Numb hands

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Why is it after i have been drinking alcohol, my extremities like my hands and feet go numb, cold and blueish?

I always forget to ask my doctor but it has happened again today.

what causes this?

That happens to me in the winter when I feel cold, even if my hands and feet in particular aren't cold. It's called Raynaud's Syndrome (in my case) and it's the body mistakenly thinking it's freezing and therefore constricting the blood flow in the extremities in order to preserve the core. However, I thought that alcohol dilated blood vessels and that's why it makes you feel warm, so the fact that you associate it with alcohol seems really odd.

Edit: Unless, perhaps, the flow of blood away from the core caused by the alcohol dilation tricks your body into thinking it's freezing?

It doesn't happen while i am drinking, it happens the next day, during the "hangover" stage. It is really weird.

Ohh, I see. That makes more sense.

it is very bizarre, that is for sure.

it feels funny to walk too, like my feet and ankles are asleep.

I can imagine. I don't get it much with my feet, but if I drive anywhere in the winter, even wearing heavy gloves, when I get to my destination, I have a lot of trouble turning the car off and unbuckling my seat belt because my hands are completely numb. It's strange because we take for granted having that feeling. It's hard to do anything when it's gone!

I didn't realise that other people didn't get it.