How do I reduce my alcohol allergy?

How do I reduce my alcohol allergy? Tested it, and No, it's not the sulfates... or the pigments... or the fruits/grains... or gluten... or yeast. I'm allergic to alcohol; so in addition to a hangover, I get a full-body rash the next day... and it lasts for half a week after that >.<. HALP pls

Comments

[Putzer]

I am not sure of your intentions concerning the level of inebriation you hope to reach, but you may want to look into Kava Kava. It is common in the Pacific islands (Polynesia). Effects are similar to alcohol with the only exception being mental clarity instead of confusion and sloppiness that is guaranteed with the over consumption of alcohol.

[jongscx]

If you have mental clarity instead of confusion, how is it at all similar to alcohol? Or are you talking about the euphoric "high" you get from lost inhibitions?

[Putzer]

A moderately potent kava drink causes effects within 20–30 minutes that last for about two and a half hours, but can be felt for up to eight hours. Because of this, it is recommended to space out servings about fifteen minutes apart. Some report longer term effects up to two days after ingestion, including mental clarity, patience, and an ease of acceptance. The effects of kava are most often compared to alcohol, or a large dose of diazepam.[1] The sensations, in order of appearance, are slight tongue and lip numbing (the lips and skin surrounding may appear unusually pale); mildly talkative and sociable behavior; clear thinking; anxiolytic (calming) effects; relaxed muscles; and a very euphoric sense of well-being. As with other drugs that affect the gaba receptors, there can also be paradoxical dysphoria. The numbing of the mouth is caused by the two kavalactones kavain and dihydrokavain which cause the contraction of the blood vessels in these areas acting as a local topical anesthetic. These anesthetics can also make one's stomach feel numb. Sometimes this feeling has been mistaken for nausea. Some report that caffeine, consumed in moderation in conjunction with kava can significantly increase mental alertness. A potent drink results in a faster onset with a lack of stimulation; the user's eyes become sensitive to light, they soon become somnolent and then have deep, dreamless sleep within 30 minutes. Sleep is often restful and there are pronounced periods of sleepiness correlating to the amount and potency of kava consumed. Unlike with alcohol-induced sleep, after wakening the drinker does not experience any mental or physical after effects. However, this sleep has been reported as extremely restful and the user often wakes up more stimulated than he or she normally would (though excessive consumption of exceptionally potent brew has been known to cause pronounced sleepiness into the next day). Although heavy doses can cause deep dreamless sleep, it is reported that many people experience lighter sleep and rather vivid dreams after drinking moderate amounts of kava. [2] After thousands of years of use by the Polynesians and decades of research in Europe and the U.S., the traditional use of kava root has never been found to have any addictive or permanent adverse effects. Users do not develop a tolerance. While small doses of kava have been shown to slightly improve memory and cognition, large amounts at one time have been shown to cause intoxication. In Utah, California, and Hawaii there have been cases where people were charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after drinking a significant amount of kava (eight cups or more) although some of them were acquitted due to the laws not being broad enough to cover kava consumption.

[Putzer]

Courtesy of Wikipedia

[Noodle93]

My doctor once told me when I was testing my peanut allergy that we overtime lose and gain allergies. So who knows, next thing you know you could be drinking alcohol but allergic to water!

[BeanGolem]

I'd say it's time to start campaigning for the legalization of marijuana. I imagine that if you have tested yourself thoroughly, there's not much hope. You may want to ask a professional allergist -- or wait for one to reply on here. I know that some allergies, such as pollen and dust, can be changed by gradual exposure, but alcohol seems like it would be a bit harder to get around. Do you have any other allergies?

[jongscx]

Honestly, WTF?!? does legalizing mariguana have to do with this? Or was that just finding an alternative recreational drug for me to use? (wow, didn't realize how harsh this sounded. I'm personally against marijuana, so I apologize for the outburst.) Anyway, I'm hoping I can build a tolerance to it... though that might go badly and turn me into an alky... :-( I just recently switched jobs, so my insurance is "in lapse" as they say. But, one of the first things I will look into is getting an allergy test done. oh god, I hear they are painful... but I hope it'll be worth it. I have no other allergies. It's very very frustrating to be able to stuff anything down my gullet and then suddenly find the one thing that I really want to but can't.

