The War on Hangovers: 101 Tips to Prevent and Cure a Hangover

When planning an epic night out with you and the boys, it’s important to make sure you don’t all wake up feeling like garbage. With that being said we have all experienced the effects of the alcohol beginning to wear off the next morning after a big night. These crappy feelings can last anywhere from a few hours the next morning to several days, depending on how much alcohol was actually consumed. The most common symptoms of a hangover are sensitivity to light and noise, headache, nausea, dry mouth, thirst, lethargy, irritable mood, and an overall feeling of trash.

We all wonder; what actually causes a hangover? Winning the battle begins with knowing your “frienemy” inside and out; literally. First off, Alcohol is made of toxins such as ethanol. Ethanol is the type of alcohol used in cocktails that has the dehydrating effect we hate. This causes a majority of the hangover symptoms (medically known as veisalgia). The ethanol in liquor also affects the stomach lining, which is the cause of the nauseous feeling that we experience the next day. Other impurities are also added to alcohol during the distillation process, and these contribute to the nasty stomachaches we get with hangovers. These impurities are more common in sweet drinks and malt liquors.

When dealing with hangovers I personally like to treat them like a one night stand. Let’s be honest- No one wants “the fun” they had at night to linger and haunt them after waking up the next morning. In fear of experiencing another gruesome one night stand with alcohol, I have compiled a list of tips, tricks, home remedies and preventative measures that friends and family swear by. In no particular order

HOW TO PREVENT A HANG OVER (12)

1. Stay Hydrated! Drink plenty of water before, during and after the big night. (Drink one glass of water between drinks)

2. Avoid smoking it actually robs your body of oxygen and will make a bad hangover- even worse

3. If you can, try and drink clear alcoholic drinks like vodka, Chardonnay or gin. Colored drinks (Red wine, bourbon and jaeger) are more likely to cause a hangover.

4. Stop drinking at least an hour before hitting the sack. This gives your body time to metabolize the last few drinks you slammed.

5. Know the old saying: Liquor, then beer- You’re in the clear! Beer before liquor- Never sicker

6. Drink premium liquor, it usually has more natural ingredients and is distilled more than the cheap stuff.

7. Drink in moderation. Hangovers are worse when you consume more alcohol

8. Avoid mixing dark and clear alcohol. Try and stick with the same type of liquor all night.

9. Drink a glass of orange juice before crashing and as soon as you wake up. Orange juice will replace the potassium you lost during your drinking binge

11. Remember what you drank, in what order, and how much. Everyone’s body reacts differently so you can learn from what alcohol causes your hangover

12. Be sure to snack lightly: before, during and after you start drinking

WHAT TO EAT & DRINK TO CURE A HANG OVER (36)
Everyone’s body reacts differently to certain foods. I do not suggest trying all of these hang over remedies at the same time. Try the foods and drinks below that you enjoy.

13. Drink ONE cup of Coffee in the morning. As a diuretic it will help you flush out your system.

14. Eat eggs in the morning (Some people even suggest eating them raw…) they contain cysteine, which will help your symptoms

15. Add a few drops of bitters in some soda water helps to settle your stomach

16. Eat a few table spoons of honey to relieve your dry throat

17. Have a few scoops of vanilla ice cream followed by 6oz of warm salt water. The salty-sweet hot-cold will alert your body to snap out of it

18. Drink lots of milk. It will supply your body with calcium while rehydrating

19. Eat a big bowl of soup for lunch (another way to help hydration)

20. Have a banana to replenish those essential minerals

21. Have some “Buffalo milk” It’s a concoction of ice cream, dark rum, cream liqueur, spiced rum, and whole cream.

22. Add a spoonful of baking soda to your drink in the morning; it will ease your upset stomach

23. Drink Pineapple juice. It contains simple sugars that will get you roaring to go

24. Eat Rice. This carb is easy on the stomach and will help you feel human again.

25. Get Spinach! It’s filled with so many green antioxidants and it the Octicossin in spinach absorbs the alcohol in your blood level and reduces the time you have that “UGH” feeling

26. Eat lots of bread to help soak up the alcohol

27. Eat apples on an empty stomach the morning after

28. Try the ayurvedic hangover cure. Add orange juice, lime juice, and a pinch of cumin.

29. Drink pickle juice. The sodium will help retain water

30. Slam a 5 hour, or energy drink.

31. Eat asparagus. Studies show the whole veggie has natural hangover-fighters

32. Munch on some pretzels, potato chips or saltine crackers. The salt will do you good and the snack food will absorb some of that alcohol you drank.

33. Drink Coconut water or Coconut milk

34. Suck hard candy. It gets rid of the dry mouth and slightly helps with that low blood sugars caused from drinking

35. Hair of the dog! Consume 1 shot of whiskey, a warm beer, or a bloody mary the morning after…your body then begins to re-metabolize alcohol and rounds out the hangover…

36. Oatmeal & clam juice. (I’m sorry, but that is just gross)

37. Eat greasy food. It usually has twice the calories

38. Eat lettuce & cabbage, it hydrates and revitalizes

39. Eat Raspberry Italian ice an chase it with alka seltzer plus

40. Add the juice of one lemon to a cup of black coffee and drink it unsweetened and without milk.

41. Drink 1-2 cups of peppermint herb tea

42. Eat Prairie Oysters : 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, 1 whole raw egg (don’t break the yoke), 2 dashes hot, sauce, 1 dash pepper, 1 dash salt

43. Dip toast in olive oil and eat before drinking. The fat from the oil will help prevent a hangover

44. Slam a Yoo-Hoo chocolate beverage

45. Eat frozen mango

46. Drink strait sauerkraut juice it will replace lost nutrients.

47. Drink a Dr.Pepper. The caffeine and carbonation will sooth your stomach

48. Eat spicy food. It will help you sweat out the alcohol.

HANG OVER SUPPLIMENTS & MEDICATIONS (13)

49. Simply medicate yourself. Ibeprophen, Asprin, or Excedrin – take your pick! (DO NOT TAKE TYLENOL. It can cause serious liver damage)

50. Pop some multivitamins or Supplemental Vitamins B, C & D

51. Take two 70 mg capsules of Silymarin before you drink, and one in the morning (milk thistle).  It protects liver cells from alcohol by preventing toxins from entering them and helps to remove existing toxins.

