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August 2, 2004
I don't know about the rest of you but Medicine scares me. Mainly because it requires more schooling than any person should be subjected to, to really understand it. That and I hate doctor visits and needles but that's beside the point.
Like most of you what I like to do is drink and when I drink, I drink to win. It's not a game you say? Well let me tell you … the first person to see three of every hottie in the joint is the winner. Unless of course you want to pick that particular someone up … then being that drunk isn't a good idea.
Now whether you intended to get smashed or if it happen on “accident” you eventually have to come to the painful part of the process: The Hangover. We all hate hangovers it can really kill a day. Even though most people I know spend the day on the couch doing the same exact thing regardless of the blinding headache and stomach and colon problems.
I have been searching since I started drinking for ways to help cure a hangover. My old health teacher would say “Just don't drink. If you do, drink in moderation”. Both good ideas if you suck. So the search went on until these past couple of years. Seems the medical community realized no cares if they discover a cure for the cold so they turned their attentions on a more marketable illness. Yup, the Hangover.
Have they found a cure? That is up to you to decide but I have found that some of the new stuff really goes a long way. I don't think any of them are cures but anything helps right? Right!
Now The Science:
What causes a hangover? Basically your liver shuts down for an hour for every beer, shot, mixed drink or glass of wine you have. Now if you have a lot of these in a row quickly your liver can't keep up and toxins enter your bloodstream. This above normal amount of toxin in your blood is what gets you drunk. It keeps things like water, nutrients, oxygen and all the other good things from going to the places they need to go. Basically you pee out all the good things along with the bad so by the end of the night your body is malnourished and dehydrated. This is where the hangover stems from.
So the trick is to keep that from happening. Basically an effect cure will do two things: One, slow alcohol from entering your bloodstream to help the liver work effectively. Two, keep your body nourished while your liver is busy. Sounds simple doesn't it.
What Works?
Basically, the remedies are marketing ploys to get people to spend money. Do they work? They all do something but most are just all hype. The list above are the more popular remedies and out of that list the best is easily Alka-Seltzer Morning Relief. It puts the right stuff into your bloodstream ASAP. It uses electrolytes to get aspirin and nutrients into your body fast and it works pretty well in a decent amount of time. When I took it, it worked off a pretty nasty hangover in about a half hour. I still felt like crap the rest of the day though. All the others had similar effects just in a lesser degree.
But don't worry I have done my homework and figured out a cure that will work for you and it is easy to do.
Step 1: Take a multi-vitamin everyday. If you can't manage that at least on the mornings you are going to be drinking. This is good for so many reasons, you should be doing this all ready. It will also cut back on some of that bloating you get from all the alcohol you drink mixed with unhealthy food. Starts to help fight that beer gut you have.
Step 2: Drink water the day of (at least 8 glasses or somewhere around a liter). This will wash out your system. Gives your liver a fresh start before the drinking happens. Just remember to pace yourself, you don't want to chug a liter of water right before a long night out. You will most like end up pissing yourself and that's never good.
Step 3: Drink your head off … but do it safely. We don't want anyone getting alcohol poisoning so make sure you know your limit or at least the friend you are drinking with does.
Step 4: Drink a couple of glasses of water right before bed. Might be a good idea to pop some Ibuprofen as well. NOT ASPIRIN!!! Aspirin is bad after drinking … thins out your blood. Makes the effects last longer and makes the hangover that much worse.
Step 5: First thing, grab a Gatorade or Smart Water (same stuff as Gatorade without the flavor and the carbs). Take a multi-vitamin and a couple Ibuprofens and drink it down. Orange juice or any other citrus juice will work too. Just need something to speed digestion. Word of warning: If you have been vomiting the night before stay away from citrus stuff … it burns.
Step 6: Get cleaned up; 90% of feeling crappy is smelling like a boozehound.
I am not saying this is a cure-all for a hangover but it is pretty damn good when compared to the effectiveness and price of the marketed products. This way there is no gimmicks, you know what you are taking and why.
If you have your own remedies I would love to hear them. Just drop me a line: Webmonkey@prepps.com
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