[axoplasm]

Odd. You're dead-set to overcome your body's natural rejection to one drug, and at the same time make a conscious rejection to another drug. anyway, in keeping with the search for the constituent allergen, I'd try sourdough bread. It's basically fermented and then baked wheat flour. If you eat this regualry as well as some steamed barley, your body would get used to it. Then your body might accept beer more readily. Forget the hard liquors for now, and I know a bunch of people who can drink anything, but have bad allergic effects from wine.

[jongscx]

That's actually exactly why I went with hard liquor, is because it is essentially more pure than beer, and if intoxication by alcohol is what I'm going for, then that's exactly what I'd need. I don't have a problem with sourdough, but that's probably because all the alcohol that was generated was evaporated during baking. It really is the alcohol. As for the first part of your response, the phrase "pick yer poison" comes to mind. I'm legal for drinking, not for smoking pot...

[mikeasaurus]

If I were less responsible I'd say "Just drink through it", however sometimes you just need to accept the hand you've been dealt. Some people have a reaction to peanuts, some to gluten, you're body has a reaction to alcohol. That's really the end of it. Despite the backlash from BeanGolum's comment, this is probably the best approach. You obviosly have no qualms with getting wrecked, so really it's your drug of choice. I think marijuana is the best option for no other reason than it is the least damaging drug out there. You can overdo it on anything though, so be smart about it no matter what you chose.

[Putzer]

I know drinking aloe vera gel will prevent allergies, at least in the cases I have seen, one of which a person has eliminated a whole medicine cabinet full of prescriptions in place of the aloe. However it can't be the store bought aloe drink but the fresh processed gel which is hard to get. If you live in South Florida I can help you out, let me know your geographical situation.

[jongscx]

Ah yes, the healing powers of natural medicines. :-D I haven't thought about that, but even using an aloe cream externally might not be a bad idea either. I have sources up here of fresh, whole aloe leaves, so if sticking them in a juicer (well, probably more complicated than that, but you get the idea) will help, I'll be all for it. I'm a good 8 hr drive north of you, depending on just how far in south florida you are.

[killerjackalope]

Emm, I saw down below you already use anti-histamines, the thing I'd worry about is that drinking loads could get a serious reaction... If you only need sort of mild strength anti-histamines to keep it under control then hay fever nasal sprays seem to work pretty well.

[killerjackalope]

*seems to work pretty well... I get hay fever in extreme every few years, to the point where it really is a bit debilitating, I found that nasal sprays ere far more effective on all symptoms and helped my brother who got skin rashes if he got grass on his back or bare skin. In recent years the hay fever thing has been subsiding though...

[Swishercutter]

Not sure about a solution other than not drinking....I can say there are good times to be had if you are the only sober one at the end of the night driving all the girls home (that is if you have game). I personally am allergic to garlic/onions (they give me a headache every time I eat them) so I avoid them. I can say if anything gave me a rash and I could narrow it down to one thing I would never ingest that again....but then again I never really enjoyed alcohol.

[jongscx]

I don't have game... I has a girlfriend (or perhaps, I've already won my game... depends on how you look at it.) And I'm kinda tired of being the responsible one, you know. I'm 22, 23 in may, and essentially a late-bloomer for everything. I missed out on a lot socially in highschool and my short stint at Georgia Tech because I was just too serious about everything. I get where you're going though, and I'm all for sober fun... but for those times when I do want to get !@#$-faced drunk on a friday night, because I was DD last weekend... or if the situation calls for it. In essence, yes, I agree that abstinence is the one sure way to prevent adverse reactions. But, if we take sex as an analogy, I'm looking for the condom or the birth-control pill (proactive approach) as opposed to the Plan-B or coat-hanger (reactive). Right now, a cooling spray of 1% hydrocortisone all over my back, every 4-6 hrs controls the symptoms enough that I can function. Taking benadryl also seems to aid this, but that may just be plecebo effect. And if I really needed to (say dropped on a desert island after a kegger), my will-power is sufficient to over-ride the pain (In my situation, this was equivalent to ignoring a random ant bite on my back and legs every 5-15 seconds...A Fire-ant bite!)