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The alcohol controversy

Kravatomill

Kravatomill

Kava Curious
So we all know kava and alcohol doesn't mix well, but it seems I get even worse symptoms than others?

So about a week ago I had a few drinks a day after a Kava session, I got the flush all over, seriously red and it felt like my head was about to explode, it all subsided as I gave up on drinking that night though.

However, this night I decided to go out with my friends and have a few. About 3 beers in my heart started to beat so rapidly I thought it was gonna pop, my face was exremely hot and it felt like my pressure was over the roof. Finally I got the worse headache ever, I've never had such a bad headache since I stoped K@ about 2-3 years ago.

So my question is, do any of you get these symptoms? And if so how do you handle it (except from you who obviously will state that you don't drink anymore).
I prefer Kava all the way, but I want to be able to enjoy some beers with my mates on a Friday. How many days do you have between Kava and alcohol? Cause 24h doesn't seem nearly enough to me?
(this only happens when I've had Kava for 3-4 days during a 7 day period. If only once then I can drink like normal)
 
HeadHodge

HeadHodge

Bula To Eternity
Sometimes, I will drink booze the same day after kava and I get similar reactions, but not as bad as you. From experience I can't really drink after kava unless I drink kava in the morning and booze in the evening. I can drink kava at night and booze the next morning without problems, like mermosa's for breakfast or brunch. Right now, I'm on month two with no booze, and would prefer to stay that way if possible.
 
Edward

Edward

Aluballin' in the UK
Kava Vendor
25 years ago I went through a spell of getting the red blotchiness occasionally and always after drinking. I carried on drinking, increasingly more heavily, but didn't get the red blotchiness again except maybe once or twice over 20 years. Since I've been drinking kava I have had it happen quite a few times and always after drinking alcohol the next day after kava the previous night. I never drink the two on the same day but I suppose kava lingers. I have no idea what causes it and it's not pleasant when it happens but it's always gone by the morning. I would say (and I'm guessing most people here would agree with me) don't drink the two on the same day. If you have had a heavy kava day the previous day then go light on the alcohol the next day too. If you want a night on the beer on a Friday have a light kava night on the Thursday. I'm sure the red blotchiness won't kill you but not a cool look in the bar ;-)
 
Kravatomill

Kravatomill

Kava Curious
hmm, interesting. Yeah, I'm not really worried about the blotchiness. The migraine-style headache is something I lived with regularly before while on K@, so there may be other reasons that causes that.
However, the increased heart rate doesn't really seem all that great..
Oh well, a friend of mine is landing in Bangkok tomorrow so I might stay off kava tonight and try again tomorrow and see if there's a difference. Or I might drink kava tonight and see if the same situation repeats itself.
 
R

Rick.Sanchez

Kava Enthusiast
This is no good to hear. I drank my nightly kava already, and I'm planning on doing some drinking with friends tomorrow:(
 
D

Deleted User01

I never mix the two. Even when I drink alcohol the day after I do kava, I get easily zonked. I highly recommend that you don't do Kava and alcohol just as you wouldn't wouldn't mix sedatives and alcohol. I think it could actually be dangerous. If you tell the guy at the emergency room that you did kava, then KAVA SUCKS will be on the front page news, Dateline, 60 minutes, and you name it.

Bottom line, plan your kava days and plan your beer days. For example, today is my single scotch malt day. No kava for me. I allow myself 2 alcohol days a week but I have to sip carefully to make sure I don't get too zonked out and make a fool of myself. Yeah, I have more of a tendency to do that since I went on Kava so moderation is more important than ever.
 
Edward

Edward

Aluballin' in the UK
Kava Vendor
Deleted User01 said:
I never mix the two. Even when I drink alcohol the day after I do kava, I get easily zonked. I highly recommend that you don't do Kava and alcohol just as you wouldn't wouldn't mix sedatives and alcohol. I think it could actually be dangerous. If you tell the guy at the emergency room that you did kava, then KAVA SUCKS will be on the front page news, Dateline, 60 minutes, and you name it.

