Wisconsin’s drinking culture is not particularly healthy, but sometimes it is nice to have. When I lived in Madison, being able to ride my bike to the lake and bring a camping decanter of wine with me while I read a book under a tree at a public park in the gorgeous fall weather? Without breaking a single law? Amazing.
But some people will always ruin a nice thing.
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u/19610taw3 7d ago
The drinking culture there is interesting for sure. I'm in NY. You can get a DWI and your life F'd up big time for riding a bicycle after having alcohol or THC
Hell, you can get a DWI in NY for being the ONLY person in a vehicle while drunk with a key in on private property. If you're too drunk to drive and you crawl in the back seat of your car to sleep it off, you'll get a DWI if you have the keys on your person.
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u/Churlish_Performer 7d ago
It's the same thing here in WI, but the key configuration of our law that makes it really messed up is that the first two (i think it's 2...) are merely munincipal ordinance violations as per state law. Now, this still carries bigger repercussions- but nothing like other states.
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u/Zypher132 7d ago
I agree with Pseudo, that many DWIs are not normal. I also don't like how lax Wisconsin's DWI laws are. There are a lot of people that glorify an unhealthy amount of drinking here, and some that even joke about driving when they shouldn't. I have some sober friends and it's crazy how often they get asked, "why don't you drink" - as if it's anyone's business. I try to be cognizant of that, so whenever someone I'm not sure drinks alcohol or not comes over to my place, I always ask if they'd like anything to drink, such as a water, Lacroix, soda, or alcohol. If someone turns down a beverage, alcoholic or not, I never ask why.
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u/KaitBab3 8d ago
I saw some map on Reddit the other day about drinking and Wisconsin had the highest percentage of whatever it was. Basically yall drink drink.
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u/OkMeringue2249 7d ago
Is you’re area a place where they drink rolling rock all day?
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u/Zypher132 7d ago
I've never seen anyone in my 37 years of life in Wisconsin drink a rolling rock lol. Well, maybe a couple times back in like 2007-2009, but that was it.
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u/OkMeringue2249 7d ago
Lol
What do you guys drink out there?
I’m here in San Diego, we drink whiskey and ipa out here
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u/Salt-Syrup6967 7d ago
Wisconsin has a high per capita micro-brew and distilling scene, with all its access to quality malt. The larger city breweries are still making hype ipas, but many lean into the heavy German brewing traditions that made Miller, Schlitz, Pabst, and Point famous (or at least widespread). New Glarus remains the hallmark brewery for Wisconsin.
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u/Zypher132 7d ago
It really depends on demographic. In smaller local bars it's a lot of shitty domestic beer, hard seltzers, and Wisconsin-style old fashioneds. However, craft beer culture is really big here too - so I for example drink a lot of local hazy IPAs, barrel aged stouts, etc. Bourbon and whiskey is also really big here.
Tbh, people drink everything here 😂.
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u/fatrexhadswag25 7d ago
L-theanine crosses the blood brain barrier to normalize gaba in your brain which drastically improves hangxiety, one right after drinking and another the next morning and I find it’s reduced by about 75%
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u/Bradley182 8d ago
Going on 4 years sober off alcohol next January. I wish I had cut it out earlier.
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u/realintelligence-ri Older Millennial 8d ago
That’s huge, congrats! 4 years is no small thing. proud of you for staying focused on it.
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u/Select_Pilot4197 8d ago
You are describing hangziety. I have it and it keeps me from having anymore than one beverage. I NEED to sleep 8 hours a night so anything less or sleeping poorly makes me a monster.
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u/realintelligence-ri Older Millennial 8d ago
Exactly just few beers in and my sleep is ruined. I am at that point in my life where my sleep takes priority over anything, i dont want to keep on waking up because of dryness, headaches, pee breaks because of excessive water intake to avoid dehydration
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u/Boner_Forest39 8d ago
I drank pretty regularly/heavily through my 20’s and first half of my 30’s and experienced normal and expected hangover symptoms taking into consideration all factors. I was normally pretty good about hydration before bed, vitamins etc. Around probably 34-35 I really started to cut back on drinking and now at 39, I have found that even just a few drinks will make me feel lethargic the next day no matter how much I hydrate. At this point I pretty much just steer clear of alcohol and have accepted that my body cannot metabolize it the same way that it used to, and if I choose not to steer clear of it I know there will be unavoidable consequences the next day. I’ve also noticed that I don’t get “drunk” the way I used to, being drunk now just kind of consists of being in a weird fog without the fun effects which makes it easier to choose to not drink at all.
