7 Ways to Prevent and Cure a Hangover
Whether it’s before, while or after you drink, it helps to be aware of the many steps you can take so that you suffer the least the morning after a night of partying or more-than-average alcohol drinking.
If you want to cure a hangover, you have to start even before you take your very first sip of alcohol. Sure, when you are enjoying some booze, the last thing you want is to get uptight about how you do it, but it doesn’t take much effort to make sure you get the buzz without the unappealing aftermath.
Learn the tricks to prevent a massive hangover and natural remedies to mitigate the after effects.
1. Consume fat
Eat before you drink. Such “soakage” will help to alleviate the effects of excessive drinking. Food will minimize the formation of acetaldehyde in the stomach. Acetaldehyde is a toxic chemical that is converted in the body and thought to be the main reason for hangovers. Fatty foods, in particular, help to slow the body’s absorption of alcohol. But instead of reaching for pizza and fries, opt for oily fish, such as salmon, trout or mackerel. You can also drink a tablespoon of olive oil before bed.
2. Take a daily multivitamin
The metabolization of alcohol leeches vitamins and nutrients from the body, so be sure to take a multivitamin prior to drinking, and preferably on an empty stomach.
3. Stick with one type of alcohol
The more types of alcohol you mix, the more trouble your body will have processing what you drink. Cocktails pose the most threat in terms of a next-day hangover, because they often contain two or more alcohols mixed together. Choose a simple, straightforward drink.
4. Choose light liquors
Dark liquors contain higher concentrations of congeners, toxins that form during the process of fermenting and distilling alcohol. These toxins can exacerbate your hangover, so stick to light liquors.
5. Alternate with water
Alcohol is a diuretic and will dehydrate the body. It is thus important to alternate each alcoholic drink with an equal amount of water. Dehydration can lead to thirst, dizziness and headaches, many of the symptoms experiences during a hangover. Before you go to bed, drink as much water as possible
6. Eat a good breakfast
The next morning, drink plenty of water and then enjoy a proper breakfast to help settle your stomach, avoiding high-sugar foods that may cause fermentation with alcohol in the gut.
7. Hair of the dog
It may sound counter-intuitive, but drinking alcohol the day after a night of drinking may help to ease hangover symptoms in the short-term. This technique is popularly called “hair of the dog”. Bloody Marys have long been known to help.
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Photo Credit: Kimery Davis
