Why you get high after drinking

After a night of drinking, Taco Bell, pizza, or whatever is left in the fridge looks great and finds its way to your belly. Late night food after the party, be it from the quick freezer or your own kitchen, seems so good. But why do you get drunk after drinking? Marijuana is a myth because it triggers cravings, but alcohol is just as common, if not more so.

The Fresh Toast – After the party, Taco Bell sounds so good – here’s why you get drunk after drinking

Like the cravings you experience after smoking weed, drunchies are characterized by a craving for high-calorie foods like pizza, tacos, nachos… things that get on your nerves.

Since obesity is a problem here in America, researchers at the University at Buffalo decided to study the effects of alcohol consumption on weight gain in college students by studying what they eat at night and the next morning when they are hungover.

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“Given the obesity epidemic and high rates of alcohol consumption on college campuses, we need to be aware of not only the negative effects of alcohol consumption, but also the impact it has on what people eat while they drink,” said Jessica Kruger, clinical assistant professor of Community Health and Health Behavior at the University of Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions.

Related: Can You Prevent a Hangover by Eating a Big Meal?

Kruger is the lead author of a new study published in the Californian Journal of Health Promotion that examined 286 female students to find the connection between their alcohol consumption and their sequential eating habits.

“All alcohol drinkers were more likely to eat something before going to bed after drinking alcohol than before bedtime in general,” Kruger and her colleagues wrote.

As you might expect, they gravitated toward junk food rather than healthier alternatives. In addition to a healthy diet, they avoided drinking water or other non-alcoholic drinks before bed, which led to even more dehydration.

As for the next morning, students were less likely to skip meals after a night of drinking than on a typical morning, according to the University at Buffalo.

Related: How to Control Marijuana Munchies

So what exactly causes drunkenness in the first place? “It is believed that after drinking alcohol, blood sugar levels in the body can rise and fall, stimulating the brain to feel hungry,” explains Kruger.

You’ve heard it before, kids. For every alcoholic beverage you drink, drink twice as much water. And try eating a large, healthy meal before drinking to help absorb the alcohol (yes, this actually works). Otherwise, you’ll find yourself in starvation mode the next morning with a deadly hangover. Eating and hydrating may not completely prevent a hangover (and the cravings), but it will definitely help.