Inspired by
Girl Friday's post regarding hangover hell and one of the misguided comments about water being the best thing for a hangover, I decided to do some educating.
Now I know that the overwhelming majority of people who read this blog are heavy drinkers (and I'm very concerned about you all) so this post may not concern you but we here at The Head take our job here very seriously. These are things I thought everyone knew but some people just suffer through a hangover, thinking it's some kind of penance for the night before. Ridiculous.
So, without further ado, The Head's Hangover Tips.
First off a lot of advice starts with limiting your drinking or alternating an alcoholic beverage with a nonalcoholic one. Yeah right. We here at The Head are realists. Nothing more to be said here.
OK, so you don't have to limit your drinking. One of the things I found is that one of the things that exacerbate the hangover is a lack of sleep. You know, you're going clubbing, out at 10, in at 4. That's no good. C'mon people, we're not 22 anymore. Happy Hour. Did you hear that? HAPPY HOUR! One of the greatest anti-hangover strategies ever. Out at 5:30, unconscious by 10:30. Full night's rest and you're halfway there.
This next one is a nobrainer but so many people, myself included, forget it. Eat dinner. Preferably starchy. Sandwich, gyro, burrito, something.
Take a shower before you go to bed. Another exacerbator (is that a word?) of hangovers is the psychological aspects. You know, you wake up all greasy and smelling of booze and cigarettes. It's not good for your morale. Seriously, no matter how much the bed, couch, floor's siren song is tempting you, get in that fucking shower. This is where it's useful to have someone there to spot you in ther shower so you don't fall and to make sure you actually soap us and don't just stand under the water. Someone else is also good if they weren't out with you. You climb into bed thinking you're as fresh as a daisy and they kick you out and make you take a shower because you reek of whiskey and cigarettes.
Multivitamin. Before bed. Seriously. You need those B-complex vitamins. Especially niacin. Also zinc, riboflavin, etc. A lot of these are either reduced by alcohol intake or act as cofactors for either the alcohol dehydrogenase (breaks down the alcohol) or the aldehyde dehydrogenase (breaks down the aldehyde that alcohol is broken down to - this compound is what gives you the hangover!). Trust me on this one. Before you argue - is it that fucking hard to swallow a pill? What's it gonna hurt?
Next, Gatorade (or another sports drink), NOT water. It's not just the fluids, it's electrolyes as well. Think about drinking as running a marathon. You're losing fluids. And not just water. It will help that deep down body thirst. I also hear pedialyte is good but that's basically expensive Gatorade so, eh. Both before bed and the next morning.
Keep it relatively cool in your bedroom, or wherever you're sleeping. Nothing's worse than waking up hungover and it's hot. I recommend 60-65 farenheit. Yeah, well that's why you bought that down comforter, ass.
OK, that's bedtime preparation. Now to the next morning. Gatorade or apple juice of course. Constantly.
If it's the weekend, fight down a beer or something. It's will help with the withdrawal.
I recommend Excedrin for headaches. Triple threat. Asprin, acetominophen, and caffeine.
Pepto-bismol. Sometimes you can take this before bed as a preventative measure. But it's gold the next day.
Greasy breakfast. Don't even think about health here. I know a guy who feels guilty in the morning b/c he drank the night before so he wants to eat healthy. Bran muffins, etc. Huge friggin mistake. Corned beef hash/ pork chops/ steak and eggs; biscuits and gravy, hash browns, etc. Lady Head found some magic cheese grits that work well for her.
Jerk off. And not that slow, romantic self-love you usually perform when you're alone on a Saturday night. Savage yourself. All bizness.
Kurt Russell movies if it's on the weekend.
OK, that's the primer for you being hangover free. As an added bonus I will tell you the recipe for my amazing antihangover shake.
1-2 cups Milk
Ice Cream
1 TB fresh coffee grounds (seriously, it makes a delicious and caffeinated shake)
Banana
1 TB creatine
1 shot vodka, rum, etc
Drink with a multivitamin and 2 Excedrin.
Have a great day!