Altitude and alcohol tolerance
 

Hi,
This is really a question about climbing mountains, but also relevant to flying without oxygen around 10,000 ft unpressurised.
I have read / heard somewhere (I think!...) that moderate drinkers adapt better to high altitude conditions, for example when climbing a mountain. This is given that the moderate drinker is otherwise in as good shape as his teetootal companion.
Can anyone with a medical background with first hand experience or knowledge of relevant research substantiate and explain this??
It occured to me the other day on recovering from the effects of (slightly more than) moderate alcohol intake that some of the symptoms of altitude sickness are the same as those of a hangover...
Thanks for any info.
Bill