Any other asians have this?

[UnderScore]

From a page on alcohol, its affects & alcoholism:
Many Asians, on the other hand, are less likely to become alcoholic because of a genetic factor that makes them deficient in aldehyde dehydrogenase, a
chemical used by the body to metabolize ethyl alcohol. In its absence, toxic substances build up after drinking alcohol and rapidly lead to flushing, dizziness, and nausea. People with this genetic susceptibility,
then, are likely to experience adverse reactions to alcohol and therefore not become alcoholic. This deficiency is not completely protective against drinking, however, particularly if there is added social
pressure, such as among college fraternity members. It is important to understand that, whether it is inherited or not, people with alcoholism are still legally responsible for their actions.
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From WebMD: Healthy twist of DNA and alcohol...

Some ethnic groups, such as Asians, inherit variants in a gene -- also involved with breakdown of alcohol -- that produces skin flushing, rapid changes in blood pressure, nausea, and vomiting when they drink alcohol.

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I have this trait. I can feel it starting with a little more that one beer. I feel warm all over & I start to notice my heart rate. With a couple beers I am hot all over, heart rate is more than noticable, & I can feel blood moving through my body. The most I have ever drank which was probably 3 bottles of Guiness, 4 Irish Carbombs, & a couple shots of Whisky with a drop of Bailey's. That was over a period of about 4 to 6 hours. I was red from my abdomen up to my scalp. I felt like I had been badly sun burned. My head was throbbing from the increased blood pressure & with every heart beat I could feel the blood coursing through my limbs. Fortuneatly it was winter so I opened a window to get the sub freezing air that my body demanded.

I will certainly never do that again. The most I had every had of an alcoholic beverage up to that point my plain & simple taste testing. It was more of a test/experiment to see if I had inherited it from my mother. I did this last year, more than 6 months after I tured 21. You see I am half Korean and half Irish. Aparently I got more of the Korean genes when I comes to alcohol breakdown & processing.

Anyone else out there have similar experiences?

James

 

[prodigy]

I turn really red after when I'm drinking, even after having only like 2 beers.

EDIT- I don't think I've ever had that "sickness" feeling you described though.

 

[UnderScore]

Anyone have any links describing this, i dunno, genetic dysfuction?
I dunno what to call it & I can't seem to find many articles decribing it.

I am pretty good with search engines and this is what I have been using on altavista's advanced search:

"Asian" AND "alcohol" AND "nausea" AND "blood pressure" AND NOT ("gay" OR "Gynecological" OR "viagra" OR "hormone&quot

The AND NOT parenthetical portion is to weed out irrelavant hits.

 

[SackOfAllTrades]

<< I turn really red after when I'm drinking, even after having only like 2 beers >>



I am glad I am one of the Asians that don't get &quot;Asian Glow.&quot; My dad, on the other hand, starts looking and acting like the Kool Aid man after some champagne. My sister has the highest tolerance in my family having finished college. I'm still in college so my tolerance is pretty good. I fear for my mom though, every other meal I have with her, she mentions how she wants to have wine with the meal. I think my mom is the most vulnerable to alcoholism, not me though, I am a chain smoker.

 

[bcterps]

Its funny, almost all of my Asian friends get really red after having a couple of drinks, but it seems no matter how much I drink, I dont get red at all. Of course, it takes me a while to even get a decent buzz, alcohol doesnt have that much of an effect on me.

--Ben

 

[Ulfwald]

Hey, I am scottish and irish, 2 of the most likely to become alcoholic, but I also suffer from this disorder. Which doesn't bother me much, cause I usually can't stand the taste of most alcohols. I can usually feel the symptoms starting from my abdomen and then as it works it's way up, I feel wierd for a long time.

 

[Imported]

I've had it happen to me. Only thing that doesn't effect me are wine coolers.. :Q

 

[perry]

One of my good buddies, a Japanese guy, seems to have this. He'll drink one or two beers and be bright red. I was able to get him past the red stage on his 21st birthday several months back. 4 drinks in half an hour and he wasn't worried about being red, he was worried about sitting up straight. Of course, he was still red, but after a couple more drinks he was fine. I guess he just has to get enough in him and he's just dandy.

Another Korean buddy of mine doesn't seem to have the problem, at least not in the 5 years that I've known him. I guess it's a hit'n' miss sort of thing.

 

[dcdomain]

Yeh, well, it's cheaper for us to get drunk! Hehehe... too bad I don't drink...

 

[DABANSHEE]

They say Asians have a low tolerance to alcohol. Has anyone notice the Japanese are about the only Asians that have getting pissed as part of their culture. They barely touch the stuff in the rest of Asia.

Mind you, even though Asians don't drink much, they sure make up for it in the gambling dept - you go into any gambling den in Australia (legal or illegal) &amp; it seems at least half the gamblers are Asian. I think it has something to do with the 2 big obsessions with Asians being money &amp; luck (I know I'm generalising) - it ends up meaning a weakness for gambling.

Actually at the Pyrmont Casino we had a Vietnamese Heroin dealer gamble over a million dollars a day for over 6 months till he got cought in a undercover drug buy sting. Apparently it started as a way of laundering drug money, but he ended up catching the bug &amp; in the end he was dealing to support his habit.

