In daily life, "drunkenness" can be said to be common, and there are also several types of "unusual drunkenness" phenomena that occur from time to time but have not received sufficient attention.
"Oil Drunkenness"
This generally occurs in restaurant chefs or housewives who do the cooking. During festivals or when hosting guests at home, after the chef has meticulously prepared a table full of delicious dishes, they themselves have no appetite and often feel chest tightness, dizziness, a blocked throat, an urge to vomit that cannot be fulfilled, and weak limbs. People commonly call this being "fainted by cooking fumes," but this is actually "oil drunkenness." This is because the cooking fumes released at high temperatures contain a substance called acrolein, which enters the human body through respiration and can cause poisoning reactions, significantly slowing the heart rate, causing difficulty in breathing, and raising blood pressure. The higher the oil temperature and the longer the cooking time, the higher the concentration of acrolein and its polymers. Therefore, it is necessary to change the habit of high-temperature oil frying and only starting to stir-fry when fumes appear. At the same time, the cooking environment should be improved, and the kitchen should be equipped with exhaust facilities or range hoods to prevent chefs from inhaling acrolein.
"Meal Drunkenness"
After festivals or overeating, some people experience fatigue, drowsiness, and drowsiness. What is the reason for this? This is caused by the regulatory function of the body's physiological processes. Experiments have confirmed that the cerebral blood flow of healthy adults decreases to varying degrees after a meal. Due to the stimulation of the color, aroma, and flavor of the food, the function of the entire digestive system is enhanced during the meal, with a significant increase in digestive juice secretion. At the same time, during the digestion of food, the digestive system also needs to gather a large amount of body fluid to facilitate the digestion, absorption, transformation, and utilization of the food. Therefore, the body's blood must be rapidly redistributed, with more blood concentrating on the digestive organs, while the blood supply to the brain and other parts is relatively reduced, causing temporary cerebral ischemia. In severe cases, it can even lead to ischemic stroke. Therefore, attention should be paid to moderate eating, avoiding overeating, and it is not advisable to engage in strenuous work or intense exercise immediately after a meal.
"Tea Drunkenness"
Drinking tea has the effects of refreshing the mind, aiding digestion, resolving phlegm, detoxifying, and promoting urination. However, there are also unsuitable aspects of drinking tea, and improper consumption can also be harmful to the body. Su Dongpo of the Song Dynasty once said: "The world cannot do without tea, but it secretly harms many people." Some people may experience "tea drunkenness." For example, a person who does not often drink tea may experience palpitations, increased heart rate, nervousness, limb weakness, and slight tremors in the hands and feet if they frequently drinks strong tea on an empty stomach. In addition, the caffeine in tea has a stimulating effect on the nerves. If a large amount of strong tea is consumed at once, exceeding the usual tolerance, it can also cause reactions such as emotional agitation, nervousness, and gastrointestinal discomfort. Therefore, tea should be light and not excessive, especially for those suffering from heart disease, high blood pressure, stomach ailments, constipation, neurasthenia, iron-deficiency anemia, or tachycardia, it is even more unsuitable to drink strong tea.
"Water Drunkenness"
"Water drunkenness" is also known as water intoxication. Drinking too much water too quickly can lead to "water drunkenness." Mild cases include fatigue, weakness, drooling at the mouth, nausea, vomiting, chest tightness, abdominal bloating, and restlessness. Severe cases may delirium, mental confusion, epilepsy, or coma. For example, a female university student, after being diagnosed with an ovarian cyst, was advised by her doctor to drink more water before a B-scan, believing that the more water she drank, the more accurate the results would be. She went home and drank 30 glasses of water one after another. As a result, she developed headaches, nausea, restlessness, and stabbing pain in her limbs. When she was taken to the hospital, she was also shouting incoherently. Finally, after emergency treatment with sodium chloride and the dehydrating agent mannitol, she was out of danger. The cause of water drunkenness is that excessive water intake leads to an imbalance of electrolytes such as sodium and potassium, and even cerebral edema. Therefore, water intake should also be moderate.
"Smoke Drunkenness"
"Smoke drunkenness" is essentially the result of poisoning caused by nicotine and other harmful substances in cigarette smoke. Nicotine in cigarettes is highly toxic, with a lethal dose for humans of about 50 milligrams (equivalent to about 40 cigarettes). Other harmful substances include carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen compounds. Large doses of nicotine can damage the human central nervous system and the cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, and reproductive systems. For example, a young man smoked more than 10 cigarettes in half an hour (and subsequently experienced nausea, vomiting, confusion, paroxysmal headaches with whole-body muscle tremors, fear and anxiety, incoherent speech, poor orientation, and slow reaction. An examination also showed elevated blood pressure and a slowed heart rate, which is "smoke drunkenness." Normally, when one has a cold, is in a weak physical condition, is working at a desk, or is playing mahjong late into the night, continuous excessive smoking can easily lead to smoke drunkenness. Smoke drunkenness is also a chronic poisoning process. Over time, the body of a person with smoke drunkenness will undergo organic changes, causing more serious harm. Therefore, smoking cessation should be advocated to prevent poisoning and harm to health.
"Grain Drunkenness"
"Grain drunkenness," also known as "ergotism," is caused by *Fusarium graminearum* infecting wheat grains during the heading and flowering period, causing them to contain a large amount of harmful toxins. After human consumption, symptoms usually appear within 10 to 30 minutes. Mild cases include nausea, dizziness, abdominal pain, vomiting, general weakness, flushed face, and unsteady gait. Severe cases can also cause changes in respiration, pulse, body temperature, and blood pressure. To prevent "grain drunkenness," first, choose wheat varieties with strong disease resistance. Second, after harvesting, wheat should be threshed and dried in a timely manner. During storage, it should be turned, sun-dried, and ventilated frequently. Any wheat grains infected with *Fusarium* should be discarded and not used, nor should they be processed into flour for consumption to prevent poisoning.