How to Avoid or Cure A Hangover

Many of us have at some point woke up in the morning regretting how many cocktails we had the night before, but figure that there is nothing we can do about it. Here are a few suggestions for before you drink to avoid a hangover, as well as a few cures, should they not work effectively.

Before Drinking

• Always eat before you consume alcohol. Slightly fatty foods are a better choice than breads or pastas. Carbohydrates may be bulky, but they are basically sugars, so they are digested too quickly.
• Drink a couple of glasses of Cranberry juice. Drinking Cranberry juice will give your body a good dose of powerful antioxidants. This will help the liver to remove the alcohol you consume from the blood stream much faster.

While You Drink

• Eat while you drink. Raw vegetables are a good choice because they contain glutathione. Glutathione is an amino acid and it helps to convert alcohol into a non-toxic form, helping to prevent intoxication and hangover.
• Avoid drinks containing artificial sweeteners. Sugar-free or diet drinks make the blood alcohol spike up to 40% faster than regular cocktails. Artificial sweeteners speed up gastric emptying, and cause alcohol to move out of the stomach and into the bloodstream more quickly.
• Avoid dark colored alcohol. Alcohol contains congeners, found in spirit coloring. They are hard on the stomach lining and the darker the alcohol, the more congeners. Try to stick to white wine or vodka.

After You Drink

• Do not drink coffee to try to sober up. Coffee will not sober you. It will only keep you awake and help to dehydrate your body. Before going to bed drink a sports drink. This will not only help to hydrate the body, but will provide it with electrolytes.
• Take some B and C vitamins before bed. The vitamins will speed up metabolism and help remove the alcohol from your system quicker..
• Before bed eat a piece of toast or a bagel. This is when your body needs the carbohydrates.

The Morning After

• Take more vitamins.
• Eat a good breakfast. Eggs are a good choice because they will absorb the alcohol and build up the liver.
• Keep hydrated.
• If you have an upset stomach, take a motion sickness tablet or drink sauerkraut juice. Both are good for upset stomach. Take antacid liquid or tablet.
• Get some fresh air. Go for a walk to clear the fog.

Hair Of The Dog

Drinking more alcohol to cure a hangover is known as “hair of the dog.” It does not work, and depending on how bad the hangover is, the dog may bite you back.