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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder if alcohol free drinks can give you a hangover?

29 replies

Darkdiamond · 12/07/2023 18:20

I stopped drinking a few years ago and tend to drink soft drinks instead, such as soda and lime or a diet coke if I'm feeling really wild!

I was in an Irish bar last year and they have alcohol free Guinness. I decided to try it as I used to quite like Guinness. I drank about a quarter of it and started feeling like my nose was starting to get blocked up and my eyes were starting to itch. This used to happen when I drank alcohol sometimes. I didn't drink anymore.

I told my friend shortly after, and she said she had a few pints of the alcohol free Guinness too and felt dreadful the next day as well.

Around the same time, I told someone else about this saga and she said that she had had a few glasses amounting to a bottle of alcohol free wine and felt like she might as well have had the good stuff the night before as she felt rough the next day.

I accidentally bought my husband alcohol free sparkling winelast night and decided to try it out just now. After a few mouthfuls I felt...I can't put my finger on it. I felt the muscles in my shoulders relax quite markedly. Am I that suggestible that my brain thinks I've had real alcohol? Or is there something in this stuff that has some kind of alcoholic effect?

Aibu in thinking alcohol free drinks can make you feel like you've had real alcohol?

OP posts:
DamaskRosie · 12/07/2023 18:21

I'm guessing you were unwittingly drinking the real Guinness not the alcohol-free stuff.

xyz111 · 12/07/2023 18:22

I don't drink alcohol as it massively messes up my IBS. So I'll drink nosecco and things like that. Never had an issue, and if anyone gets a bad belly then it's me!!! Maybe it's Guinness specifically?

Original poster
Darkdiamond · 12/07/2023 18:22

DamaskRosie · 12/07/2023 18:21

I'm guessing you were unwittingly drinking the real Guinness not the alcohol-free stuff.

I wasn't, I saw him pour it.

OP posts:
Peacoffee · 12/07/2023 18:23

Or is there something in this stuff that has some kind of alcoholic effect?

There isn’t.
No one gets an alcohol effect from a few sips of nosecco.

Blottingpaperscript · 12/07/2023 18:24

I drink alcohol free versions of beer/wine and find some brands definitely do give me a headache and hungover feeling - you aren't imagining it OP!

Original poster
Darkdiamond · 12/07/2023 18:25

Blottingpaperscript · 12/07/2023 18:24

I drink alcohol free versions of beer/wine and find some brands definitely do give me a headache and hungover feeling - you aren't imagining it OP!

Thank you! I knew the Guiness thing wasn't in my head!

OP posts:
bryceQ · 12/07/2023 18:25

I've had this too with the no alcohol versions which I don't get with soft drinks but it could be in our heads? It's confusing

NewNameNigel · 12/07/2023 18:26

I had a hangover after eating the best part of a large domino's pizza a couple of weeks ago. I think some additives and very salty food can make you feel quite ropey the next day.

LooseInTheCity · 12/07/2023 18:26

Is it genuinely alcohol free? Some drinks are 1% or low-alcohol. I scan the labels as so many of them aren’t really alcohol free.

Peony654 · 12/07/2023 18:27

I think it’s the sugar / sweeteners and additives

Okaygoahead · 12/07/2023 18:27

Honestly, if I drink too much sparkling water I feel 'heady', the same as I would with wine. There are histamines in wine, so probably also in nosecco and the like - lots of potential to trigger a reaction.

Original poster
Darkdiamond · 12/07/2023 18:28

LooseInTheCity · 12/07/2023 18:26

Is it genuinely alcohol free? Some drinks are 1% or low-alcohol. I scan the labels as so many of them aren’t really alcohol free.

The Guinness is called 00 or something zero-y. The one I'm drinking doesn't say the number but it does say 'without alcohol'.

OP posts:
YouJustDoYou · 12/07/2023 18:28

I find the high sugar drinks do this to me.

Hadalifeonce · 12/07/2023 18:28

it's probably full of weird chemicals which your body has reacted to.

Original poster
Darkdiamond · 12/07/2023 18:29

Okaygoahead · 12/07/2023 18:27

Honestly, if I drink too much sparkling water I feel 'heady', the same as I would with wine. There are histamines in wine, so probably also in nosecco and the like - lots of potential to trigger a reaction.

I think i have a sensitivity to histamines definitely. I drink sparkling water by the gallon every day and never feel weird with it.

OP posts:
Original poster
Darkdiamond · 12/07/2023 18:30

I actually found that sparkling wine with a dash of apple cider vinegar is a lovely alternative to wine. Not sure about how good it is for your teeth but I just use a tiny amount. No additives though.

OP posts:
Original poster
Darkdiamond · 12/07/2023 18:31

Sparkling water, not wine

OP posts:
Okaygoahead · 12/07/2023 18:32

I stopped drinking alcohol a couple of years ago, but there are definitely days where I still feel hungover - it can be food and often it's just that I really haven't slept properly. Combine a series of things and yes, it's a hangover, but without the alcohol.

Original poster
Darkdiamond · 12/07/2023 18:39

Yes I also get hangovers from salty food plus not enough water plus not enough sleep. They feel just like alcohol hangovers without all the shame 😆

OP posts:
isthismylifenow · 12/07/2023 18:48

That is the reaction I get from sulphites. The blocked nose and my gums go numb as well. It has happened with zero alcohol wine before too, so I'm going with sulphite reaction.

I drink alcohol on the very odd occasion. If I have something like a jack Daniels and ginger ale for eg, I will feel OK the next day. If I even have just one glass of wine, I feel awful. I have come to the conclusion that it's the sulphites that make me feel rough the next day, not the one glass of alcohol.

I don't know if there are sulphites in guiness, but it is what it sounds like to me.

BrandyandGinger · 12/07/2023 18:50

Heineken Zero gives me a hangover that's exactly the same as if I was drinking the alcoholic stuff. I always assumed I'm just sensitive to something in beer in general.
I'm fine with alcohol free gin and cider though, but most alcohol free ciders are poisonously sweet.

BrandyandGinger · 12/07/2023 18:55

That's interesting, @isthismylifenow I find most alcohol makes my cheeks flare up really red and hot. It's one of the reasons I rarely drink. But Jack Daniels is OK, it doesn't really affect my face or give me a headache the next day.

Original poster
Darkdiamond · 12/07/2023 19:02

I'm incredibly sensitive to alcohol, even without the sulphites. If I even have one drink of anything, I feel sluggish and brain foggy the next day. My mum was the same and I could never believe it, but it ended up happening to me too.

OP posts:
Curledupwithabook · 12/07/2023 19:05

I get the same issue you describe re Guinness, with beer. The worst is the cloudy craft beers. Doctor told me it was likely the hops, which can trigger an allergic reaction linked to hayfever (I do get really bad hayfever) The reaction is the same regardless of alcohol content.

Talliaaaaaa · 12/07/2023 19:21

It's probably the sugar?