Ivy says:
Facebook and Twitter tells me that some of my pals who went to BlogHer are now suffering from hangovers. I’ve not been to BlogHer, but I’ve sure been the recipient of more than a few hangovers. Angelic Ivy says “Everything in moderation, kids. Don’t drink until you’re drunk.” But we all know I’m not called BadBadIvy for nothing.
For those of you inclined to follow BadBadIvy’s advice, here are some tips for avoiding a hangover and curing your hangover once you get one.
Avoiding a Hangover
- Common wisdom says to “line your stomach” ahead of time by eating a light, but filling dinner. If you’re planning on drinking some, but not getting rip roarin’ drunk, this is a good idea. But if you’re planning on getting rip roarin’ drunk, this is not such a good idea. The less you have in your stomach when you’re super-drunk, the better. For obvious reasons.
- ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A RELIABLE DESIGNATED DRIVER OR ENOUGH MONEY FOR CAB FARE.
I can’t tell you how many times my supposed designated driver has forgotten their duty. That’s when some spare cash for cab fare comes in very handy.
- When you decide to quit drinking, start in with water. Drink as much water as you can stand- two full glasses is my usual goal. Much of your hangover comes from being dehydrated. Fix that before the headache has a chance.
- Before you go to bed, take an appropriate dose of ibuprofen. Don’t use aspirin or acetaminophen. Only ibuprofen. I’m not sure why this works, but it works. My dad told me that mid-college and I wish he had told me that sooner. Whenever I remember to drink the water and take the ibuprofen, I never wake up hung over.
- If you feel like you need to throw up, throw up. Get it out of your system. But make sure you drink the water all over again after you throw up. The water’s important.
- Get some sleep. Sleep heals.
Curing A Hangover
- The first and foremost thing to do is drink plenty of fluids. NO caffeine. Drink water or fruit juice, particularly orange juice. Get hydrated.
- If you don’t have anywhere to go, you can always try “hair of the dog that bit you” and drink a beer or a bloody Mary or something. Me, I like a good beer buzz early in the morning. No, wait, that’s Sheryl Crow. Actually, I’ve never tried this method, since if I didn’t have anywhere to go, I’d just lay around and be miserable.
- Take some B-vitamins. This has always made me feel a lot better.
- Finally, researchers have shown what bar flies have known for years, there’s nothing better than a bacon sandwich after a binge.
Okay, Home Eccers, your turn. Tell me some of your drunken stories, or tell me some of your hangover cures!
Revive Vitamin Water. It works almost every time. I remember once, a few years ago, going out with nearly all of my coworkers and everyone in the office showed up the next morning wearing dark sunglasses with bottles of Vitamin Water on their desks.
My husband swears by burnt toast and a gatorade (as well as water) before bed. The charcoal on the toast helps soak up the booze still in your stomach, the gatorade replenishes electrolytes, which I guess helps with the next day queasiness or something, and then there’s the extra hydration.
I also feel like I’m going to die without something carby and greasy the next day. Mrs. WInner’s is my old standby. Mmmmm. Biscuits.
V8 and alka seltzer the next day if your still feeling poorly. At least that works for me. 🙂
Ivy, you were witness to MANY of my drunken college nights…so I’ll just tell you a hangover cure…. A few years back, I was watching the Discovery channel and they were talking about hangovers….a doctor said that eggs help the liver break down the alcohol….so whenever I can STOMACH it, I TRY to eat some scrambled eggs and toast the next day. It seems to help.
Definitely good timing for you to post about hangover cures…Had a long night…I think everyone is different, thus the more recommendations the better. I personally take an Advil before I got to bed the night before with a big glass of water. In the morning I do a little eggs and burnt toast. Gotta be burnt!
~ Puke before bed… my clue my husband has had his fare share of alcohol.
~ Eat breakfast, bars around here close at 2am and my husband always goes out for breakfast afterwards, he says it helps.
~ drink close enough to home(within 1-2 miles) so you can walk (stumble) there is you need to.
~ Many people swear by the 1:1 ratio of beer:water, I was told if trying to out drink some one this was the way to go
Thats about all I have:)
I second the advice about taking some vitamins, but I find it works better if I take them before I go to bed along with the ibuprofen.
Your hangover advice (water +ibruprofen before bed) is dead-on. I’ve done that since college and it always works. A trip to the Waffle House or the Huddle House has done good for me as well.
I was always taught to take a shot of pickle juice in the morning. It may be nasty but it’s got vinegar in it that settles the hangover! I’m proof it works! Also, I always take ibuprofen an hour or so before I drink. It works for me!
As for someone who has never been drunk, let alone high (I have had 1 drink about 4 times in my life, I am 62), I don’t understand the need to get blindly drunk. Can some one explain that to me? I don’t think I could have fun falling down drunk. I have often wondered why people do this and you all might be able to enlighten me. I really didn’t know that people actually started out with that goal, I thought it was from forgetting how much they had had. Tell me.
