Hangover Hints
Hang Over: How to avoid it and counter it!
The best cure for a hangover, as we all know, is abstinence or moderate drinking. But that’s going to be a tough advice to follow, especially after we have equipped you with some knowledge on mixology! There is a good and fun side to drinking but one must do so responsibly, so as not to wake up with a splitting headache and a spinning hangover!
To prevent hangovers we must know what causes it:
1. Dehydration: Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it is a substance that increases urination and flushes fluids from the body. Drinking coffee the next morning only increases this problem, as coffee is also a diuretic.
2. Too much alcohol in the bloodstream: Too much alcohol depletes the body of necessary substances required to stay healthy. These include blood sugar, vitamins and minerals.
Which alcohol give the worse hangover ?
This would really vary on your body metabolism but researchers believe that Brandy is the ‘worst’ drink for hangovers. Then, in descending order: red wine, rum, whisky, white wine, gin and vodka. Certain types of wine can also cause a bad hangover if they are too young or from a bad crop harvest.
What’s the cure for a hangover?
Well one way is stay drunk and you wont be hung over! But seriously, one more drink is a good way to avoid a hangover if the drink is something like a Bloody Mary. The non-alcoholic cures are fruit cocktails because they dehydrate you and energize you just like a hot soup.
“When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading." - Henny Youngman
If you are still reading this section, you haven’t taken our advice of drinking in moderation and are here looking for more cures. Try them at your own risk. Well, there's nothing to lose... you can’t feel any worse than you already are!
- The Swiss take a sip of brandy with a dash of peppermint as a hangover cure.
- The Italians prefer eating olives and tomatoes.
- The French drink onion soup !
- The Spanish love their Gazpacho -- a blended tomato and vegetable soup served cold.
Vitamin B - Try taking Vitamin B before you begin your big night out. This will build a reserve of Vitamin B in your system. There are also some anti hangover pills that prevent you from getting too tipsy!
Vitamin C - orange juice, tomatoes and/or a 500mg Vitamin C tablet.
Drink fruit juices - Most fruit juices contain sugar (fructose) and this will help burn the alcohol left in your body.
"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut." - Ernest Hemingway
Ginseng Tea - Skip coffee and have tea / herbal teas like Ginseng
Water - Before going to your big night out, we recommend drinking between three to six glasses of water. Also, the perfect way to pace yourself is to take some water after every drink. If you have not had the opportunity to drink water before and if you do not alternate your drinks with water, then drink as much as you can before you sleep.
Food - Beans, rice, cereal and nuts all contain Vitamin B1, which will help metabolize the alcohol in your system. Having a full stomach when you are drinking helps to slow down the effects of alcohol and reduce the severity of a hangover. Even having a bite once you are back home after a night out and assuming you are in your senses to reach into the refrigerator and operate the microwave, eating something before you sleep can help that 'morning after' queasy feeling. Pizza and Pasta are good, as cheese and carbohydrates are a good source of amino acids. Food, before, during and after a big night is always a good idea. While food doesn’t absorb alcohol, it does increase metabolism, which in turn activates alcohol consumption and increases the speed at which your body processes the alcohol.
A hot shower is good too get rid of the toxins, a soak in the tub can be good too but don’t end up falling asleep in there!
“I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day." - Frank Sinatra
For a ‘splitting’ headache - try herbal oils or ointments with menthol which can be applied on the forehead and temples, these will increase the blood flow to your brain.
For an ‘upset’ stomach - Try herbal teas - Ginseng and Ginger tea with a dash of lemon too.
It is also good to drink sports drinks like Gatorade, Powerade, etc. It’s meant to dehydrate your body and replenish electrolytes, sugar and other nutrients in your body.
So now that you are armed with enough information to battle that hangover... let's go get a drink!
