Holidays and Hangovers

Does this picture look alot like you the morning after a holiday party? The thought of alcohol makes you want to die? We continually tell ourselves we will never drink a drop of alcohol again.. but we do it anyway.. again, and again, and AGAIN! You can still have fun and even have your martini or merlot, but you need to be aware of how avoid the ever so dreadful hangover by doing a few things. A few years back I kept an article from Men's Health magazine from 2005 on "Hangover Helpers" which featured a group of individuals who put a few common hangover remedies to the test... and here is what they found out with the help and suggestions of a few doctors.

1. Stay Hydrated: Water vs. Gatorade
One group decided to drink loads of water at the end of the night or just simply drink through out the evening. The other group downed two huge bottles of Gatorade at the end of the night. The next morning.. the Gatorade group felt like a million dollars while the water group felt ok. Dr. Swift of Brown University claims "It is a great substitute for plain old water, and the extra salt helps your body absorb the fluid more quickly".

2. Absorb Slower, Metabolize Faster? Eating a Mega Dinner vs the Juice Chaser (2 glasses of OJ or tomato juice before bed).
This is a no-brainer! One should never drink on a empty stomach, the more food you have in your stomach.. the better your body breaks down the alcohol. But what about The juice chaser?? Dr. Carlton Erickson, Ph.D at the University of Texas says "You would have to drink at least 10 glasses of juice" in order to completely avoid the queasy nausea in the morning. Our test group agreed.

3. Replace Essential Nutrients
Eating saltines or chugging down a 12 oz glass of OJ mixed with a raw egg.
The test group said that by drinking the OJ mixture it induced vomiting more than the alcohol itself. Dr. Swift agreed there was no evidence to back this up, and your risk of getting salmonella just increased as well by using this tactic. The group did not like the idea of eating 10 saltine crackers as it was too labor intensive, but could help dilute the alcohol.

4. Clear Your Head
Hair of the Dog: Sorry.. but it is just putting off the inevitable.. you will eventually feel like crap. But the booze with with breakfast might actually make you feel better.. until 3:00PM or soo?
Drink Light Colored Booze and feel like a million bucks in he AM? This does actually work if you drink in moderation.. MODERATION!
Aspirin before bed? May help a little, but it can irritate your stomach and can also damage the liver.
Exercise (a quick 3 mile run?) will leach the alcohol from my system more quickly? It's mostly a mental thing.. you envision your body sweating out all that alcohol. It is actually the perfect placebo according to Dr. Erickson, as exercise will keep your mind off the hangover.

There are a million remedies out there that we have all tried and swear by.. and here are a few of mine: 5-Hour Energy Drink, Vit B12, Prickly Pear Cactus Juice, Agave Nectar, Dr. Pepper, Toast with Peanut Butter, ect....

So before you hit Grandma's wine cellar before Thanksgiving dinner.. you might want to reconsider your plan of action. Happy Holidays!