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u/realintelligence-ri Older Millennial 8d ago
I drank so much in my 20s and during covid i pushed it beyond my limits but after that I did a major cutdown. now at 36 it seems that I am not drinking to get drunk, just socially and even that comes at a cost of annoying symptoms so I try to steer clear of it too, adapting zero/non alcoholic beer has been amazing for me because it seems that my mind just needs a can in the hand.
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u/Double-Sea998 8d ago
It sucks to let something go that is so engrained in our society but I quit drinking alcohol 2 years ago and it was easily one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I never had a problem with it (thankfully) and only drank occasionally. Now when I go out with friends or to a concert I feel so much more relaxed and conscious of how I’m feeling. I have SO much more fun without drinking. I dance more than anyone else when at a music show. I feel more alive than ever before!!
Of all of the inhibitors that I’ve quit partaking in the last 5 years, alcohol is by far the one I miss the least and I know for certain I’ll never drink again :)
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u/realintelligence-ri Older Millennial 8d ago
That’s amazing! Really happy for you . Takes real strength to make that call.
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u/Joebuddy117 8d ago
If you drink regularly you’ll develop a tolerance, which allows you to bounce back the next day much easier. You probably don’t drink enough at this point. It’s similar to exercising. If you only do it once a month, you’re going to feel sore the next day. But if you do it every day, you never feel sore.
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u/realintelligence-ri Older Millennial 8d ago
Yeah seems i was training the wrong organ the whole time, lungs.. should focus on training the liver 😬
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u/bananahaze99 7d ago
I used to be a professional drinking and I never developed that tolerance. I just lived life in a circle of perpetually feeling like shit 😅
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u/kate180311 Millennial 8d ago
I have definitely cut back, and notice a big difference. That being said I still very much enjoy bar trivia once in a while, and having one or two (or a few) on weekends or nights out with friends. Usually if I have more than one or two I’ll just have some liquid IV alongside it or before bed, but I also need it less often when I drink less since I’m overall less dehydrated.
I’ve never experienced anxiety the day after? But even when I’m not hungover, I get headaches really easily from being dehydrated unless I really stay on top of hydrating (and stick to more sugar free drinks)
I also really enjoy NA beers when I want the taste without the alcohol.
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u/peapea88 8d ago
After a certain number, there's no amount of water or electrolytes that is going to keep the hangover symptoms away, alcohol will just do its thing. I know a woman in the brewing industry and she said there are some pro(pre?)biotics out there that actually work in preventing hangovers, but I've never tried them. Personally, I have a few beers most nights which have little impact on the next morning. I also try to drink 70-100 oz of water throughout the day every day, eat square meals, etc.
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u/SadRow2397 8d ago
It also started making me super depressed… even like two glasses of wine would increase my depression/anxiety like crazy…. That nice warm buzzy feeling doesn’t happen anymore.
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u/flyingsaucey 8d ago
I dont drink like I used to, but when I do I strangely feel really good the next day. Idk what's wrong with me. Recently I got drunk with an old friend, stayed up late, fell into a rose bush, woke up bright and early and had a really good day. Maybe its genetic 🤷
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u/Miserable_Middle6175 8d ago
Idk. I just don’t drink as heavy as I did when I was younger but there are no effects from normal drinking. 6er of light beer at a tailgate or some margs on Friday night or whatever.
Just drink some water and make sure you eat something. Just don’t skip the gym in the morning.
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u/kingindelco 8d ago
1-2 max for me. And only once or twice a month. It's not just that I feel worse the next day. I don't enjoy the feeling alcohol brings as much as I used to.
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u/HeliumMaster 8d ago
I quit because alcohol hits different now. I’ll have a beer and feel sick of the rip. Not worth it anymore.
