We have all been there. The night before was a classic. You can just about remember it, you don’t know every detail but you know you had a good time. How? The hangover is proof!
Yes, there is a mathematical formula in life that says the worse the hangover, the better the night before was. It’s practically gospel. It is almost impossible to enjoy a great night out drinking without the negative repercussions of the pounding head, the dry mouth, dodgy stomach and that relentless urge you have to want the world to swallow you up.
So surely there is a cure? I mean, this isn’t one of medicine’s great enigmas. We know the symptoms… we know the cause… so where is the cure? Well, there isn’t a solitary hangover tablet that can help you but there are several techniques and methods you can use to tackle the despised hangover.
Paracetamol
This is considered to be the band aid approach to a hangover cure. The damage has been done and you will wake up with the headache from hell. You will then also have to wait for a small painful period of time as the paracetamol begins to kick in. They say prevention is better than cure so try to prepare for the night out better than relying on paracetamol to save you.
Milk
Don’t laugh. Milk is the secret weapon against hangovers. It might seem fairly harmless and soft but milk is one of the hangover’s worst enemies! Drinking a pint of milk before you begin drinking lines the stomach and prepares you in the best way possible to combat any ill effects of alcohol.
Don’t Mix the Drinks
You know the scenario. Your last recollection was your best mate whipping out the cash and saying ‘four tequilas please’. For every hangover there is a moment during the night when it all went wrong. Usually this involves someone getting a round of shots in or you drinking a drink that you don’t agree with. Avoid this event! Try your best to stick to the one drink. Mixing drinks is always a dangerous concoction and can result is heavy sickness!
Eat
Getting drunk on an empty stomach is not only ill advised on the hangover front but it is also very unhealthy. Without food lining the stomach the alcohol will just wear away at the stomach lining and increase the risk of damage to your stomach wall as well as heightening the chance of you being ill the next day. So make sure you drink on a full stomach. The food will absorb the alcohol and reduce its effects on your body.
Hydration
Some people are adamant that they don’t get hangovers because of their ‘one pint for every one pint’ rule. This is where the individual drinks one pint of water for every pint of alcohol they consume. Obviously replace pint of alcohol with cocktail glass, shot etc where necessary. Hydration is key in the fight against hangovers and even after you’ve stopped drinking, keep drinking water. The hydration will flush out the toxins and limit the damage caused by a hangover.
Stay off the Coloured Liquids
Only in the rare case is it not true that clear alcoholic liquids are less likely to give you a hangover than coloured liquids. Tequila, whiskey and brandy are always the bad guys when it comes to hangovers where as vodka, sambuca and gin can often be more lenient with regards to hitting you hard with a hangover. Try to avoid the coloured liquids to reduce the risk of the hangover.
Stay Happy
Mood has a large effect on us where alcohol is concerned. It can often emphasize our mood. If you are sad on the inside, alcohol will force you to show it on the outside. The same goes for when you are happy on the inside, the alcohol will bring that happiness to the surface. So try to be happy when drinking and that will lessen the blow of the hangover.
So, overall, there are a number of ways to avoid a hangover or, at least, decrease the damage it has on your body. It is certainly a case of prevention being better than cure. Essentially, when you are drinking you are putting your body under attack by alcohol. So by eating and drinking the right things and preparing yourself in the best way possible you are reducing the damage that alcohol can do to your body. In turn, you are decreasing the effects of the hangover. Only drink as much as you can handle and you have won half of the battle. Ultimately, everyone reacts to different alcohol in a unique way so just listen to your body.