Can alcohol make you hungry?

This is the second time I've had this problem. I eat well during the day, go out for a few drinks at night, and suddenly I'm STARVING. Not, I'm drunk and craving that piece of pizza. I'm physically hungry. And when I go to bed rather than indulge I wake up ravenous the next morning. WTF? Can alcohol actually make you hungry?

Yes.

I have 35 extra lbs as proof   (down from 75)

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/focus/nutrition/fa cts/lifestylemanagement/alcohol.htm

http://journals.cambridge.org/production/acti on/cjoGetFulltext?fulltextid=914680

That is the case for most people (hence chippies and kebab places being open at ridiculous hours of the morning), however I for some reason am completely the opposite, if I have a hard night on the booze (probably tonight) I find myself not being hungry until some point in the PM the next day, I just feel so not hungry on hangovers!

I've heard that a lot of people mistake dehydration for hunger. Since drinking dehydrates you, maybe it is really thirst instead of hunger. Just a thought. ?

Alcohol is a stimulant and this can lead to hungry feelings.  As blondiecath correctly points out, hence the success of late-night kebab shops etc!!  (They're rarely eaten when sober)  Alcohol is also converted sugar so drinking a lot of alcohol is like going on a sugar binge...  your body produces too much insulin and you experience a sugar crash fairly soon afterwards.  This sugar crash can continue to the next day, contributing to hangover symptoms and it's why traditional 'cures' often involve a lot of starch, sugar and grease.... a 'fry up' and Coca Cola for example....  gets the blood-sugars back up to a normal level.

Thanks, this is really helpful.

I guess I just thought it was weird because recently I've cut WAAAY back on my drinking, from like 10-12 drinks/night alcoholic-style to 1-3 drinks/night moderation-style. I get the whole drunk-hunger thing, but I thought it was weird that after just a few drinks I wake up the next morning so hungry, I never had that before.

But I just had a big salad, so I think I fixed it for now anyway :)

Drinking does not make me hungry but it loosens my willpower along with my inhibitions, so I am less cautious about what and how much I eat.

I also want to point out that if you are drinking 1-3 drinks every night, that's beyond "moderation style." You may be fooling yourself about a bigger problem. Are you capable of not taking a drink for an extended time -- say, a week? 

Sorry, that was really unclear. What I meant is that on nights that I drink, I have cut back from binge drinking usually around 10 drinks to having a moderate amount-- 1-3 drinks. I certainly don't drink every night! Usually once or twice a week. And yes, I am capable of not drinking for an extended period of time. Earlier this semester I did not drink at all for over a month. The binge drinking was a problem (unfortunately at my college a socially acceptable one) which is why I stopped drinking for a while and why I've now cut back.

Good for you! Changing this behavior early in your life is the best thing you can do for your future health (speaking fr. experience w/friends + family).

Besides, there are all those empty calories that can just wreck a diet ;)