Why You Get Hungover

As you pick up a green-colored beer this St. Patty's Day, keep in mind that the alcohol you take in will stick with you.

Alcohol has many effects on our brains and behavior. It lowers your inhibitions (creating the "Beer Goggles" effect), but it also messes up your body. As your body breaks down alcohol, it turns it into acetylaldehyde, a compound that is toxic.

That's what causes your headache and hangover the next day. If you are lucky, the enzymes in your body are able to break down this compound and excrete it quickly, leaving you with less of a hangover.

There's hope in the future, though.

Researchers recently announced that they are using nanotechnology to design enzyme complexes that can metabolize alcohol in your blood, which could one day lead to an alcohol 'antidote.'

Here's more myths and facts about drinking, to share with all your drunken "Irish" friends on St. Patrick's day, from Bytesize Science: