Stop! Hangover Time
STAY IN GOOD SPIRITS by watching it with the spirits. Sometimes bartenders can be generous with the pours, which is a good thing the night you’re out in bars and clubs, but a bad thing the morning after. Take a few hangover prevention tips with you before you head out into the glamour and glitz of Denver nights.
O’Brian Gunn
Proper Prevention Starts With Proper Preparation
No matter how busy your schedule might be, leave time to eat a hearty meal before you start tossin’ back the dranks. This hangover prevention tip is widely shared, and with good reason. A good meal lines your stomach and slows down the rate at which you absorb alcohol. If you aren’t hungry or are unable to eat beforehand, stop by a convenience store and buy a carton of milk to achieve the same effect.
Water It Down
Give your liver (and your wallet) a break and have some water between drinks. While you’re guzzling some good ol’ H2O, you’re giving your liver a chance to break down the alcohol in your system. Plus, water’s just plain good for you anyway. You also have to remember that you’ll become thirstier as the night wears on, and quenching your thirst with water is better. You’ll especially want to drink water if you’re sweating rainbows on the crowded dance floor.
Have Some Milk Thistle to Cut the Hangover Gristle
While the effects of drinking liquid milk thistle or taking it in tablet form haven’t been proven, there’s a good chance the herbal medicine can help make the effects of any hangover you have easier to bear. To test the theory out and see if it helps your liver process alcohol faster, you’ll want to take milk thistle before you start throwing back shots and again before you go to bed.
Light Is Right
If you don’t plan on drinking very much, you can order up whatever you like. If you know you’ll be drinking a lot — or if there’s even a chance you’ll be drinking a lot — stick with gin and vodka. Clear liquors are distilled, which purifies them. Gin and vodka also have less congeners, which are toxic chemicals often found in dark liquors, red wines, and brandy. Keep yourself in the clear by drinking clear. That being said, you can still have a hangover if you toss back a bottle of white wine, so use your head before you start poppin’ bottles.
Just Say No to Caffeine
You may think drinking coffee or anything that contains caffeine helps cure or prevent a hangover, but the opposite is true. You might experience some temporary relief from the caffeine buzz, but you’ll regain your hangover status later. Another reason not to drink coffee is that it makes you even more dehydrated than the alcohol and irritates your already taxed stomach. Do yourself a favor and stick with water.
Shake Off the Shakes
If you get a bite to eat after shutting down the club, order up some toast and honey if you have the option. The combination of fructose, potassium, and sodium helps replenish the nutrients you lost while drinking and keeps you from feeling shaky the morning after. You can also have a banana and a glass of pure fruit juice to keep your nutrient levels out of the red.
*****
While you might not know where the night will take you, we all know where you’ll be in the morning if you don’t take steps to prevent a hangover. Use these tips to keep from hugging the porcelain and swearing off alcohol the morning after.
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