How does dehydration relate to alcohol use?

• A. Dehydration improves hangovers.
• B. Drinking coffee prevents dehydration from alcohol.
• C. Alcohol is a diuretic; dehydration worsens hangovers and impairment.
• D. Hydration has no effect on hangovers.

Answer: (C)

Alcohol makes you lose more water because it blocks the release of vasopressin, the hormone that helps your kidneys hold onto water. That diuretic effect means you urinate more, which leads to dehydration. When you’re dehydrated, hangover symptoms like headaches, fatigue, dizziness, and muscle weakness tend to be worse, and your thinking and coordination can be more impaired too because fluid and electrolyte balance affect how your brain works. So, describing alcohol as a diuretic and saying dehydration worsens both hangovers and impairment fits the real effect alcohol has on the body. It’s worth noting that coffee doesn’t reliably reverse dehydration from alcohol, and while staying hydrated is helpful for reducing some symptoms, it doesn’t remove alcohol’s impairing effects.