Urinary Excretion of Methanol and 5-Hydroxytryptophol as Biochemical Markers of Hangover

Besides the acute effects of ethanol on a person's performance and behavior, the after-effects of heavy drinking, commonly referred to as the hangover state, causes impairment o f mental and body functioning, such as fatigue, attention deficit, and diminished psychom otor skills (Kelly et al., 1970; Seppala et al., 1976; Lemon et al. 1993). It seems likely that many accidents on the roads and in the workplace might be attributed to decreased attention and slower reaction time associated with the residual effects o f an evening’s heavy drinking (Karvinen et al., 1962; Tornros and Laurell 1991; Roehrs et al., 1994). Although neither dose-response relationships nor the prevalence of hangover have been clearly established, experience has shown that a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) should exceed approximately 1.0 g/L during the acute phase of intoxication (Smith et al., 1983; Collins and Chiles 1980). The hangover starts to develop when the BAC decreases again and is approaching zero. However, the intensity and duration of hangover shows large interand intra-individual variations and the reduced performance in some people might persist for many hours after all ethanol has been cleared from the body (Goldberg, 1961).