The AFformula review from one of the previous posts has made me go for this follow-up and explain what is alcohol flush reaction and why is it an unpleasant condition.
To define it in simple terms, Asian flush syndrome (also known as alcohol flushing reaction) is a condition in which your face turns red and starts appearing flushed when you consume alcohol. The condition has been gaining popularity for all the wrong reasons recently because of the hard time sufferers face in public situations.
The reason the condition has the word “Asian” in it is because around 50% of all Asians suffer from it. However, this does not mean that it only affects Asians. Anyone can suffer from the syndrome irrespective of their ethnicity.
When a teenager matures into a young adult, it usually involves social gathering where alcohol is being consumed. Since this is a first experience for many, each person usually consumes a lot of alcohol. For many people, their first drink is the first time that they have gotten a chance to loosen up a little and have a little fun. This is accompanied by the misconception, the more you drink, the more fun you will have. Well in the case of people that have Asian flush syndrome, they end up getting a lot more than they bargained for.
Sufferers basically cannot metabolize alcohol completely which is why the problem occurs. In most people, symptoms are evident during the first few drinks itself. The usual red flushing is accompanied by some other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, itching, blotching, swelling, headaches and dizziness. Not everyone experiences all the symptoms. You may experience only a few of them or all of them depending on how bad your condition is.
First, you have to realize that if you feel any of these symptoms coming on, you should stop drinking immediately as it will only bring you more pain and not only from being drunk, just imagine having a combination of the above symptoms to deal with while you were drunk.
So how do you deal with it? Unfortunately, there isn’t any pills or medicine or alternate treatment that can fix your problems. There isn’t a lot of research put into it either. I reckon it’s because most Asians aren’t bothered with drinking too much alcohol. In fact, it could actually be a good thing as it might reduce the number of alcoholics around.
There are a few techniques for getting rid of Asian flush although none of them are full proof. There are drugs as well as home remedies to control it. You can have a normal social life, all you have to do is restrict your alcohol consumption. Focus more on socializing and less on getting drunk, you should be able to have a good time and not let your enzyme deficiency ruin your life.