How to Cure a Hangover
Everyone has their own little hangover cure don’t they. There must be thousands of them out there, but how many actually work? The truth is different people probably need different things to help them, depending on their individual constitution.
However there are a few reliable cures that seem to work for everyone. One of the main causes of a hangover is dehydration (largely responsible for your headache), so clearly the best thing to prevent or cure them is rehydration – plenty of water or fruit juice (as that often contains anti-oxidants too).
Sugar filled soft drinks like cola are NOT a good idea, because although they’ll make you feel good temporarily by boosting your blood sugar, you’ll very quickly feel even worse again as you suffer from the insulin crash afterwards.
Having said that, caffeine can often help with a headache and get you feeling sharper again, it depends on your preference. Unfortunately most caffeinated drinks are also diuretic, meaning they will dehydrate you even more. Part of your rehydration might perhaps include essential electrolytes too (Calcium, Potassium, Sodium, Magnesium etc).
Another cause of hangover is acetaldehyde, the toxic chemical produced when alcohol dehydrogenase breaks down alcohol in the liver. This is what causes the ‘poisoned’ feeling. There are a couple of things which work quite well to mop this up – the first is an enzyme called cysteine, which is found in large quantities in eggs. So that’s breakfast sorted out. You can also buy N-acetyl cysteine as a supplement in health food shops. The second thing which mops up acetaldehyde quite well is probiotics – the healthy bacteria found in yoghurt. However perhaps the best way to take this is in capsule form where it’s far more concentrated. A few of these before bedtime can really help you.
Most alcoholic drinks will leave you with low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) by morning, so its important to get that back up again in a slow, stable way. Which means complex carbohydrates as opposed to simple ones. What I mean is whole grains, like wholemeal bread or muesli, vegetables and fruit (particularly bananas to boost your potassium levels again). Carbs like simple sugars, white pasta or potatoes will not help.
The nausea can be eased very effectively with ginger or peppermint tea, and again with those rehydration salts (or electrolytes).
Painkillers are obviously quite tempting, but paracetamol causes further toxic strain on the liver and kidneys, and ibuprofen can irritate the stomach. So aspirin is probably the safest analgesic for a hangover.
Finally you might well benefit from some B vitamin supplements – to calm your central nervous system (responsible for the tremors, sweats and anxiety), but these will tend to have a more long term effect rather than being a short term cure.
No doubt you’ve got plenty of suggestions for your own hangover cures too, so lets hear what works for you in the comments…
Fluid, salt/carbs, sugar/caffine and more fluid.
Big glass of water (drunk slowly), bag of crisps, bottle of coke or something sugary to eat if you can stomach it, and more water.
I think Hangover cures are a bit of a myth, but I would say prevention is better than the “night-after” cures.
There are a lot of products on the market that absorb the toxins in the alcohol, the best are “activated carbon” (hospitals use them for drug overdoses) – and B vitamins are always good!
Great site, great contributers.
alcohol and hangovers can be a big ongoing problem.
Anybody heard of/tried Baclofen?
Hi Just seen this. My Doctor gave me Baclofen because a friend of his took them and it
took away the withdrawal symptoms…………its also working for me!!
I hate to say this but my hangovers make me feel jittery in the morning so I take a .25 Xanax and in a half hour I have eggs and take a walk and drink a lot of water and I am fine! I will also say my hangovers are mild as I do get to a point where I stop and say to myself Ok do you really want to feel like crap tomorrow!
Lots of water, extra sleep, orange juice is a must, & a nice cup of Earl Grey
or two. I also take daily doses of Kudzu, Liv-A-New, & DMAE, which helps
prevent hangovers. All 3 can be found in a health supplement store.
The water keeps you hydrated, the orange juice & tea help your system crap
out the toxins, & the extra sleep really helps. Then you can have a nice little
breakfast & go for a brisk walk. They all work together.
I DO speak from experience. Ha Ha!!
as weird as it sounds i eat honey toast and drink green tea for a hangover… even after a long night of binging it makes me feel alot better.
the best thing against a hngover is to vomit while still drunk,water, makes it all go away…
John and Arunas are spot on. I remember when I first started I would always puke and sure enough no hangover!
i did throw up everywhere and woke up today and still feel ill all day and i drank a whole carton of vitamin drink. now i know why i dont go out!!!!!
John is absolutely right. To prevent these horrible hangovers one should throw up right after the party is over (not during it!;))). There is no need to keep your body busy intaking alko you should not have comsumed. Put lots of salt in a pint of lukewarm water, gulp down, throw up as many times as needed making sure your stomach is now absolutely empty. Brush teeth and have a pint of cold water. Have a banana. Have a jar of water next to your bed and have some water every time you wake up or go to the loo. Lots of sleep. This cure cant help you finished partying at 7 in the morning and need to go to work at 8, but i still recommend throwing up. Walking, jogging, sports sounds good, but you will feel feeble after some time for sure.I tried being active several times, it feels good but what you are doing basically is loosing the last remains of energy which you d better spare. honey, youghurt, egg, bread ‘diets’ are all cool but remember. THROW UP, DRINK WATER in the first place;)
Has anyone tried liv.52 and does it work!
im confused now.. im trying to quit alcohol, i thought that was what this sight was all about? im trying to avoid a hangovr like the plague.
Undoubtedly though, people reading through this site will still be faced with hangovers, despite trying to avoid them as much as they can. So for those occasions, it helps to know what might alleviate the pain. If you weren’t dealing with hangovers at all any more, then you probably wouldn’t need to be looking at this site.
i deal with hangovers all the time. it doesnt amuse me. And i cant undstand the people it does. i am not proud of it and i stuggle all time. but we are all diff rent guess.
it’s the fear that gets me, I have been in doors for 3 days now and I am too scared to go to my doctor and get some Valium, I tried to go cold turkey which clearly is not a good idea, this thing has creped up on me and I am terrified, if I get through this there is now way I will ever go on a bender again.
I like the cold myself i hate being hot with a hangover ive been being sick lately bile in the morning through not eating……..loads of water!!! thats the answer not another beer im going off that badley!!! oh yeah and icepolls!!
Having a thread on how to cure hangovers on a site which claims to help people stop drinking is like advertising credit cards on a gamblers anonymous website.
John don’t get me wrong here m8 when i say this but i think your missing the point a little. Yes in a way you do have a valid argument there in wat you have said but Millions of people google “How to cure a hang over” and if it leads them to this site then that’s all the better because with any luck they will read some of the other pages and maybe just maybe educate there selves on responsible drinking….And lets be honest there is no cure for a hang over well no instant one any way. Yes we have the hair of the dog. That does not all ways work because you can not get the drink down you with out spewing your guts up most times. But to be fair to it with in a hour you can feel a little better from it and your then ready for a session again but you will only pay for it later. Ultimately its no drink no hangover but try telling some one that’s worked all week and is not a alcoholic not to go down the town on a Friday night for 10 pints and its a no go lol. I don’t no maybe there are ways to defuse a hangover to some degree. You no say if you no your going out for a good 10 pints on Friday night then it pays to start with a good fried breakfast and a good meal at noon and a good dinner and maybe a pint of milk. You are going to drink wat ever you want to drink when your out so there is no point really in telling some one to at least drink good quality lager or beer or spirits. Most people have a burger or kabab or pizza or some sort of take away on the way home so if they al least drank a can of coke or orange and took 2 Anadin Extra or a long lasting pain reliever before going to bed then they may stand some chance of having a mild hang over. Suger levels would still be all over the place but it would be a start.,
my uncle got stomach ulcers because he took a lot of Aspirin to take care of his high blood pressure.-;~
That’s very true David they can in some people aggravate the belly a little and they did my mum as it goes. Did he swallow then hole or crunch them and do you no if he took them with food or on a empty belly because a lot of people take them as soon as they wake up. Diclofeniac can do the same thing also.
ibuprofen is definitely the best OTC painkiller for me. It helps me a lot to deal with my muscular pain.;:.
ibuprofen is upposed to be bad for your stomache its supposed to give you ulcers my doctor says?
You’re absolutely right Grant, ideally it should only be taken occasionally, and preferably not on an empty stomach.
I have never had anything work for me to get rid of a hangover, all I can do is ride it out. After reading through these posts, I’m just reminded of how I desperately want to avoid another hangover and how time consuming it is to try the remedies I have tried. I’m glad some of you have things that work for you, I’m definitely not that lucky.
I have another strike against me though, I love to smoke lots of cigarettes when I binge, I will smoke anywhere from 8 to 15 cigs in a night of binging… maybe that is why I feel so crappy the next day
Hahah your lucky then i would eat 40 at least
best way not to get a hangover is stick to what your body can hold at 1 time you will feel much better in the morning…..
There absolutely is a cure for a hangover: a sedative like librium or valium. But you have to have a prescription for it. If you drink on a regular basis and are prone to hangovers, get a prescription for librium or valium from your doctor and put it up and only take one in the morning if you have a very nasty hangover. It’s the same drug they give to people going through alcohol withdrawal so they aren’t uncomfortable (nausea, sweating, shaking, headache, etc.) But only take it if you are no longer intoxicated, and DO NOT ABUSE THEM. Only take one, because if you start popping them, you can get even sicker. And don’t just take one any ol time you wake up feeling lousy, use it if you feel especially hungover, on occasion. Don’t drive for the rest of the day. Be careful what you tell your doctor, also. In some states they are required to have you committed if they suspect you are going through alcohol withdrawal, etc.
The word NUTS comes to mind. Hay why not take LSD or sniff A line of Coke. Sorry but your Giving out the wrong signals there love
@ Sean:
I am very disappointed to your treatment of Mary, who obviously has had some experience with the horrors of alcohol withdrawal. She is responsible in her post by recognizing that these sedatives are not a solution, but provide temporary relief if one´s withdrawal symptoms are so severe (tremors, chest pain, etc) that they are frightening and only cause more severe nervous system reactions in that these events can often trigger anxiety attacks as well. Perhaps you (luckily) have never experienced such an awful time of giving up drinking, but certainly the sarcastic advice in suggesting LSD or cocaine would definitely just worsen the situation and could indeed be lethal. Taking one valium or other sedative, like Mary suggested, is a clinically proven treatment in severe alcohol withdrawal. Please be a little more responsible and respectful in your posts in the future.
