Your brain doesn't dry out or change size
but if you are dehydrated then in order to maintain intracranial pressure you get vasoconstriction which causes the headache. The brain itself doesn't feel pain.
Hangover headaches are a combintion of dehydration (alcohol acts on the kidneys to stop them reabsorbing water, hence the 'breaking the seal' phenomenon) and feeling sick from the breakdown products of ethanol, which are generally nasty aldehyde type stuff and much more toxic than ethanol itself.
/science
(berk, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 16:40, 2 replies, latest was 15 years ago)

My liver must be so fucked

( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 16:43, Reply)

THat's the wonderful thing about Livers
they regenerate so well, if you stop drinking for a while it'll be back to normal quite soon.
(Bazongaloid, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 16:46, Reply)

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic here
livers always seem to do alright on House.

I won't be drinking over Easter apart from on one or two selected days of fun. Might give it a rest. Either that or it's already fucked and has just given up even trying to process it, thus no hangovers
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 16:49, Reply)

Livers rock
It's why all these detox plans are fads, your body does a great job of detoxing anyway.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 16:51, Reply)

Quite.
Most of those diets are more harmful as you aren't getting the various vitamins and minerals etc.
(Bazongaloid, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 16:57, Reply)

Nope, Al speaks the truth for once
worryingly, if you're a chronic alcohol abuser, just before your liver packs in entirely you stop getting hangovers; your liver can no longer break down the ethanol in to the stuff that makes you ill.
However if you've never gotten a hangover you probably don't need to worry about that; some people just don't.
(berk, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 16:56, Reply)

I'm pretty sure
Amberl isn't even close to damaging her liver. Drinking once or twice a week while you're a student is not the same as drinking two bottles of wine a day for 15 years.
(Bazongaloid, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 16:58, Reply)

I suspect she could drink you under the table
if she matched you drink for drink, she would still be going and only mildly tiddly - and certainly not hungover - whilst you would be lying in a green foetal puddle, having drunk enough booze to dissolve your organs.
(berk, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 17:03, Reply)

Haha ha
I would love to put this to the test.

Actually, let's do it in July.
(Bazongaloid, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 17:06, Reply)

You go right ahead
I would die a horrible drunken death long before either of you were even slightly tipsy, I expect.
(berk, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 17:07, Reply)

I'm taking you up on it Al

( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 17:09, Reply)

I assume you can't damage it
in one session though? Otherwise that accidental bottle of Baileys I drank as a kid has a lot to answer for :)

Yeah my dad doesn't get them either so presumably genetic. My brother has just started though which is hilarious.
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 17:00, Reply)

Ummm
as I recall from physiology binge drinking is actually better for you than long term chronic boozing. Don't tell the government I told you, though.
(berk, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 17:03, Reply)

What the fuck does the government know about anything?
Nothing that's what.
(Bazongaloid, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 17:06, Reply)

Excellent news if that is true

( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 17:07, Reply)

You and Me, July Bash,
Drinking 'til we puke on Berks unconscious body
(Bazongaloid, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 17:09, Reply)

Aww man
how can I say no? I'm sure we'll outlast the lot

Edit: I'd say there'd have to be a forfeit for the loser, but I suspect that the winner would be too drunk to remember that
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 17:10, Reply)

I'm behaving myself at that one
I don't want to have a hangover for Pulp.

EDIT - although if you mean unconscious as in asleep, yeah that'll probably happen.
(berk, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 17:13, Reply)

If you don't have a hangover
then I will spend the entire concert poking you in the face.
(Bazongaloid, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 17:13, Reply)

Then I will spend the entire concert punching you in yours.

(berk, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 17:17, Reply)

This is going to be the best concert EVAH!
Although the other bands on that day look fucking shite so far. I'm not impressed.
(Bazongaloid, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 17:18, Reply)

Oh, have they released moar bands?
If there's going to be nothing good on til Pulp, maybe I can get drunk after all: my hangover should have worn off by the evening.

EDIT - I'm sure Metronomy are the band Lampito likes, and they're actually quite good. Foals are alright as well.
(berk, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 17:20, Reply)

THere are about 5 announced so far
none of which I've ever heard of.

I was hoping they would get Shed Seven to reform along with Supergrass and the Bluetones.
(Bazongaloid, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 17:21, Reply)

It sounds pretty good :)
don't think there's tickets left though.
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 17:25, Reply)

There are...
the official ticketmaster thinger still has them.
(berk, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 17:27, Reply)

Oh I thought they'd gone
I'm tempted now. However after ball night (with attendant staying up till 6am then travelling to London for the bash that evening) I might be a bit wiped
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 17:29, Reply)

A teeny teeny tiny bit, possibly
gates don't open til about 2pm though, so you'll have 12 or so hours of post bash pre gig recovery...
(berk, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 17:30, Reply)

I do genuinely pity your liver
I pity Monty's more though. And as Al says, they are quite clever; you can lose something ridiculous like 80% of your liver and still have perfectly normal liver function.
(berk, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 16:49, Reply)

I knew hangover dehydration caused headaches.
I just didn't know the specifics, I was never any good at biology.

*shameface*
(BelladonnaAnodyne Melissa's gonna wet herself, I swear..., Thu 10 Mar 2011, 16:47, Reply)

I imagine you know a great deal about law that I don't!

(berk, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 16:49, Reply)

I *never* get to use it to correct people on here though :(

(BelladonnaAnodyne Melissa's gonna wet herself, I swear..., Thu 10 Mar 2011, 16:51, Reply)