Like most people, I love to mellow with a glass of wine in the evening. From the moment it’s poured into the decanter (call me ~fancy~), it’s a sensual experience. I genuinely enjoy its volatile aroma, the alcoholic taste darting across your tongue, and the lingering flavor that it imbues after you swallow. But with these pros comes a huge con—my “party buzz” also looks a bit different from the average person.

It starts almost immediately, within the first few sips. No more than a gentle warmth in the cheeks, as if you were blushing from something embarrassing. It’s nothing you couldn’t ignore or that would attract attention if you were drinking with friends. 

But the sensation escalates exponentially as I continue to drink, and as the blood vessels in my face dilate, the heat crawls to my earlobes and my beet-red cheeks look as if they’ve been through a bad sunburn. A thudding headache creeps in. By the time I’m halfway down my glass, my nose starts to run and itchy bumps begin to form on my skin. My heart pounds fast as if I’ve just ran a half-marathon. And if I decide to finish the glass? My breathing becomes labored and wheezy, almost like an asthma attack or as if an especially dander-heavy cat just... READ MORE