It happens to the best of us. We drink a little too much the night before a big event and wake up with a nasty hangover. Here’s how to cure it—fast.
I don’t think there’s a person alive who drinks alcohol who hasn’t had one of those days where they’ve woken up feeling like death itself. I know I have had more than a few of these days, myself. It’s not like we do it on purpose–it just sort of happens.
For some reason, it always seems to happen the night before I have to be up and ready for a big event, like a wedding or a job interview. Just my luck! You’d think I would have learned my lesson by now, right?
Hangover no more!
The good thing about my repeated instances of excessive drinking is that they have led me to be really creative when it comes to healing my hangover. I don’t mean to brag… but I like to believe that I’m an expert at curing hangovers. [Read: 10 dirty drinking games for naughty guys and girls]
Luckily for you, I’m here to share all of my tips and tricks to cure that pesky hangover. These are all pretty simple strategies that don’t take a whole lot of time or effort—two things we can’t afford if we’re writhing in pain and agony.
Hangover prevention
I bet you knew this was coming! The first step to really avoid the need to cure that hangover is preventing it altogether. Aside from the obvious choice to avoid alcohol entirely *who needs that negativity in their life?*, here are some common ways to avoid a hangover.
#1 Liquor before beer. You’re in the clear! If you know you’re in for a long night of heavy drinking, make sure you start with liquor and end your night with beer… if you must drink both. I’m not 100% sure about the science behind why this combination works, but there’s a reason the rest of the saying goes, “beer before liquor, never sicker.” Start with a few shots and work your way to the malted beverages. [Try: How to handle your drunk girlfriend on a night out]
#2 Drink one glass of water for every 2 drinks. This one is a little harder to stick to than some others, because as the night goes on, your memory gets a little fuzzy. You could have 5 drinks before remembering you’re supposed to be drinking water. But if you can, this will keep you from being too dehydrated the next morning. It will also help if you drink 1 full glass *16 oz.* of water before going to sleep.
#3 Stick to one kind of alcohol. If you want to drink beer all night, then just drink beer. If you want a few cocktails, then stick to that kind of liquor. Mixing alcohols is one way to assure a hangover. If you want to go the extra mile and drink only clear liquor for the night, that will benefit you even more in preventing a hangover altogether.
#4 Eat foods that help break down alcohol. Eating a very large meal full of fats will do a lot to prevent hangovers. Fat has the ability to metabolize alcohol a lot faster. This means your body will dispel the alcohol before you go to sleep for the night—AKA, you’ll sober up faster before sleeping the rest of it off. [Like food? Read: Aphrodisiacs and food hell – a guide to eating well]
#5 Take an extra multivitamin. When your body is hungover, it lacks the vitamins it needs. If you double up on vitamins prior to heavy drinking, you keep those vital components in your body so you feel a lot better the next day.
The cure!
If you’ve failed to prevent your hangover, or none of the above methods seemed to work very well for you, these are some quick, easy, tried, and true ways to get over your hangover.
#1 Eat a big, fatty breakfast. Your body is begging for nutrition when you’re hungover. Filling it with healthy, vitamin-rich foods is a great way to kick that hangover. You also want to make sure to incorporate fats into your breakfast, since they help speed up alcohol metabolism. Hello, bacon!
#2 Water, water, water. If you’re hungover, then you’re dehydrated. The fastest way to start feeling better the morning after a hangover is to down some water. You need to replenish your body of all the fluids you emptied the night before. [Speaking of drinks… Should a girl accept a drink from a stranger?]
#3 Vitamins. Pop in a multivitamin first thing when you wake up and wash it down with loads of water. Since your body is depleted of vitamins, you’ll want to add some back into your body as soon as possible after waking, so it can begin to function normally again.
#4 Pedialyte. Instead of washing vitamins down with water, you may want to use something more effective at treating hangovers. If you’ve never heard of Pedialyte, it’s a drink that is typically made for toddlers. However, it contains many beneficial vitamins and the most important thing: electrolytes. If you can’t find Pedialyte, the electrolytes in sports drinks will work just as well.
#5 Anti-inflammatories. Have some anti-inflammatory drugs waiting next to your bed when you get up in the morning. Alcohol causes a lot of inflammation within your body and that is the cause for the pain you feel. Reducing inflammation will reduce your hangover drastically. [Have another source of pain? Read: 10 sober reasons why drunken sex is never a good idea]
#6 Bread. This is particularly useful for those of you who are still puke-sick the morning after having a few too many. Bread is a great food to eat when your stomach feels a little too unstable for a big, fatty breakfast. It will help soak up and metabolize whatever alcohol is still in your system.
#7 Sweat it out. There is a lot of controversy over whether working out after a night of drinking will help or hurt your body. I personally think it helps a lot to get your body up and moving, and to get your blood pumping. It helps you wake up, rejuvenates your muscles, and can help metabolize the rest of the alcohol still sitting in your system. My advice: drink at least 20 ounces of water before hitting the gym to avoid being too dehydrated.
[Read next: 25 inspirational tips to get motivated and work out]
Whether we mean to or not, we all overdo the alcohol from time to time. If you want to kick that hangover quickly, these are 12 simple and effective ways to prevent and cure a raging hangover.
