Hangover Tips
The approach of New Years Eve means that millions of people will be over indulging in the festivities, and paying the price on January 1st. For some reason most people think the best way to start a new year is to spend all day on the couch with a pounding headache and an upset stomach. If that’s your idea of a good start to the new year, so be it. But, there are some really simple solutions to ease the hangover, such as drinking less alcohol and drinking more water. But, those two simple items always seem to be forgotten in the spirit of the moment. If the party is worth the price the next day, then here are few tips to get your new years rolling with a milder hangover.
Hangover Tip #1 - Drink Choice
After doing a little research on hangover cures, many websites mention that drinking spirits with low congener levels, like vodka, are a good way to stave off a hangover. Well, this may sound good in theory, but the reality is that when you drink a spirits that is flavourless, like vodka, it tends to go down easier. Since it is easy to drink, you also tend to drink more of it, which leads to a bigger hangover!
If you make it too easy to drink, your hangover will be worse. My advice is to drink something that tells your body you are drinking alcohol. It may seem odd, but when you actually taste the alcohol, you will probably slow down. As you slow down, your liver will be able to process the ethyl alcohol and hopefully ease tomorrows hangover.
Hangover Tip #2 - Morning Coffee
When you wake up and realize that you are going to be paying the price for your night out, here’s a little tip; drink some coffee if you are a regular coffee drinker. Yes, I know, everybody says drinking coffee is bad the next day because it has caffeine in it, and caffeine is a diuretic and supposedly dehydrates you more. Well, this bit of research isn’t as clear as it should be. It should be noted that research conducted by Dr. Larry Armstrong, an many others, states that caffeine is a “mild diuretic” and if you drink coffee, the body does retain some of the fluid, so it isn’t as good as water, but it is pretty close. Also those who regularly drink caffeine based beverages have a higher tolerance to the diuretic effect, meaning that it won’t dehydrate your body as much as someone who doesn’t drink caffeine based beverages.
So why have coffee? Well, if you are a regular drinker of coffee you will have a mild to moderate caffeine dependancy. That in itself isn’t a bad thing, but it does have some effects if you decide to quit drinking coffee cold turkey, like the day you have a bad hangover. What happens when you don’t get your daily dose of caffeine, is your body will suffer some moderate caffeine withdrawal symptoms which include; headaches, lethargy, and moodiness. Add those to the effects of a hangover and you will effectively have a more severe hangover.
The diuretic effects of the caffeine will be extremely mild compared to the effects of caffeine withdrawal, so brew a nice fresh pot of coffee and have your normal daily consumption of coffee, plus one cup, your body will thank you.
Hangover Tip #3
Don’t take two aspirin before you go to bed. Your headache hasn’t arrived yet, so there is no point. The most important part is that the combination of alcohol and analgesics (Tylenol, Advil, Aspirin, etc.) is really bad for your liver. In really severe cases, your liver can be damaged, which is not a good thing, plus you need your liver to process the ethanol to avoid the hangover. So be kind to your liver, don’t take any medicine until the next day.
Don’t’ Drink & Drive!
Now I shouldn’t need to say this, but don’t be stupid, leave your car at home, and don’t drink and drive.
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16 Comments on Hangover Tips
Leave a comment on Hangover Tips
What has worked well for me in the past is to drink as much water as I can hold, before succumbing to unconsciousness. While I have no studies (other than of myself ) to back me up, it would stand to reason that dehydration can be alleviated by massive quantities of water. It may also give the body something to flush out your irritated stomach, etc. I figure even if it isn't helping, it can't hurt!
The drinking of milk has always served me well (when I remember). Drink a glass before going out and I have a reduced intensity hangover.
The morning after requires a bowl of noodles, and a bottle or two of water next to the bed; and a couple painkiller (non-caffeine).
The best method is to have a couple of beers when you wake up.
the worst thing to do is have a couple of beers (or the hair of the dog that bit you). if you were suffering from arsenic poisoning would you take more arsenic to get better? probably not.
the best thing for you (to re-hydrate) is water, salt and sugar. take 8tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp of salt and 1 litre of water. mix well and consume with the same vigor you were consuming your drinks the night before. the salt helps your body absorb the sugar and the sugar helps absorb the water.
