Like even if it’s just a few shots, why does the body produces so much urine from just a few shots or drinks?
In: Biology
Among other mechanisms, there is a hormone your body is able to secrete that is commonly known as ADH which is short for “anti-diuretic hormone”. “Diuretic” means “leading to (increased) production of urine” – hence what this hormone does is make you urinate less by a number of different mechanisms in your kidneys which more or less all lead to a raised reabsorption of water. (This becomes important e.g. when you haven’t had enough water to drink – it would be a bad decision to urinate, i.e. excrete water when your body needs that very same water.)
Back to your question: What alcohol does is block a certain kind of ion channels in the neurohypophysis (the gland where aforementioned ADH is secreted). With these channels blocked, ADH cannot be released anymore. Now, with less ADH circulating in your system, your kidneys won’t reabsorb as much water and so you’ll end up with more urine to excrete.
Because alcohol is toxic and the body is attempting to remove both the excess liquid and the toxins from the body.
Your body doesn’t make the pee from the drinks. The alcohol sort of tells your body to get rid of water.
It’s not just the volume of liquid you consume. Alcohol is itself a diuretic, meaning it makes you pee more. Alcohol reduces the production of a hormone called vasopressin, which tells your kidneys to reabsorb water rather than flush it out through the bladder. Basically, it disrupts the normal process of your kidneys reabsorbing water and instead tells them to send it to your bladder as urine instead.
Alcoholic beverages are mostly composed of water.
Additionally, alcohol and it’s metabolic products act to dilate blood vessels, with regards to your question, in the kidneys for example.
This causes the kidneys to produce additional fluid. This is partly an attempt to remove some of the toxic waste products of alcohol metabolism.
Getting heavily drunk can lead to dehydration in this way. Dehydration is in fact one of the major causes of the symptoms of a hangover.
It’s generally a good idea to drink a glass of water, milk or some other non alcoholic drinks before going to bed after a night of drinking. This is one of the best ways to reduce or prevent a hangover.
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