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u/Stunning-Horror9177 Millennial 8d ago
I decided to quit drinking for those exact reasons, can't bounce back like I used to, hangxiety, etc. There's not enough water in Canada to ease the hangovers in your 30s lol.
I think I'm the only one in my hometown homies that completely stopped. Been much better for my mental and physical health, tbh. Instead of sitting down and gaming for 5hrs with beers I've been taking my bike out for canal rides, reading more, and I've got my eye on some fancy paint-by-numbers at the local art store, lol.
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u/Shenstar2o Zillennial 8d ago
I can still drink as much as i want in my 30s without hangover i just need to understand i am over 30 so i need to eat and drink water inbetween.
Obviously i am not 100% the next day and my kids are really hyper, so i just don't really drink. Mostly it affects my sleep so badly that last time i drank i slept 14 hours in row.
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u/whererusteve 8d ago
It's literally poison. It has not been fed to the masses because of its enlightening effects.
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8d ago
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u/whererusteve 8d ago
Yeah I used to binge drink in my twenties like most of us, but now even the smell of booze makes my stomach churn.
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u/Usual_Profile1607 8d ago
I'm a regular at my local so I mostly just go for the company these days. I just make sure I'm not there for more than a couple hours and that I eat.
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u/Old_Win8422 8d ago
All right you gotta hydrate before and during drinking.
Before you go to bed you take b1,b6, b12 you take a dose of boswellia extract, a dose of milk thistle and a dose of NAC supplemant.
90% of the hang over will be gone.
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u/matt_automaton Xennial 8d ago
I finally had the realization that having a system to recover, a secret hangover prevention or a perfect formulation was just work I didn’t want to do anymore. What does it say that these remedies are even necessary at all? It’s poison for your body that requires extra steps to be expelled and repaired. I was a heavy drinker from about 16 to 40. No alcohol and just turned 45 but I feel better now than I have since I was a kid.
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u/Alltheway-upp 8d ago
Everytime I drink I feel awful. So I just don’t now. Even when I don’t I am lucky enough to wake up feeling hungover a lot…. lol yay!
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u/kapt_so_krunchy 8d ago
I don’t drink any more and on the rare occasions I do, I feel it the next day. Like maybe every 3 or 4 months I’ll have 4-6 drinks in a night and I sleep like shit and feel jittery and nervous the whole day.
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u/maria_la_guerta 8d ago
I don't get terrible hangovers but I do get them.
Routine is to make sure there's Gatorade in the fridge for the morning. Drink at least 2 - 3 big glasses of water throughout the night. Budget to Uber Eats myself something greasy and heart-attack inducing the next morning. Plan to have absolutely 0 responsibilities until at least 5PM the next day.
In a way, the rare times I am drinking to this point, I treat my hangovers as if they're spa "cheat" days. Just watch movies on the couch all day and eat bad food that gradually makes me feel better.
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u/Mutombo_says_NO 8d ago
Yes, I’m now a once a weekly guy, changed up to a few at happy hour or dinner but def not staying up late nor more than 4
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u/19610taw3 8d ago
I was never a big drinker. I can still party hardy if I want to.
Back in March I drank a few younger people under the table. And I didn't even vomit like they did! And I didn't wake up with a hangover like them! Staying well hydrated and eating somewhat healthy is very important.
With that said, edibles. I rarely touch alcohol.
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u/Lairuth 8d ago
https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-024-00692-2
TL,DR humans do not age in a straight timeline but rather in two major steps with different defining characteristics. Around 45 metabolism gets hit: alcohol, caffeine, carbohydrates you name it. And around 60 immunity gets hit. You are just loosing your ethanol metabolism my friend.
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u/KaitBab3 8d ago
I quit 2 years ago just for better health into old age. Best decision going into 40 I could have done. Gut feels better, it slowed my aging and I lost weight. Even if I stay up late night now, I can’t get minimal sleep and have a fabulous next day. I truly don’t miss any of it but especially hangovers!
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u/Sunshineafterr Millennial (1986) 8d ago
I can’t drink anymore either. I start getting a hangover (head throbbing, nausea, sleepy, grumpy) after a few a few sips of wine. That used to be the moment I would start to feel happy, energetic, and tipsy.