I generally find that if I don't wake up before around 5 PM the next day, I usually feel pretty good. :)
There is only one hangover cure, hydration/lubrication. Drink 2 12 oz glasses of water with every bloody Mary. 2-3 in and you will feel fine. I know you technically are just reintroducing alcohol into your system, however, the idea is that you are using this to kill the pain, while slowly weaning your body form this, allowing your liver to do it’s job over a longer period of time. That or if you have one take a 250 mg vicodine, this will work. Note, you should only take prescription drugs that were prescribed to you.
Coffee, if you drink it, water if you don't. B-complex vitamins and something with potassium in it. Pineapple is good if you can't choke down a banana. After you eat a little something, then go to the pain reliever - try to stay away from acetaminophen, your liver is working hard enough as it is. Aspirin is still the best in this situation.
And a Bloody Mary never hurts...
Next morning,
2 excedrin, multivitamin, lots of water.
Let me throw my support behind Tim & Tony. Water, and plenty of it. My anti-hangover approach is a) drink as much water as I can stand before crashing, b) drink as much water as I can stand after peeing like a racehorse in about two hours, c) repeat step b) as necessary.
Yes, you'll be spending lots of quality time with the porcelain. But it is much less likely that you won't be hugging the porcelain!
And I'll be walking home from the bar.
For every alcholic drink you consume, drink that much water - helps keep a hangover at bay. My favorite hangover cure is coke, coffee, a medley of tylenol/advil/aspirin and a cheeseburger from Burger King. Don't know why the burger works, but it does.
To add on the water theory, water is a must in curing a hangover. You can also find enhanced water (smartwater is my favorite) at any gas station or grocery store that will rehydrate you and replace vitamins and electrolytes depleted by the alchohol.
Pre:
I recommend a good helping of pizza a little while before you go out drinking. There's carbs, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and has whatever milk/cheese/yogurt has that helps staves off a bad hangover. and more importantly -fat-. Fat helps slow down alcohol absorbtion.
Yes, pizza is the ultimate hangover cure and it's delicious too.
During:
Drink slow and steady. If you decide that you must drink more in a night then increase drinking pace gradually and taper your drinking off near the end. Snacks and non-alcoholic drinks are good too.
After:
If you're starting to sober up before you're asleep. Drink some water and maybe eat something. I like going for some fast-food. Then go to sleep. Excercise also helps.
If you feel sick for whatever reason you're not gonna feel well no matter what. Vomit it up, hug the porcelain god, do whatever you gotta try not to make a mess as that will make for an evil hangover when you come to the next morning. After you're done being sick rince your mouth out with water, then brush your teeth, and drink some water and go to sleep.
If you're fully drunk when you're body is ready to turn in be careful where you choose to sleep. or with who. This is not always possible so you have to make do with what you got available. Some people try go get into a car and drive to rest at home where they feel comfortable. It's risky and doing so could endanger lives and you could possibly get a criminal record. The drunk tank is definently not a good place to wake up in with a hangover. Try a taxicab instead.
Morning after:
This is the time to drink lots of water. Your body is dehydrated in the morning and filling yourself up on water prior to coming to is just going to make you go more in the morning. Tylenol or aspirins are good for if you got a headache which I usually don't when I follow these guidelines. Eat a good breakfast and don't skip out on the protein. Orange juice and milk are great for washing down eggs.
If you want an Iron Man cure for a hangover, listen up; this'll cure you in ten minutes flat (especially good if you've overslept and have a job interview in twenty minutes):
1. Pour the tallest glass of chocolate milk you can pour, and drink it all in one fell swoop.
2. Go to the washroom and induce vomiting immediately.
3. Go back to the kitchen and pour yourself another tall glass of chocolate milk, and drain it all back once again.
4. Run to washroom and induce vommiting immediately.
5. If need be, repeat steps 1 and 2, and if you REALLY need it, steps 3 and 4. Realistically, you should be fine by the end of step 4.
If you aren't up for that kind of trial by fire, try the hair o' the dog. Crack a beer open before you go to sleep and leave it on your nightstand. Wake up and polish it off as fast as you can. You'll be right as rain in no time. Warm, stale beer is an amazing hangover cure.
Two asprins and two glasses of water before bed. Plus a bowl of corn flakes with just a little milk either before bed or first thing in the morning.
The only thing I know for sure aside from water that works for curing a hangover is to eat and drink lots of tomato based food/drinks... marinara, salsa, pizza, gazpacho soup, V8, bloody mary, bruschetta, all of these things work extremely well.
wow i never knew there was a science to hangovers.. thanks guys
dont f@!#ing drink...