Agua is your friend (Hangover Prevention, Cures & Advice)

Member Name: CAFCGirl

Product:	Hangover Prevention, Cures & Advice
Date:	28/11/08 (153 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The healthiest I'll have eaten all week

Disadvantages: The "bleurgh" feeling

"Ho Ho Ho and Merry Christmas"..... the likelihood is if you have had a great night out with festive cheer, these words are going to reverberate through your skull more than once.

Why do people who aren't hungover always talk that much more loudly?
Why do they tut at you, and tell you "you'll know better next time" or my favorite "good night was it?"

Yes it was, and now I have to pay the price.

Everyone suffers differently, some quietly and some not so...
Those who dont either took great care of themselves during the evening, or they are still drunk.

My top tips for avoiding a hangover are as follows:

Eat before you go out, preferrably carbs. I cant tell you why, and I dont believe in the whole "soaks up alcohol" but what I do think it helps is your body's digestion and excretion of alcohol in your blood stream. I aim for a pasta dish before I go out, or a nice jacket potato, with beans.

Then when out, I stuck to the same family of drinks, spirits with a mixer. I used to drink vodka and orange and then found it was giving me an awful taste in my mouth for two days afterwards. Instead I went onto vodka and bitter lemon (revolting colour) but tasty all the same. I never did shots, and never mixed my drinks.

The great thing about a drink like this is you can order just the mixer and you dont face the whole "lightweight" comments from your friends.
I always finished my night with a non alcoholic drink.

When you get home, drink water, plenty of it, make sure you use the loo to get rid of what's in your system and then drink some more water.

Get to bed, and sleep. If you cant sleep well, then dont get up and face the day thinking you feel absolutely fine, you probably do, but you're also probably still drunk! Take it easy when you do get up, use the loo again and drink at least 1 pint water.

Have food, even though you feel like you've been licking the bottom of a flip flop, and the thought of anything else in your system brings that green glaze to your skin, you need something in you to give you energy and help your system recover from the onslaught.

I normally opt for toast, on brown bread ideally. I have one slice, with some more water, or apple juice. I let that settle in my system and then I'll have another slice, or some cereal.

Have a shower, wash the night off. Sometimes the smell can bring that nauseous feeling right up into your throat, so make sure you smell clean and fresh and you will most likely feel it.
Come the middle of your day you are probably likely to start feeling tired again. This is when I would normally take an aspirin, and drink another tall glass of water as for me, its normally a pre-cursor for a headache.
Most headaches are from dehydration so keeping your fluid levels up are the best thing you can do.

Then its lunch time. An egg may sandwich always sees me right, failing that, pasta or rice dish. I normally allow myself something other than water, like a lemonade. Lemonade is very good for settling your stomach.

Then I take a nap, or at least lay down. Taking it easy, watch a laid back dvd, or go for a walk, get some fresh air. I cant lay about for too long despite how rough I might feels as it actually makes me feel worse.

Clean air invigorates the senses,and then once home again its normally something comforting for dinner. Shepards pie, or a nice roast with plenty of veg.
That is generally my day after. Of course the best advice would be not to over do it, and take care of yourself. The best nights out should always be followed by a great day afterwards.

Confession time - I've not drunk anything (complete tee totaller) for about 4 years now, as following one appalling night and the worst hangover ever and the first time I ever vomitted through drink (the next morning) I decided enough was evidently enough for my body and I have since had some of the best and most cost effective nights since, and get to be one of those ultra smug people the next day which is worth more than a vodka and bitter lemon!

Summary: Ho Ho Ho No, I didnt do that did I?!