“Cure” for the Modern Hangover
Sunday, March 1st, 2009
I cannot tell you how many times I have woken up with my head ready to explode. Hangovers suck - plain and simple. Countless people ask the question “how can I cure a hangover”. There IS an answer, but you’re not going to like it; stop drinking! I know, the notion is completely ridiculous. If you are not willing to give up drinking, I understand. Alcohol makes everything better, except the morning after…
While there is only one real cure, there are a number of ways you can help ease the effects of a hangover. As with most things, prevention is better than treatment. So, when you plan to go out for a night on the town, prepare yourself.
The first thing you should know is that you should never drink on an empty stomach. Drinking without a sufficient amount of food in your stomach is one of the worst things you can do to your body, and it will cause horrible hangovers. Food basically acts as a filter for the body, absorbing some of the alcohol you consume.
You should also drink plenty of water, both before and after drinking. Alcohol goes straight through your body and does not provide any hydration whatsoever. Therefore, you should drink a lot of water and juices, as your body will often be dehydrated. Remember that any water or juice you drink before going to sleep will do much more than anything you drink in the morning.
Another step you should take to prepare yourself is to make whatever “miracle cure” shake you use. Everyone has their own version of a hangover cure, usually in the form of a disgusting shake or drink. If you don’t have your own recipe, search for one on the internet - there are quite a few out there. You should prepare your “cure” the night before, as you most likely won’t have the energy, nor the brain power, to make it in the morning.
If you prepare your body for the harmful effects of alcohol, you should feel a bit better in the morning. However, if you drank more than a beer or two, you are not going to feel at your best. You will still have a headache, and you will still feel horrible in general. So, below I have compiled a list of things that have helped me in the past in regard to surviving the morning hours.
photo credit: cutglassdecanter
The first step is to avoid coffee as well as more alcohol. Many people get stuck in their normal daily rhythms, and simply reach for the coffee pot. From my own personal experience, I can tell you now that this is NOT a good idea. Yes, it is true that caffeine can help with headaches; however, it is also a diuretic, so it further promotes dehydration. At this point the last thing you want to do is dehydrate your body further.
If your hangover is bad, go back to bed! Don’t even bother with life - call in sick, make up an excuse, whatever you need to do to get out of your responsibilities. I am not trying to breed a group of slackers here, but I know that it is very hard to get anything done when you are hung-over, so going in to work would be pointless. You need rest at this point, and sleeping in can help with your headache as well.
If you follow all the above instructions, you will feel horrible. However, if you don’t follow these instructions, you will feel HORRIBLE. Let’s face it - hangovers hurt, no matter what. There is no cure, and anyone who tells you that there is has been misled.
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Tags: alcohol, Hangover, headache, Health
