Dealing With Hangover
August 28, 2009
Normally, a hangover will take 24 hours to completely leave the system. NSAIDs are often taken to deal with heaviness of head but these are shown to cause liver toxicity.
Avoiding Hangover
Choice of right drinks is important to avoid hangover. Drinks which contain more amounts of congeners must be avoided. Vodka contains least amount of congeners and gives you less prominent hangover. The drinks that will cause you powerful hangovers are whiskies, cognacs, brandies and red wine. Red wine does not carry congeners but contains a chemical tyramine which causes very severe headaches.
Never mix your drink with different types of alcohol. If we go by the old rule then people avoid mixing grain based alcohol (brandy, whisky) with grape (wine, champagne) based alcohol. Try to mix them with fruit juice. Never drink empty stomach. Most of the hangovers occur because people drink with empty stomach. Even before going to some party just eat some quick snacks. It does not matter what you eat but you should consume some appetizers.
Drink as slow as possible and avoid “bottoms-up”. Give ample time to your body to burn the consumed alcohol.
Fruits carry fructose. This simple sugar helps in burning alcohol at a faster rate. Early morning drink a large glass of orange or tomato juice. Honey also carries fructose and can be eaten in breakfast with bread. Instead of fruit juice you can even drink two cups of black coffee.
Drinking causes loss of nutrients from the body. To replenish the salt and potassium drink home made vegetable broth. If you drink often they make sure you take B-complex supplements regularly. These shorten the duration of the hangover.
Starchy foods contain amino acids which are also depleted due to alcohol consumption. Amino acids are building blocks of body. Eat a balanced breakfast comprising of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. The antioxidants will work as effectively as they can to get rid of hangover as soon as possible.
When to See Doctor
An occasional hangover is tolerable but in case it is becoming a habit then may be one is developing alcohol dependency. Also, if you are neglecting your family or facing serious medical problems due to alcohol then you need to consult a doctor.
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