Acharya Charaka lists down both positive and negative effects of alcohol on the body.
For our purposes of exploration, let me start by covering all the cautionary warnings, and terrible effects of alcohol, mentioned in charaka samhita, before revealing tips on how to enjoy intoxication without a hangover.
विषस्य ये गुणा दृष्टाः सन्निपातप्रकोपणाः |
त एव मद्ये दृश्यन्ते विषे तु बलवत्तराः ||९८||
viShasya ye guNA dRuShTAH sannipAtaprakopaNAH |
ta eva madye dRushyante viShe tu balavattarAH ||98||
This is shloka 98 from madatyaya, the 24th chapter from Charaka Samhita, called intoxication.
This says, the properties, that affect the human body, are exactly the same in alcohol, and venom.
Both of these affect vata, pitta and kapha, in the same way. The only difference, is that the effects of venom are much more potent, than alcohol.
Acharya charaka says alcohol has 10 attributes, out of overall 20, which are used to tag all things in ayurveda.
Incidentally, Ojas, or aura which is the final and most refined, form of Energy that is produced from the food we consume, also has 10 attributes.
Not only that, each of the 10 attributes of alcohol, counteract, each of the 10 attributes of Ojas !
This is mentioned in shloka 30,31 as follows:
लघूष्णतीक्ष्णसूक्ष्माम्लव्यवाय्याशुगमेव च |
रूक्षं विकाशि विशदं मद्यं दशगुणं स्मृतम् ||३०||
गुरु शीतं मृदु श्लक्ष्णं बहलं मधुरं स्थिरम् |
प्रसन्नं पिच्छिलं स्निग्धमोजो दशगुणं स्मृतम् ||३१||
laghūṣṇatīkṣṇasūkṣmāmlavyavāyyāśugamēva ca|
rūkṣaṁ vikāśi viśadaṁ madyaṁ daśaguṇaṁ smr̥tam||30||
guru shItaM mRudu shlakShNaM bahalaM madhuraM sthiram |
prasannaM picchilaM snigdhamojo dashaguNaM smRutam ||31||
The 10 qualities of alcohol are:
1. Lightness
2. heat generation
3. sourness
4. sharpness
5. quick action
6. roughness
7. absorbability
8. depressiveness
9. non-sliminess
10. subtleness
On the other hand
The 10 qualities of Ojas are:
1. Heaviness
2. Coolness
3. Sweetness
4. softness
5. clarity
6. unctuousness(or oiliness)
7. stability
8. smoothness
9. sliminess
10. viscosity
You can see by this, how alcohol, undoes all the hard work the body has put, into digestion, and assimilation of food into energy.
Not just that, acharya charaka, goes on to describe the horrible physical effects, that can be caused by alcohol, if it is not handled properly.
Here's shloka 101:
शरीरदुःखं बलवत् सम्मोहो हृदयव्यथा |
अरुचिः प्रतता तृष्णा ज्वरः शीतोष्णलक्षणः ||१०१||
śarīraduḥkhaṁ balavat sammōhō hr̥dayavyathā|
aruciḥ pratatā tr̥ṣṇā jvaraḥ śītōṣṇalakṣaṇaḥ||101||
which means, devere physical distress, mental confusion, cardiac pain, anorexia, continued thirst, and constant bouts of fever and chills.
shloka 102:
शिरःपार्श्वास्थिसन्धीनां विद्युत्तुल्या च वेदना |
जायतेऽतिबला जृम्भा स्फुरणं वेपनं श्रमः ||१०२||
śiraḥpārśvāsthisandhīnāṁ vidyuttulyā ca vēdanā|
jāyatē'tibalā jr̥mbhā sphuraṇaṁ vēpanaṁ śramaḥ||102||
this means, pains like electric shocks, in the head, sides, and joints, severe yawning, twitching, tremors, and exhaustion.
shloka 103 :
उरोविबन्धः कासश्च हिक्का श्वासः प्रजागरः |
शरीरकम्पः कर्णाक्षिमुखरोगस्त्रिकग्रहः ||१०३||
urōvibandhaḥ kāsaśca hikkā śvāsaḥ prajāgaraḥ|
śarīrakampaḥ karṇākṣimukharōgastrikagrahaḥ||103||
Chest pains, hiccups, disorders in the eye, ear, mouth and stiffness in the sacrum...
these shlokas go on and on into vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and hallucinations.
So, here are the horrors of alcohol, as mentioned by acharya Charaka.
But he doesn't say these just to put one off of alcohol. He also goes on to praise alcohol for it's tremendous positive qualities.
He calls it bhagavatI or a goddess.