It probably happened to you too, after a long night out with one little drink too many, to feel the world spinning around you in the morning, to feel your head heavy and your stomach crunched. That was the moment you cursed your life and promised yourself you'll stop drinking. For good! Yet it happened again, because you just forgot how awful that feeling was, or because you were having too much fun to count your drinks, or. just because.
So you know that drinking alcohol causes hangovers, but what exactly in it not even the physicians can tell you. They even have problems whether to recommend drinking alcohol or not. Some simply forbid it, while others, knowing the proven benefits of many alcoholic drinks, recommend to their patients a moderate consumption of alcohol. Yes: moderation is the key and the second answer to the question "how to avoid hangovers", the first being: don't drink.
Wine, whisky and bourbon can cause a harder hangover than beer and vodka. Some chemical substances in dark grapes found in red wines or the yeast in unfiltered beer can cause severe headaches in many people.
Although no one really knows what in alcohol causes hangovers, a proven reason for the headaches associated with hangovers is dehydration. Alcohol, being a diuretic, makes you urinate. And if you are a beer drinker I don't need to tell you what drink has the strongest diuretic effect. So, when you feel that terrible headache early in the morning, don't go on drinking coffee. Coffee is a diuretic as well and it will only continue the dehydration process. Drink water. That's what you really need. Or start the day with a strong chamomile tea that will act like a balsam for your stomach and open your appetite for food. Because, although you feel like your stomach can't face food, you must eat. Your body needs carbohydrates, potassium and vitamin C after a hangover. Eat plenty of bread or bananas.
Second, you need to do something about the alcohol left in your body. A hangover makes you feel the need to stay in bed. But the secret to a fast recovery is movement. Sweating is the fastest way to get rid of the surplus alcohol. Exercise and sex are as effective as a bio sauna, even more, because not many people can stand the heat and a hangover.
Now you know what you can do after you get a hangover. But can you prevent it? Yes you can! So let's start with the most important advice: don't drink on an empty stomach. Food will help your body digest alcohol faster. As alcohol attacks your stomach, you might consider eating some fatty food like cheese, or having a sip of olive oil that will work like a balsam or a thin film protecting your stomach membrane.
Beer is fast digested, so if you plan to mix beverages, drink beer first. Beer will help your body absorb the other drinks faster. No matter what alcoholic beverage you drink, remember alcohol is a diuretic and always drink a glass of water between each glass of alcohol.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Beer
