YOU’RE LUCKY –
Jan. 13, 2026 – Worse hangovers, more headaches — you’re not just imagining it. An aging body handles alcohol differently. If alcohol once made you feel fun and flirty but now makes you feel loopy, tired and headachy, congratulations — you’re probably getting old. There’s no question that our bodies struggle more with alcohol as we age. “I’m 53, so I’ve definitely noticed,” said J. Leigh Leasure, an alcohol researcher at the University of Houston.
With every year that ticks by, our bodies break down alcohol more slowly, leading to higher blood alcohol concentrations, more impairment and worse hangovers. A changing body and aging organs are main reasons for this, Dr. Leasure said, but there are likely other factors, too. Research suggests that starting at age 30, we lose up to 8 percent of muscle mass per decade, and body fat typically increases as you age.
Muscle contains more water than fat, so less muscle means less water in your body to dilute any alcohol you drink, resulting in a higher blood alcohol concentration, said Mollie Monnig, an alcohol and aging researcher at Brown University.
