a tippler’s life for me : preventing hangovers
November 9, 2006 by Cash
I like to think of my relationship with liquor as a love affair; somewhat naughty yet fulfilling in ways a ‘conventional’ romance could never be.
I truly enjoy the experience of drinking.
From the complex aroma and warm tingle of the first sip of a good scotch to the blue collar fun of downing Pabst Blue Ribbon in some dingy dive bar, boozing is a treat.
I’d like to believe the fact I haven’t had a hangover in the last two years is a testament to my fortitude and olympic training in the imbibing arts. More likely though, it’s thanks to some rules I *try* to follow when drinking.
RULE # 1 : Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
Despite what you may think, all that ‘water’ in booze isn’t doing your body any good. The reason is simple; alcohol is a diuretic. This basically means more water is used by your body to process and expel your drink than is contained within it. Since your body relies on water to survive, it’s important to keep your system balanced.
For every drink you have, try to follow it with an equal sized glass of water.
RULE # 2 : Stick to top shelf booze
Part of what causes a hangover is the amount of contaminents which remain in the liquor after the filtration process in complete. Higher quality (and yes, priced) liquor constantly advertises the fact that additional distillation is used (”Triple Distilled!”) for a reason; it makes the taste smoother and eases your body’s work in processing it. And leads to a lot less hangovers.
If you can’t afford top shelf booze, or simply like the thrill of buying a 1.75L of “Aristocrat” vodka; consider investing in a liquor filter, like the one my spiky haired friend Glenn reviewed here.
RULE # 3 : Eat before you drink
Yes, we’ve all heard the debate; “I get drunker when I don’t eat anything beforehand” vs. “I got wasted last night after that 3 course prix fixe meal at Restaurant De Hoity Toity”. No matter what you’ve heard, one fact remains: food helps prevent the immediate absorbtion of alcohol into your bloodstream. This is beneficial as it allows your body to more gradually acclimate to your boozing, which helps not only prevent hangovers, but lets you enjoy the drinking itself more as well.
RULE # 4 : Drink water, or even Gatorade before bed
Your body needs two things at this point: hydration and electrolytes. Maybe a big glass of water FOLLOWED by a dose of Gatorade might be just what the Dr. ordered. I’ve recently been hearing about using Pedialyte for this purpose, and some of the testomonials out there are pretty compelling.
RULE # 5 : Take a multivitamin BEFORE bed, Take an aspirin IN THE MORNING
A multivitamin can help replenish the B vitamins the booze has depleted. An aspirin in the morning can ease a potential headache and is a decent pain reliever overall.
The most IMPORTANT thing regarding pills, especially before bed when you’ve been drinking is this:
you shouldn’t take analgesics (that is, headache medicine) of any kind at this stage. Some folks pop pills as a preventative, even though the inevitable headache hasn’t yet arrived. This isn’t a good idea. Aspirin upsets the stomach and aggravates the symptoms of a hangover. Acetaminophen (Tylenol), when mixed with the alcohol still in your bloodstream, might cause your liver to explode (best to avoid).
Soyouwanna.com (from whom much of the above is excerpted) also has an excellent “Ultimate Hangover Cure” which I have used, and suggested less professional grade drinking friends use, to GREAT effect.
Drink hard, drink often.
Discussion: Readers, what are you suggestions to help prevent / cure a hangover?
Technorati Tags: hangover, hangover cure, stopping a hangover, preventing a hangover, too drunk, getting drunk, alcohol poisoning
I know someone with a Kitchen Aide Mixer… It’s real nice.
Good advice, except those pbrs should be enjoyed with a shot of well gin…
The few times I’ve managed to match drink per water, I’ve woke up feeling suprisingly good.
An easy way to manage the water intake is to order one when you get your drink, then don’t order your next drink until they’re both gone. The downside to the water technique is the frequent trips to the bathroom. However, it does allow you to “peruse” the bar and it’s worth it in the morning.
Great suggestion Kevin! I’ll try this technique tonight.
How to Avoid a Hangover - Urban Monarch…
About a year ago we posted a story about how to beat a hangover, but with the holidays coming it’s never a bad idea to get a refresher. We’ve been mucking around over on the Urban Monarch site quite a……
Water works for me, too - usually at the end of a drinkfest I’ll down a bottle of water, then have a few sips before bed (or chugs; my mouth usually feels like cotton at this point), and cross my fingers. It seems to work - I rarely get headaches, the nausea is less intense, and I’m usually in top shape by 3 pm or so.
Here’s a hangover cure for if you have absolutely nothing to do the day after you party. Let’s say you go to bed at 2am. drink a big glass of water/gatorade with a vitamin pill before bed. next to your bed have the following things: a bottle of smartwater (with the electrolytes), 2 alkaseltzers, and 2 tylenol PM’s. set your alarm for 6am (it’s important to get about 3-4 hours of non-drinking time in). when it goes off, take the smartwater with alkaseltzer and use it to down the tylenol PM’s. this’ll hydrate you, settle your stomach, and knock you out until about 2pm, by which time your hangover will be gone. works like a charm.
Rehydrate as much as possible. Next day pop a valium. Will settle pain in head, stomach upset, the general jitters and help you really sleep it off.
[...] Urban Monarch: Preventing Hangovers “I’d like to believe the fact I haven’t had a hangover in the last two years is a testament to my fortitude and olympic training in the imbibing arts. More likely though, it’s thanks to some rules I *try* to follow when drinking.” [...]
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