Bottom line, plan your kava days and plan your beer days. For example, today is my single scotch malt day. No kava for me. I allow myself 2 alcohol days a week but I have to sip carefully to make sure I don't get too zonked out and make a fool of myself. Yeah, I have more of a tendency to do that since I went on Kava so moderation is more important than ever.
Click to expand...
I love you @Deleted User01 , you're my favourite uncle ;-) . I try my hardest to steer clear of the devils clear stuff these days but if I occasionally am drawn in I make sure to limit it to the one or two days and then spend a month just drinking kava :)
 
D

Deleted User01

When I preach to the kiddies, I don't give them unattainabe goals. Maybe just some parameters so they don't hurt themselves. For instance, I know it is impossible for me to totally give up alcohol, so I set a few parameters and I'm happy and I don't hurt myself ... too bad. :D I don't go on crazy diets because I know the weight will pile right on when I'm done. So I just try to eat in moderation everyday and perhaps "cut down" on the "sweets" and try to exercise 5 times a week. Life is all about being realistic about what you are capable and incapable of doing. I gotta admit, it took me a long time to figure all this stuff out. :rolleyes:
P.S. And yes, I'm at least old enough to be your uncle.
 
GussWest

GussWest

Kava Enthusiast
Dont you touch hard liquor,
Just a cup of cold coffee.
And I got no chance of losing this time.
 
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Jerome

Jerome

Kava Lover
I drink alcohol with kava. Not frequently. But I'm not afraid to do so. I was drinking quite a bit of kava mid day and this evening I've had five beers. And will probably have a couple glasses of wine before bed.

Alcohol isn't great for you. But for me, kava makes little difference in its intoxicating effects. My advice is stay away from booze, period. But if you are a drinker. Don't worry too much about it. It's not going to kill you, at least not immediately.
 
R

Rick.Sanchez

Kava Enthusiast
Just for the record I was fine. I tried drinking a bit of whiskey in the middle of the day, but I started to experience some of the symptoms people mentioned. Can't be sure if it was real or just anxiety though. I was able to drink my fair share about 20 hrs after a heavy kava session without a problem.
 
Kravatomill

Kravatomill

Kava Curious
Yeah, to have complete transparency here I was just out for 8 rum and coke and 4 beers. And today I have absolutely no adverse effects.
The only difference is that the last time I had about 6 shells of 1 tbs in one night before, and yesterday I had only 2. So I guess the rule is, dont overdo your Kava a night before going out, I am amazed I am still so much at my senses, guess thats because I expected something bad all night.
 
kastom_lif

kastom_lif

Kava Lover
Sometimes I go kale. Just one or two beers, never more. Does it cause a hangover? No, though I wouldn't want to drink more because I know it'd make me feel poorly.
 
D

Deleted User01

I have always been a kava liteweight and I get good effects. So I don't mix the two. I gotta say, a cold lite beer would be perfect for the deyhyrating effects but cutting back on alcohol is also part of my diet plan and Kava helps me a lot with that part of the plan. @Jerome, I cooked some of that thick sliced bacon on Saturday. Not only was it good but now everyone loves JMan. :D One of life's little luxuries.
 
Zaphod

Zaphod

Kava Lover
I am not a heavy drinker by any means - those days are long gone. That being said I have over the last year on multiple occasions had a few drinks after taking my kava. Most of the time this happens due to social pressures to imbibe. I enjoy local microbrews and when all of your social buddies are going for a drink it is hard to say no.

I have noticed no ill effects of having 2-3 pint sized beers (even up at 7-8%) or several glasses of wine after taking Kava in the same day. If anything it helps me sleep and alleviate any potential bad effects of drinking. The alcohol usually overwhelms the kava - but there have been occasions where I felt the two were actually synergistic and gave me a very pleasant, awake, clear headed buzz.

I can't say I would recommend it, but on occasion I don't think it is much of an issue to mix and a nice cold brew to get rid of the Kava mouth is perfect. YMMV.
 
Kojo Douglas

Kojo Douglas

The Kavasseur
Most vendors advise against mixing alcohol and Kava, so it's the responsible thing to uphold that suggestion. Regrettably, I do mix them sometimes and have not felt sick as a result. But this is just one anecdote and there are many others where it did have a negative impact.
 
Jonathan

Jonathan

All Hail Leon
I have similar effects that you mentioned @Kravatomill, I do my best not to drink at all these days (better lately than a few months ago), but in the past if I have had alcohol and kava on the same day, I got the same full-body flush/fever/high anxiety feeling. It sucks. I would much rather just stick to kava. I haven't had a good experience with alcohol in years, even only having one drink, I just always feel kind of shitty afterwards. It requires maintenance and recovery for me, whereas kava doesn't involve any of that. I would advise staying away from alcohol altogether, but of course it's everyone's choice. At the very least I would say don't do kava and alcohol on the same day. Also drink plenty of water with either of those things.

My understanding with the flush is that kava sort of "occupies" the detox pathways in the liver temporarily, so taking alcohol with kava is similar to taking alcohol with an anti-histamine. The alcohol won't be processed out of the liver normally so it stays in your system longer, as do the toxins in the alcohol (depending on what your'e drinking).
 
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