So you had a rough one. Again. Now you’re lying in bed (or on the floor next to the toilet) the next morning trying to decide whether or not your life has any worth. This is an important decision and should not be taken lightly considering that it will be the reason you either do or don’t get up. Your head is spinning at a million light-years a second and you definitely aren’t moving anywhere. No matter how important that English tut you’re about to miss is to your future. A hangover is caused by a combination of the toxic by-product of alcohol metabolism (acetaldehyde), dehydration, and Vitamin A, B (particularly B6) and C depletion caused by the chemical action of alcohol on your system. The symptoms are usually a dry mouth, nausea, fatigue, dizziness and headache and are caused by a combination of these factors. “Oh my greatness,” you think while trying to remember how the heck to fix this. Well, Barman Green’s here to help. Read on for the best tips you’ll ever receive:
Hangover Remedies
Most hangover "remedies" simply attend to one or more of the symptoms and don't really provide a cure as such. The hangover won't stop until the alcohol is out of your system, but here are a few things that will ease the suffering a bit:
· Berocca - Puts the vitamin B back in, as well as the big glass of water it's mixed with. It's probably best to do this before you go out.
· Coke - Fizz for the nausea, liquid for the dehydration, and a caffeine and sugar hit to make you feel a bit more lively.
· Coffee - Same as Coke but without the bubbles to help ease the nausea. Try it with honey instead of sugar since the fructose is absorbed quicker than the sucrose in normal sugar, and it's better for you.
· Ginseng - It's been noted that since caffeine is a diuretic like alcohol, it can actually make the dehydration worse, so try the herbal equivalent instead.
· Marmite On Toast - Something in your stomach is good, and salty is even better. Plus you get a Vitamin B top up. The same reasons also make peanut butter a good choice, but the oily nature might make some sensitive stomachs feel a bit yucky. If you do try try this one, skip the butter and just have dry toast.
· Cold Pizza - Who knows, but it seems to work.
· Asprin - Simply attends to the headache and does nothing for the level of alcohol in your system. Don't take them before you go to bed.
· Bananas - Sugar in the form of fructose, and potassium, which is one of the things you lose lots of when you drink. Bananas are also a natural antacid to help with the nausea, and are high in magnesium which can help relax those pounding blood vessels causing that hangover headache. For a variety of reasons try a peanut butter, honey and banana sandwich on white bread.
· Vitamin C - Another thing the alcohol takes out that you're advised to put back in as soon as possible. Orange juice, tomato, a 600mg Vitamin C tablet - doesn't matter, just do it.
· A Hot Bath - The heat will sweat out the toxins that are causing all the problems. You'll feel a bit woozy at first but go with it and you'll feel better afterwards.
· Sauerkraut – Eating raw cabbage has been used right through history for preventing as well as curing hangovers.
Hangover Prevention
· Don't drink. (doh!)
· Take a Berocca before you start drinking. This gets a reserve of Vitamin B into you.
· Alternate fruit juice or water in amongst your drinks to avoid dehydration later on. Avoid fizzy or sugary stuff. The purists reckon that about 200ml of water is needed to effectively counteract each 30ml of alcohol.
· The alcohol in carbonated drinks is absorbed more quickly than in non-carbonated drinks.
· Reduce the amount of sugar you consume with your alcohol. The forced metabolism of sugar AND alcohol by your body will accelerate the depletion of B vitamins and make the hangover worse.
· The 2am pig-out. Pizza or pasta is usually best since cheese and carbohydrates are a good source of amino acids. Actually food is a good idea all round - before, during and immediately after drinking. Food doesn't absorb alcohol, but it does increase metabolism, activates alcohol absorption, and increases the speed with which the body processes alcohol.
Check out more hangover cures on Bek's blog at http://bekk.blogspot.com/2006/12/hangover-cures.html
And there you have it: from a barman’s mouth. Hangovers aren’t fun and neither are some of the remedies mentioned. All I have to say is: you deserve it!!!!
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