Reviewing Alcohol Chemistry

• Your body can metabolize alcohol quickly, but if large amounts of alcohol are consumed in a short amount of time, the chemical breakdown can become stalled. As the breakdown products of alcohol build up in your body, signs of toxicity will begin to develop. Toxicity levels may continue up to 24 hours after alcohol consumption, according to the article in "Alcohol Health & Research World." Some symptoms of toxicity include sweating, diarrhea and vomiting. These side effects will result in your body losing fluids, thus causing your mucous membranes to become dry and subsequent feelings of thirst the next morning.

Explaining Alcohol and Dehydration

• Alcohol is considered to be a diuretic, which means it increases urinary output. It promotes urine production by inhibiting a hormone from your pituitary gland. Reduced levels of this hormone prevent your kidneys from reabsorbing water. Because the kidneys cannot reabsorb water, which is a normal kidney function, the excess water must be excreted as urine. According to the "Alcohol Health & Research World" article, approximately four alcoholic drinks can cause the loss of about 1 quart of water from your body. Such a loss of water will cause dehydration and the resultant thirst.

Consider the Amount of Alcohol Consumed

• In general, the greater the amount of alcohol you consume and the longer you consume it, the greater the side effects. If you drink eight alcoholic drinks over a period of four hours without consuming water, you could lose up to 2 quarts of body fluid. Because alcohol has a sedative effects, according to the article published in "Alcohol Health & Research World," you are likely to fall asleep before your realize you're thirsty and wake up with dehydrated thirst. Consuming only two alcoholic drinks over four hours while drinking water is not as likely to cause such a thirst the next morning.

Realizing Additive Factors of Dehydration

• Along with the amount of alcohol consumed and the time in which you consume it, side effects, such as dehydration, can be affected by the type of alcohol consumed, nutritional intake during consumption and hereditary factors. Beverages that contain pure ethanol, such as vodka and gin, induce fewer side effects than fermented beverages such as whiskey and brandy, so morning thirst may not develop. According to the article published in "Alcohol Health & Research World," certain people show signs of alcohol toxicity more quickly than others, therefore symptoms of thirst may occur sooner and those who binge drink without eating will likely have dehydration thirst in addition to low blood sugar.