 

[radiocore]

from my neck on up to my scalp gets red even just after one beer...so yes, i have this =/

 

[Pretender]

I think it's the fact that asian parents tend to be harsh toward their children (I know, it's a bad generalization, but I've noticed it in all my friends so far) that the children are too scared to do anything that'll piss em off.

 

[Looney]

Yeah, most of my asian friends can't handle alcohol very well... i'm blessed (or cursed?) without it, so i can outdrink almost all asians that i know (actually don't think i ever even met an asian that could outdrink me).

 

[fogleroller]

I am half filipino and quarter irish and quarter german.

I don't turn red, but after a while, I get really really sleepy. So I can't really party. I cannot hang.

 

[bigvince]

well im not asian im hispanic but it's intersting to think that a genetic characteristic could affect the consumption of alchol. i myself do not drink because it always made me sick to my stomache even after only 1 beer or a shot of something so now im thinking that i have that gene...hmm mabey thats why i smoke all that weed....

 

[vec]

Yep I lack that chemical too. After a few, I feel like a heat lamp. In college I may have built up a tolerance as it wasn't as bad as it is now.

In my college/high school days, I would go to parties, be drinking, then all of a sudden BAM!! A massive headache would hit me. At that point I would put down my drink and take it easy for the rest of the night. It worked out to be a pretty good defense mechanism, since I never got drunk enough to blow-chowder, pass-out or do ridiculous things that my friends would do and regret the next day.

I enjoy a beer or good scotch now and then, but I still light up the area pretty good.

 

[Adul]

I havent gotten drunk yet and I am part asian. It takes a lot to even get me buzzed. Interesting how genetics work.

 

[Doodoo]

I'm viet...but don't turn red...neither do my cousins...but we do drink alot. My gf turns bright red after like half a beer.

 

[SackOfAllTrades]

<< I think it's the fact that asian parents tend to be harsh toward their children (I know, it's a bad generalization, but I've noticed it in all my friends so far) that the children are too scared to do anything that'll piss em off. >>



It's kinda true, but I am lucky because I gambled and drank (occasionally) with my parents since I was 13. They encouraged me to drink in front of them so they can monitor my tolerance.

 

[SillyBoy]

I'm Chinese. I used to be a &quot;one beer queer&quot; back in the day - just like everyone else, I would turn beet red, and feel woozy. Lately, my tolerance suddenly skyrocketed after I started drinking more often. I don't turn red anymore, and it takes about seven or eight drinks (versus one!) to make me satisfied for the night. I still can't match my ex girlfriend however (she's caucasion and as big as me).

-

p.s. hey kris if you're reading this, i love you! aww mushy mushy

 

[Angrymarshmello]

It's called a buzz. Nothing new here, move along

 

[UnderScore]

While it may be true for some asians that the parents provide too much of a stranglehold on their child's upbringing, the evidence presented in these articles would suggest otherwise. A person's alcohol tolerance level may be low due to little or no exposure but it would be a falicy to suggest that a overprotective father resulted in heart, blood &amp; respiration anomalies after consuming an alcoholic beverage.




<< It's called a buzz. Nothing new here, move along >>



Hardly.

Reaching a state of relaxation, lowered inhibitions, buzzing, feeling good, ability to be 'social' in a college atmoshphere, not being uptight, etc ... are practically supressed by this.

 

[DesignDawg]

I'm not asian. --And I don't drink. But I HAVE had a few drinks in my time, and all I know is I get a TERRIBLE headache after the slightest bit of alcohol. Doesn't bother me, though, since I don't drink. Can't stand the stuff. I have wondered, though, if there is something wrong with me that messes me up when I drink. If I DID like alcohol, I still wouldn't be able to drink. Literally after like 1 beer, I have the worst headache imaginable, and they don't go away until I sleep. I've never had a lot to drink to know if it gets worse or better as time goes on.

Ricky
DesignDawg

 

[billandopus]

Alcohol never bothered me ... although I don't drink barely at all. Just personal preference.

However, I have a good friend who's Korean and he has the classic symptoms. He turns red after one drink (but he keeps on going) and gets warm and ends up looking like he has serious allergies. It's interesting to watch.

 

[SuperGroove]

Not that I drink on a REGULAR basis...but I've had my drinks before...well actually twice in one night

Surge/ 80 proof Vodka mix about 12oz worth, with the majority being Surge: No different feelings...my tummy got warm is all. I liked it though...kinda felt soothing on that cold winter night.

Same night, 20 minutes later, 8oz worth of 80 proof Vodka straight up: No ill affects. watched TV until I went to bed...my tummy was still warm.

I didn't get a headache...I didn't feel quesy...I think maybe the first time you seriously drink...it's a freebie. I think that maybe next time, I'll be pretty hammered if I drink the same amount. Fortunately for me, I think:

ALCOHOL IS SUCK! Give some fruit punch, Minute Maid Orange Soda, or sprite anyday...

or some SNAPPLE! Num num....num num in the tummy tum