Hangovers suck. If you're like me, you love to drink but you don't
like getting drunk and you hate getting sick or hungover. The key to
drinking without encountering these problems is not just moderation -
it's strategy. First, let's look at the causes of a hangover, and then
some ways to avoid one. The interesting thing about this topic is that
there is a lack of cohesive and definitive research on the matter.
Here’s what we do know:
- Booze contains ethanol, which is a poison. Drinking it is bad, but it just feels so darn good, so let's move on.
- Ethanol, being a poison, or "drug," will create biochemical
dependencies and therefore cause withdrawal when removed from the body.
This can be attributed to some hangover symptoms, from mood swings and
headaches to indigestion and body temperature issues.
- Ethanol is a diuretic, meaning it increases urine production in the
body, using up water and causing dehydration. This can have unpleasant
consequences, from thirst and lethargy to dizziness and headaches.
- The liver is responsible for breaking down ethanol, which in turn
creates even more toxic substances that can inhibit other processes in
your body, such as the Citric Acid Cycle. This causes fatigue,
moodiness, and lack of concentration.
- About 20% of the alcohol you drink will be absorbed into the
bloodstream in the stomach, and the remaining 80% will be absorbed in
the small intestine. You could be a lot drunker later than you are now.
- The stomach absorption causes the lining to become inflamed and
both the stomach and pancreas overproduce digestive chemicals, leading
to nausea and sometimes vomiting.
By combining the above information with personal experience, I've
come up with some rules to preventing hangovers that are hopefully
helpful to the drinkers out there who don't have the luxury of sleeping
one off.
1) Eat
Seriously. This is the key to keeping alcohol in check.
Scientifically speaking, alcohol is metabolized slower in the body if it
has to compete with food - specifically fatty food. The longer your
body takes to process what you eat, the longer it will take to
metabolize your booze as well. If you are going to drink at all, make
sure you eat something and if you plan to drink a lot, make sure you
have a big meal beforehand (with lots of protein and fat). If you’re
feeling more tipsy than you’d like, have a snack.
2) Drink Water
As mentioned above, dehydration is a key part of a hangover, so
hydrate yourself. You should be drinking at least one glass of water per
alcoholic drink and more when you get home. If you're not getting up
from the bar to pee at least a couple times during your stay, you're
doing something wrong. (Bartenders, this is a lesson for you too: make
sure your guest has a full glass of water at all times.)
3) Know your limit
Cliche, yes, but everyone would stop mentioning it if people didn't
suck at it. A good tip here is not to measure in the number or types of
drinks, but know exactly what your body feels like through each stage of
drunkenness. It's dangerous to say you're fine with three cocktails
because you're counting glasses rather than keeping track of what you
ate that day, how much water you're drinking, and the exact proof of
your drinks. Be aware of exactly how your body feels when you're warm,
tipsy, drunk, and when it's time to stop.
4) Understand what you're drinking
Know that a sleeve of beer, a glass of wine, and 2 oz of 80 proof
spirit have basically the same amount of total alcohol. Knowing this,
though, keep in mind that a sleeve (about 16 oz) of beer also contains a
lot of water and takes considerably longer to consume, and therefore
will get you drunk slower than doing a couple shots. Pay attention to
the alcohol content of what you're drinking; for example, ordering Booker's at 130 proof will mess you up faster than ordering Jim Beam at 80 proof. A lot of European beers are higher proof than American
products, a Cabernet is higher than a Pinot Gris, and so on, so pace
yourself accordingly. Sip cocktails, don't chug them, and drink a glass
of water in between each shot. Remember that alcohol isn't absorbed all
at once in the stomach, so sometimes you can get hit in an hour from
what you’ve had despite feeling fine right now.
Another tip here is to be honest with the bartender. If you really
want another but you're close to your limit, tell him/her just that and
ask for something low-proof.
5) Don't drink cheap liquor
Most establishments you visit will be using the cheapest possible
liquors in the wells, and while that's great for profits it's bad for
your body. For example, Tequila is only made from 100% blue agave if
stated so on the label, and the cheap Tequilas you'll find in most
places only have to be 51% agave by law, which means the rest is made up
of cheaply produced neutral spirits, sugars, colouring, and even
flavouring. The same goes for blended Scotch and Canadian whiskey, the
latter of which often contains sugar, colour, and flavouring. A
consistently safe bet is American whiskey, which has stricter laws; even
the crappiest American whiskey is much higher quality than bad Tequila,
Canadian, Scotch, or vodka. Those of you who think vodka is a safe
drink, be aware that not every country has laws governing how it's
produced and there are no laws against additives. Cheaper spirits use
cheaper components and processes, which brings with it bad byproducts,
so the better the quality of spirit, the better the drunk. If you've
been drunk off good whiskey and can compare that to a cheap Tequila
drunk, you know what I mean. If you’re doing a shot, it’s probably cheap
liquor. Consuming better quality spirits will help you drink slower
(because they won’t be served in a shot glass and you’ll usually be
paying more and will therefore appreciate it more).
A note to the above: just because something is more expensive does
NOT mean it's better quality. It helps to do your research, ask
knowledgeable bartenders, and try lots of products - you'll be able to
taste the difference eventually. Many spirit companies spend a lot more
on marketing than on production, and just because the bottle is on the
top shelf doesn't mean it deserves to be.
Take these tips to heart (or write them on your hand if you're going
drinking because you'll probably forget by the time it’s too late), and
I'll be back soon with a discussion of alcohol's immediate effect on the
body as well as some information on the "congener" debate.
Drinking strategies and Detox Drink For Hangover is the best solution for this problem, but we have to use before party.
ReplyDeletesaying no to a party with binge drinking is a difficult task. so why not have another drink called dotshot before you sleep and have no hangover. this is what i always do!!
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