After a long day, there is something quite appealing about having a drink in the evening. You feel yourself relaxing, your thoughts slow down and eventually you feel sleepy. A perfect de-stressor. So if alcohol makes you fall asleep faster, surely it must help you sleep? Not quite. Alcohol is a depressant. It slows down activity in the brain and body which is why it can make you feel relaxed and drowsy. This can make it easier to fall asleep, particularly if you are feeling s

We've all had those days when we're feeling rough. A cold, a sore throat, a headache or just that general feeling of being under the weather. And sometimes a drink can make you feel a little better. I personally do enjoy a hot toddy. by Perveen Kaur But feeling better isn't necessarily the same thing as getting better. What Happens When You Drink? The story starts, once again, with ethanol. This is the main psychoactive molecule in alcoholic drinks. When we consume alcohol, t

Some people can appear to 'handle' more alcohol than others. While one glass of wine can make someone quite tipsy, it can also appear to do nothing to others in terms of exhibiting drunken behaviours. So why can some people handle their alcohol better than others? by Perveen Kaur The Body Adapts One of the reasons is something called tolerance. The brain and body are remarkably adaptable. When a substance is repeatedly introduced into the system, the body can adjust to its pr

Waking up in the morning with a headache, dry mouth and feeling kind of queasy is the quintessential sign of a good night, or just a lot of drinks the night before. Deep-Rooted by Perveen Kaur It's something majority of us have experienced at some point during our drinking lives. But what actually causes these hangover symptoms in the body? Ethanol The ingredients of our alcoholic beverages these days vary but they mostly consist of water, carbohydrates, other flavourings an

Technically, no it doesn't. Breaking the seal isn't what makes you pee more. By the time you need to pee, the damage is done so to speak. If you hold your pee in because you don't want to 'break the seal', all you're doing is putting strain on your bladder and sit there uncomfortable. So why is that? Why do we pee so much when we drink? The story starts with ethanol, the active ingredient in any alcoholic beverage. As we finish off that first pint of cool refreshing beer, th

Why we drink alcohol to relieve painful emotional states

Explore the science behind addiction