52. Drink a Pedialite or Gatorade to replenish your electrolytes

53. Get Prickly pear cactus extract and at it to your meal

54. Get fluids intravenously. For this you will have to make friends with a paramedic.

55. Pop a Blowfish tablet. It’s a medicine that combines aspirin, lemon, caffeine and an antacid

56. Take a Thiamine supplement to help prevent the buildup of glutamate in the brain (which causes headaches)

57. Add a teaspoon of bifidus powder to your water before bedtime. Bifidus is the “friendly” bacterium that detoxifies acetaldehyde, a digestive byproduct of alcohol that is a major cause of hangovers.

58. Try feverfew (herb) as an alternative to aspirin. Aspirin can be pretty hard on your stomach, while feverfew is not.

59. Get some Kudzu Extract (or kuzu). Studies have shown that its isoflavones, diadzin and puerarin, can help relieve that hangover quickly!

60. Grab a probiotic supplement (acidophilus), it will restore the flora balance in your system.

61. Pop a hangover pill- try “Chaser”, “PreToxx”, or “RU 21”

OTHER TIPS & TRICKS ON HOW TO DEAL WITH HANGOVERS (11)

62. Pull your hair and fully stimulate your scalp. This has been proven to relieve headache.

63. Have Sex. Sex releases oxytocin, which reduces pain sensitivity and elevates mood.

64. Invest in sunglasses and avoid direct sun light

65. Get some eye drops to relieve your dry, blood shot eyes

66. Do a light work out to help sweat it out

67. Get lots of pure oxygen. Try an oxygen bar, it will help detoxify your body

68. Take a hot/cold shower. Hot water will open your pours and cold water will wake you up

69. Press on your temples and slowly massage counter clockwise to help the headache

70. Lay a cool wash cloth or compress on your head

71. Go Swimming! The cold water and the physical exercise will help relieve hangover symptoms

72. Hit a sauna. It will help open your pours and sweat out the toxins

PSYCHOLOGICAL TIPS TO HELP CURE YOUR HANG OVER (9)

73. Get plenty of rest the next morning. (Sleep through the pain!)

74. Dress in your favorite clothes the next day. If you look good, you’ll feel good!

75. Play your favorite music softly. Music will ease your state of irritability

76. Get a full body massage, it will help relax and soothe your aching body

77. Curl up with a blanket; it will help with the chills and make you feel warm and fuzzy to help you relax

78. Relieve your pounding skull by using natural oils for aromatherapy, or light mild scented candles

79. Act like you’re not hung over. Trick yourself into feeling good. Mind over matter!

80. Have a loved one take care of you. Nothing can make someone feel better

81. Go shopping for something you’ve always wanted. Studies have shown that getting what you want will make you physically feel better

WEIRD HANG OVER REMEDIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD (19)

82. Eat Almonds before you drink. American Indians claim that eating 6 raw almonds before consuming alcohol helps prevent intoxication and therefore less of a chance of a hangover.

83. Eating peanut butter before drinking. Africans use this to prevent hangovers

84. Suck on an umeboshi (picked plum) until it dissolves. The Japanese find that the acid in the umeboshi will break down the alcohol faster

85. Drink a juiced cucumber. Russians swear by this!

86. Native Americans would actually lick the sweat off their body (after a boozy night) before spitting it on the ground.

87. The Irish suggest burying yourself  in moist sand. Evidently it works by relaxing you. Like a day at the spa.

88. In Scottland, a butcher has created the ultimate hangover cure by combining Irn-Bru and common square sausage.

89. Deep fry a canary… then chow down! Some urban legends claim that deep fried canaries were the hangover cure of choice for the Ancient Romans.

90. Another Ancient Rome hangover remedy suggests a breakfast of sheep lungs and owl eggs

91. Rub lemons in your arm pits. A Puerto Rican remedy

92. Tripe Soup- A Turkish favorite. It’s made as the main ingredient for a thick soup which also includes the eatable stomach of livestock and then cooked with garlic and cream.

93. Eat matzo ball soup (The Jewish Penicillin)

94. American Cowboys used to drink hot tea with rabbit droppings to cure their hangover. No shit!

95. Mexican drinkers swear by a sausage called chorizo. Eat it for breakfast the day after the night of partying

96. Eat pickled sheep eyes with a cocktail of brine and tomato juice. Thank you Asia…

97. Chew on cumin seeds. Moroccans use this hang over remedy regularly.

98. Have a bowl of Miso Soup before going out drinking. (A Japanese cure to hangovers.)

99. Haitians say Use Voodoo putting 13 pins into the cork of the bottle of alcohol you drank. It will keep the hangover spirits away.

100. How about a coffee retention enema (some call this “cowboy” coffee). This hang over cure opens bile ducts to make the liver release toxins and the caffeine constricts, back down, painfully dilated blood vessels in the brain. If you’re brave enough for this one, make sure you use coffee that is room temperature!

After over 5,000 years of drinking, people still have not found any sure-fire hangover cures. Or at least, no true cure other than time. The only PROVEN way to prevent a hangover is the last tip on my list.

101. The best way to avoid a hangover is by abstaining from the consumption of alcohol…

yeah… right…