Thank you,
Eli
Good comments,the pooh one was the best lol! I think the best motivation for not binge drinking again, is piecing the night before together like a jigsaw puzzle and remember exactly how you made a complete dick of yourself! That’l give you a reason for an anxiety attack! God why do we do to ourselves again and again, slow learners I guess! I reckon, coffee, an overdosing of painkillers on waking, maybe a big chunder, then later in the day the hair of the dog, thats been my life for a very long time, but not now! Good luck in your abstinence everyone!
Mary i do not want to rub you up but that’s the most stupid thing i have ever heard some one say. Wat you may not understand is that you are telling people to go from one addiction to a worse one. There are one or two nearish cures for alcohol hangovers but it depends on wat part you want to try to cure and you cant cure all of them at once. Your belly yes can be fixed your head yes can be fixed to a degree. The best way for a hangover is bed rest as the body cures it self much better when asleep and at rest.
Oh i forgot to say drink water unless your drinking Irish moonshine because it will probably make you pissed again
Come on more input on this page. Hay you yes you reading this dribble that i am taking my valuable time to put down come on put a bit of input into this page even if its to say hello. Now how hard can that be.
ouch !!!!!!
Far easier to prevent a hangover than cure one…
NAC (N-Acetylcysteine) and Vitamin-C before you drink!
NAC (from your local vitamin shop) is the secret ingredient in expensive hangover prevention pills… The ones that work anyway. Vitamin-C makes it work much better.
Gotta take it before you start tho… It won’t work after.
If you can’t get your hands on some NAC, a bag of peanuts while you party will help. Peanuts=cysteine.
Ginger Ale and Cinnamon Toast in the morning will take off any rough edges. Then eggs and orange juice if all goes well.
http://www.ifyoudrink.info
Cheers!
Slowly drink plenty of water, take a shower and get cleaned up, and get moving. Unless your hangover is very, very severe, laying around will make you feel worse. Preferably outside. Take a walk, go to the store. I swear, you will feel a lot better. Eat something mild and take a multivitimen if you can stomach it.
One of the best cures I have ever used is to jump into the ocean and soak your hangover away. Something about the cooler water on your entire body makes you feel better, the salt water probably helps your electrolyte and hydration issues. Lay in the sun after your dip in the ocean, and repeat. The cooler the water tempurature, the sooner you will feel better. Has worked for me many times.
I love coming here and looking at all these funny things. Have you ever heard of alcohol related Hyperthermia Paul lol But on a plus side cold water can slow the heart down but on the not so plus side it can give you a heart attack lol. But i do seem to remember reading some medical jargon on ice cold water and booze heads but its a long time ago and the booze has frazzeld my brain and confusion has just set in big style again hahaha cold water please. Parker fire me in the sea.
There is no cure. I am afraid you just have to ride it out with a good strong pain killer. The hair of the dog worked for me but only about 3 hours later and by then i had about 12 pints and 6 of those were spewed down the dunny. Still what ever you all do if it seems like it works for you then don’t stop doing it but do try to ease up a bit on the booze. Stay cool and don’t ever forget to eat before drinking.
A big tall chocolate milkshake does wonders for me. Also Emergen-C. And to avoid the craving next time, keep a bottle of carbonated mineral water, like Pellegrino, going, and take a few gulps every time the intense craving hits.
I also found it a little strange that a site about cutting down includes hang-over cures, but I get it. This site is just so practical and I am so happy to have found it!
I’m grateful for having the fact that paracetamol has to be worked off by your liver along with the alcohol highlighted, so not a great option.
As for my cures, I have always been a junk-food fiend for hang-overs – juicy, yummy burgers oozing with fat… mmm. In fact, it is one of my drinking causes as I have developed positive associations with hang-overs: for me they have always meant lazy days, not putting pressure on myself, and allowing myself ultra greasy food that I otherwise don’t eat, often in the company of similarly hung-over friends.
I really try to avoid it, but I do find a bit of hair of the dog works. Icy cold beer or bubbly I can often stomach and it is frightening how quickly it brings me back up to a perky state.
I think having hangover cures on a site to help people with their drinking problems, is a good idea. The clue is in the tag line ‘to help beat alcohol dependence’ If the site was full utterly sober people on the wagon, the need for hangover cures would be redundant.
Many of the people here, are struggling to cut down, or abstain all together, and sometimes they will relapse (myself included) and wake next day feeling like death….again!!
and have to start…again!
I personally find I always have a craving for bacon and tea the next morning. Unless its really bad!!
I have heard, but don’t know how true it is. That vitamin C helps the liver process alcohol.
Also read somewhere, if you eat eggs (hungover or not) you should have Vit C with them to help distribute the iron through your body.
Interesting but no amazing cure ! Running is the best cure for me but obviously not drinking in first place would do it, easy for me to say sitting here with my glass of rose