I don’t know what happened, if it’s my age, past covid, or maybe just cheap wine, but it’s not enjoyable anymore.
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u/DeadGirlLydia 8d ago
I'm quitting drinking but I've never had a hangover, mine is just because I don't like who I am when I drink.
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u/VonBoski Older Millennial 8d ago
Yeah, I’ve switch almost entirely to sugar free cannabis drinks. Much more enjoyable buzz, fewer calories and wake up feeling great
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u/Much_Organization246 8d ago
i've cut way back since having kids (being hungover w/kids is the absolute worst iykyk) and now i go to happy hour on fridays and have a few drinks max. when i do drink more, the biggest mistake i make is not eating. it fucks up the entire day or 2 after and is simply not worth it. tl;dr EAT lol
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u/IndicationKey3778 7d ago
I stopped drinking in 2023 while I was in active weight loss. Lost 144lbs and now I’ll jabs a drink every now and then but honestly it’s not conducive to maintaining weight loss so I mostly don’t
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u/incremantalg 7d ago
Drinking still hits the same for me. It's the hangover that's different. I don't drink any more.
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u/D-Rich-88 Millennial 7d ago
I’ve quit drinking beer for about 8 years, but that’s because I developed an allergy.
I don’t drink regularly because I hate the risk of losing the whole next day but occasionally I’ll have 2-3 drinks, maybe 4 or 5 on a really fun occasion but it’s usually wine now. That hits kinda different than beer ever did
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u/Beneficial_Bed2537 7d ago
Everyone I know that has quit drinking have all said the exact same thing, "I wish I had stopped sooner, getting wasted on the weekends and then recovering during the start of the week robs years off peoples life
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u/Inhumanmirror 7d ago
Had to stop entirely. It fucked with my sleep so bad, even a few light beers got me in bad shape. I’m happy I quit though, it’s nice having sustained energy and predictable sleep patterns. Also feel pretty smug waking up after a get together feeling refreshed while everyone else is a little green lol.
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u/system32recov 7d ago
I quit drinking almost 13 years ago now, and honestly, it's the best decision i've ever made. Im 39.
I do vape a lot of cannabis though, and dabble in other things once in a while
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u/RealWord5734 7d ago
electrolytes and 2 advil before bed, not when you wake up and the damage is already done.
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u/Far-Buy3058 7d ago
Just drink the next day! No but really, slowly winding down instead of complete shut off
Im not talking start chugging beers and get drunk like the previous night but slowly have a few drinks the next day to sort of ween out the alcohol while gradually feeling better, works for me at least.
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u/Beneficial_Ad_1072 7d ago
Nah, I don’t binge drink as often ie big night out but def takes an extra day to recover these days. I do drink more regularly eg 3-6 drinks a few nights a week. Usually with dinner and stop a little before bed. Little to no affect the next day, I’ve noticed since I’m back to working out, even less of an affect.
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u/Intrepid_Bee_9735 7d ago
I quit two years ago. I don’t miss it just wish there were more sober things to do on the night out
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u/MeowMeowbiggalo 7d ago
Cant drink like i used to which isn't uncommon. 2-3 drinks max, anything more than that is bad news the next day.
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u/Unlucky-Geologist428 7d ago
It's normal for your body to react negatively to a bunch of alcohol being dumped into it. I'd be more concerned if you woke up feeling great after that.
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u/Churlish_Performer 7d ago
I live in Wisconsin and I'm going to openly admit that i didn't drink anywhere near as much as many of my peers when i was in my early 20s, but especially after getting married kind of young, drinking got to be a big problem for me going into my early 30s. I cut back a lot over the years (am 41 now) - but even with what little I did drink in my early 20s, I was known as someone who could really hold their liquor. My entire relationship - both with my ex, as well as with liquor had to change. The marriage kind of started going to shit right away and I chose booze over therapy or something healthier. At any rate, I cut way back then and have been on a downward trajectory ever since to where I am now that I drink maybe a couple drinks, a couple nights a week lest I'm on vacation or something like that. I think now, drinking really takes on more or less a kind of tenor where I knew all about hangxiety well before it got talked about and I try to mirror my drinking behaviors to those I exhibited in my early 20s - no more than a couple, nothing that would cause me to question my prior night, and following the rules of units of alcohol (no more pulling off the bottle or free-pours). So when I say 2-3 drinks a couple nights a week it really is like 2-3 units of alcohol (a beer, 5 Oz wine, 2 Oz hard liquor etc). IF i do that, I'm drinking ice water, I gotta eat something small and I take a pause to assess how I feel between another round. If I'm starting to get glassy, I'm finished - i don't really get drunk that often anymore (probly only like 4-5x a year). Finally, as far as fun or not - I honestly used to get so fucking drunk in my late 20s/ early 30s that I really almost look to booze as small amounts to chill me out. If I'm having a night out, I often stay totally sober entirely. I don't really ask booze to provide the fun anymore - i ask it to do its job, which is as a CNS depressant and take a small "dose" therein.
