We’ve pretty much all been there; some of us more than others! Frolicking half the night on the town only to wake up the next morning with a jackhammer pounding in your head and the feeling that someone put little fuzzy socks over all your teeth in the night.
Well, the stark reality is there’s no hangover fairy who can wave a wand over you so you’ll want to leap out of bed, throw wide the drapes and scream “Hello, you great, big, wonderful world”. The slightly good news is that there are some things that can help ease your pain, at least a little. The not so good news is that there are a kazillion “so-called” hangover cures, from the sublime to the absolutely ridiculous and it’s really hard to know what might help. Let’s see if I can.
Prevention:
I’m not going to insult you by saying you shouldn’t drink too much to begin with (You already know that). But if you think you might, here are some things you can do before you imbibe, or while you drink, that could reduce the impact of overindulgence.
Almonds. Some American Indians claim that eating raw almonds before consuming alcohol will prevent intoxication.
Peanut butter. Apparently this is an African preventative.
Water. Drink lots of water before, during and after quaffing adult beverages. It will dilute the alcohol, help flush it through the kidneys and all the time you spend in the bathroom you won’t be able to drink.
Evening primrose oil. Take two teaspoons (also comes in soft gel form). This has long been used as a hangover cure as well as preventative so you might try taking it before and after. There are studies that support the use beneficial use of evening primrose oil if you get trashed but you probably won’t understand them any more than I do so I won’t even go there.
Sugar-free mixers. Don’t use them! Those nasty, fake sweeteners will speed up the effects of the alcohol.
Tomato juice with lemon. There are some who think this reduces the urge for booze. I rather wonder if it might only make them think that they’d like a bloody mary.
Morning After:
Bloody Mary. Supposedly, tomato juice helps metabolize alcohol. Whether or not that’s true, a couple of these and you probably won’t care anyway. (I probably shouldn’t say that, though there is a school of thought that a little liquor will help slow the effects of coming down from a high. On the other hand, there are plenty of experts who say you shouldn’t compound the problem by adding more alcohol to it).
The Almighty Hangover Cure. Judge for yourself. If it works, let me know.
Breakfast In a Glass. Ugh! Either you’re really brave, really stupid or really desperate if you try this.
Greasy Food and Beer. This is what I hear Cameron Diaz suggests. Personally, I would skip the beer but I can say there’s no better time for me to have a BK Croissanwich with a double order of really greasy hash browns – something about slowing the synapses.
Spaghetti Bolognese. Is this an Italian hangover cure? It’s apparently what Hugh Grant likes after too much adult libation. I’m starting to get hungry.
Underberg. This is the stuff we Brits used to slug when I was a budding boozer back in my heydey. No self-respecting drinker was without a bottle or two of this in their hangover arsenal. It’s a herbal bitters that’s been used as a digestive aid for more than 150 years and comes in portion size bottles so it will conveniently fit in your purse or pocket.
Bouillon. Helps replace salt and potassium.
B-complex vitamins. Overtaxing the body with too much booze qualifies as stress. The body uses B vitamins to help handle stress. So take an extra capsule or two of B-complex to replenish what you’ve lost.
Hair of the Dog. What can I say? There are innumerable versions of this morning after cocktail. If you think it will help, go for it!
OK, that’s enough. We’ve only touched the surface of what’s out there. But whatever you do for a hangover, plan ahead before you go out drinking. Designate a driver, go by taxi, get a group together and hire a limo but don’t put yourself or anyone else at risk by drinking and driving.