My husband and I have had this conversation a few times. I have been (don’t remember what the heck happen) drunk once, he has been well I have no idea how many. I ask him why he gets that intoxicated and his response to that is… I sucks being an adult and grown up, when you are drunk you have an excuse to do stupid things. I do not got that intoxicated because I hate being out of my element of control. I am the type of person that likes to be in control of things and hate feeling like I can not control what is happening. My husband on the other hand does not like to be at fault for things, so he likes that feeling. I do sometimes drink so I feel more comfortable around people. I am not a social person, so for me it helps the anxiety of the situation. In control, but relaxed… works for me. Those I guess would be the reasonings I have. I usually just try staying out of those situations and not drink, but that is more of a preference thing.
Thanks so much for your input. It has put things in perspective. I, too, like to be in control. That I think is the main reason I don’t drink. I am not extremely social but not uncomfortable with the situation, just don’t like it too much. Thanks again for answering my question.
Like Heather pointed out, “drunk” can cover a range from lightly buzzed to falling down trashed. My ideal is somewhere in the middle. If you get good at drinking you can get to the point of losing your inhibitions but still be in control, and not be hungover the next day. And all without being alcoholic. I make sure to drink a glass of water every 2 drinks or so, and to pace myself by starting off with a light sweet drink, then easing into heavier drink, and then switching to beer to slow down the rate of intoxication (or cutting myself off altogether depending on how the night goes). Water water water!
I rarely have hangovers using this method. And of course I only get drunk drunk on special occasions, usually it’s a light buzz. 🙂
I do not like the feeling of being drunk. I don’t like the idea that I may say or do something I would regret later. That said, I do like the taste of beer and can have several over the course of an evening. It has happened where I have been caught off guard, whether it was not eating enough early in the day or the evening went much later than planned. Lastly, if I’m around cigarette smoke, even if I don’t drink, I feel hungover the next day. Bleh
Why? It’s fun, is the short answer. Let me be clear- I very rarely drink anymore since college. I spend 99% of my life being in control and in charge of things. It’s nice to be able to just let go completely on occasion.
It probably doesn’t help that the word drunk covers a pretty wide range. For some people the word drunk can mean a beer buzz, to others the word implies trashed.
The hair of the dog is truly an amazing thing. I always feel so much better with a nice hearty breakfast and a screwdriver. Drink a lot of water with that screwdriver, of course.
I have to admit that the hair of the dog works for me, usually after I throw up though. I dont drink alot but I sure can be social at parties! After that its buckets of water and breakfast. Ive been lucky, I dont get headaches, just a quezzy tummy. Ive also found that if your partner isnt too hung over that sex can make it all better…hehehe!
I used to drink in college and a bit after that. However, one major thing that made me stop was the feeling of being hungover–that, and that I just felt like it was wrong. I never found that anything really helped, although I did drink a lot of water and I guess that helped some. The main thing I noticed was that I was super hungry and tired the next day and that it always took one entire day to get over it. It wasn’t worth it.
Don’t drink on an empty stomach.
Don’t overindulge. Drink a glass of water between each alcoholic beverage.
Morning- gatorade, water, aspirin and a simple meal like toast and an egg. Take a nap. The world will be better in an hour or two.
Got to drink the Gatorade–
I am not a drinker by any stretch of the imagination. But, when I know I will be drinking I try to “Pre Hydrate” by drinking a lot of water the day of. Ditto on the water and ibuprofin before bed. My morning/afternoon after cure? Chicken McNuggets, French Fries, and a diet Coke. Mmmmm.
My best “drunken story”. Well, do you remember my class reunion? No? Well, neither do I. Any guesses on when I decided drinking was NOT for me?
The reason ibuprofen taken before bed works is that it is a powerful anti-inflammatory. Much of the headache pain in a hangover comes from swelling in the sinuses, and if it was a really major drunk, swelling of the dura mater, the tissue between the skull and the brain. Yes, you get brain swelling from getting really drunk.
Many hangovers come not from the alcohol, but from chemical contaminants in the alcohol. Sulfites in wine and fusels in beer are examples of common contaminants that can cause hangover-like symptoms that are actually a symptom of an allergic or poisoning reaction. If you frequently get hung over after not drinking much, there’s a good chance you are reacting to a contaminant. A little experimentation should show you what you need to avoid.
You know, this makes perfect sense and explains why I’ve tried to tell my husband that I feel hungover during allergy season.
A bacon sandwich cures many of life’s ailments. 😉
To avoid a hangover altogether I like to pace myself by alternating one alcoholic drink and one glass of water. Usually this will give me a pleasant buzz but not a nasty drunk and no hangover.
That being said, hair of the dog really does work. You don’t have to drink enough to get drunk again, just one generously-mixed mimosa will do the trick, in my experience.
My pharmacist husband says that acetaminophen is mostly broken down in your liver, and if you’ve had too much to drink, your liver is already working overtime. So it’s better to take ibuprofen or aspirin.
You have a good idea about hangover. When I have hangover, I love to eat plenty of vegetable soup…with leafy vegetables in it….Whoah!!!It really wakes me up…
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