GP reveals exact number of drinks it takes for most people to feel hungover…and drunk

An NHS doctor has revealed at what point you should put down the wine if you want to avoid a hangover. 

According to GP Dr Bhavini Sha, four standard glasses of wine, or two and a half pints of beer, is enough to make you feel dreadful the following day. 

Although this amount is likely to land you with a roster of classic hangover symptoms, just half a medium glass can make you somewhat drunk, Dr Sha warned. 

‘One unit of alcohol [half a medium glass of wine] increases the heart rate, expands blood vessels, and gives a slight “buzz” which commonly makes people feel more sociable or talkative’, she told The Mirror. 

‘But after four to six units [two to three medium glasses], alcohol begins to impact your nervous system, decreasing reaction time and affecting areas of the brain associated with decision making, resulting in poorer judgement and potentially more reckless behaviour.

‘At around eight units most people will experience a hangover.’

The NHS recommends drinking no more than 14 units per week, spread over three or more days, which is the equivalent to roughly six and a half standard glasses of wine.

One unit equals 10ml of pure alcohol, which is the amount of booze the body can process in an hour. 

‘After eight units, your vision and sleep will be affected and you will have consumed more alcohol than your liver can process in one night, resulting in symptoms the following day,’ Dr Sha warned. 

Despite various products being marketed as hangover cures, Dr Sha explained that there is very little evidence that a person can speed up how quickly their body processes alcohol—meaning the damaging effects are almost guaranteed. 

‘After 12 units, you are at great risk of alcohol poisoning,’ she added. 

This can occur when alcohol is consumed quicker than the body can process it, resulting in confusion, vomiting, loss of conscious, breathing difficulties and even seizures. 

Left untreated, this can progress and cause liver and heart failure, and even death. 

This is usually caused by binge drinking, a term used to refer to when a lot of alcohol is consumed in one drinking session. 

It comes as the latest ONS figures shows alcohol related deaths have soared to a record high in Britain, with more than 10,000 fatalities related to drinking in 2023. 

The NHS states there is no ‘safe’ drinking level, with people who regularly drink more than 14 units a week at higher risk of cancer, stroke, heart disease, liver disease and brain damage.

But, up to one in four adults in England report drinking over this level. 

Earlier this year, scientists highlighted a simple test that can point to a ‘hidden’ drinking problem, amid a rise in alcohol-related deaths post-pandemic. 

Medics have previously warned that many drinkers fail to recognise they have a problem because their body hasn’t yet become reliant on alcohol, which causes telltale signs such as shakes. 

However, there is a simple test that doctors use to spot a hidden, ‘functioning’ alcoholic.

Called the CAGE test, the tool involves asking the patient four key questions about their drinking habits.

The questions include the following:

Have you ever felt you needed to cut down your drinking? Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking? Have you ever felt guilty about drinking? Do you need to drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or lessen a hangover?

Experts say answering ‘yes’ to two or more of these questions means a patient could have a drinking problem.

Those concerned they may have a problem with alcohol should visit their GP, who can make an assessment and refer them to specialist clinics for counselling and help with withdrawal.