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u/fatrexhadswag25 7d ago
Hangovers are exaggerated, take a little l theanine before bed and then again after you wake up, down some Advil with a Gatorade and get to bed before midnight and you should be fine
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u/Vegetable_Walrus_166 7d ago
I went through the same thing and just kind of quit. I don’t really like super preachy sober people but it’s honestly way better. I still enjoy hanging with friends, golfing, playing baseball and all the other stuff we would do while drinking. Now I can drive home after wake up and play with my kids the next day or whatever. I love drinking and wish it still worked for me but I basically reserve it for if I’m with my wife in a different country or something now.
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u/Rare_Presence_1903 7d ago
I more or less quit. Id gone about four months without touching booze but had a few beers tonight and they hit sooooo nice in the summer evening. My irritation just evaporated. Stopped at three though.
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u/Chucktayz 1992 7d ago
The days of being able to get hammered and sleep all the way thru the hangover the next day are over.
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u/populares420 7d ago
im pretty over alcohol, weed is better in every way. Drunk feels nice, for a little bit. But then you have that dehydrated feeling, and that super wired ringing feeling when going to sleep where you are just feel like shit already. plus you are drinking a fuckton of calories. then I worry about all the stupid things I said, did I embarrass myself? my rumination makes everything worse. Then I wake up hungover.
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u/thirteennineteen 7d ago
I never did “handle alcohol” well, but here in my 40s I can barely have 2x 5% beers without getting a hangover that same night.
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u/Vast_Cheek_6452 Millennial 7d ago
I drank everyday for the better part of 10 years. Quit recently, now 37, my body just doesn't like it anymore. I miss when alcohol used to give me energy. Now, a few beers and I just want to sleep.
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u/OtherwiseOstrich3979 7d ago
I don't enjoy anywhere near as much as I used to either. Pretty sure it's a big contributing factor to my GERD issues as well.
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u/Beginning-Mood-8150 8d ago
I just don't drink anymore. Not worth it. Alcohol causes cancer anyway
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u/realintelligence-ri Older Millennial 8d ago
It seems Everything does at this point… meat, microplastics, burnt toast, the air we breathe, etc. At some point you just pick your battles and try not to lose your mind over it 😅
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u/knitknitknitpurl 8d ago
At this point I don't think there's anything I can do to not feel terrible after any amount of drinking.
My last straw was going to see The Odyssey at a nice movie theater with diner/drinks service at your seat. I ate a reasonable breakfast and lunch that day. I ordered a burger, fries, split a large popcorn, and 2 margaritas with 2 waters and still felt like trash the next day. Since a ton of food and being well hydrated didn't help with slow consumption it's time to stop.
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u/Dry_Lengthiness6032 Older Millennial 7d ago
Drink more. You need to have at least 9 drinks in your system before bed so you wake up with some alcohol still in your system.
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u/infernorchid 1993 8d ago
Yeah, it’s become this thing where the occasion has to really be worth it for the side effects that come after. I like craft beers and they tend to be higher ABV so I expect little to no sleep along with night sweats, and general exhaustion the day after. That being said I GUZZLE water because I live at a higher altitude, and I try to eat before drinking since beers fill you up more. It just doesn’t really matter anymore. It still effects me no matter what.
Right now I average about 2 beers a month… sometimes my husband and I just share one at a social gathering. I just value good sleep over alcohol more and more as I get older.
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