As the great saying goes; “prevention is better than cure”. Better learn how to prevent a hangover before you get hungover.

Avoiding Hangover

-by jim bauer @ AskMen.com

Picture it: You and the boys are planning a big night out on the town — the kind of night that gives rise to those legendary stories. Well, just because you plan to have a smashing time, doesn”t mean that you have to have a smashing reminder.

Here are some tips that you can use before, during and after your big night out, to avoid a hangover.

 

what is a hangover?

 

Simply put: Alcohol is a toxic substance. When you ingest toxins, your body is going to feel the aftereffects. A hangover is an umbrella term that describes what”s happening to your body as it recovers from the poison you ingested the night before. Symptoms often include fatigue, headaches and dehydration.

 

before you get drunk…

 

Eat: Don”t drink on an empty stomach. A lot of guys like fatty foods before they eat because the fat sticks to the stomach lining longer and absorbs more alcohol. But the main idea here is to put volume in your stomach, which will dilute the effects of the alcohol. So be sure and eat something.

Drink milk: Milk coats the lining of your stomach and can help minimize the amount of alcohol you absorb. At least, that”s the theory. A lot of guys use this one, but there isn”t any evidence to support it. Still, most nutritionists will tell you that a glass of milk a day is part of a healthy diet, so there”s really no harm in trying this one.

Drink olive oil: This is an old Mediterranean remedy and it works on the same theory as eating fatty foods. Personally, I”d rather eat dinner than swallow a spoonful of olive oil, but if there”s any truth to this theory, I suggest you dip some bread in olive oil rather than slather it with butter (if nothing else, most doctors would agree that your heart will thank you).

Take multivitamins: You should take vitamins either way, but when you go out for that big night, it”s even more important to make sure that you take your vitamins. Why? Drinking depletes the nutrients in your body; vitamins will help you minimize the loss.

When you start drinking, here”s what you can do to avoid the aftereffects…

 

when you start drinking…

 

Drink water constantly: You should match every sip of alcohol with one of water. Water will help keep you from getting too drunk too fast and from feeling the effects the next day. Order a bottle of water with every drink just to keep things even.

Don”t mix it up: Make it a beer night, or a wine night, or a vodka night, but don”t make it an “anything goes” night. For one thing, you”ll end up drinking too much. But let”s face it; most drinks don”t mix too well with each other. Your body is going to have a hard enough time handling that rum without you throwing in some gin.

Choose the right type of alcohol: Some studies show that some drinks like whisky and wine are more likely to increase the chance of a hangover. While there may be need for further studies, it”s a good idea to know your own body. If you find yourself getting headaches with some drinks but not others, steer clear of them.

 

after you”re done boozing…

 

Drink a sports drink: When you drink you lose electrolytes and become dehydrated, which adds to the headache the next morning. A sports drink at the end of the night can help you replenish what you”ve lost.

Eat: It doesn”t have to be McDonald”s, but just like eating before you go out, you”re playing a volume game. And once again, fat is king. Some guys like a stack of pancakes at a diner, while others scarf down pizza. The common denominator is starchy, fatty and greasy. No, there isn”t a lot of medical research on the subject, but when was the last time you felt like a salad after a big night out?

Give your body time to recover: Not only should you leave yourself a day to recover after a hard night, but you should be thinking about the time you”ll need to recover even while you”re drinking. At last call, get yourself some water instead of a drink. And if you opt to get a drink, at least get a bottle of water with it.

 

Hopefully you put these tips to use next time you hangout with your friends and avoid the dreaded hangover.

Resources:
http://my.webmd.com
http://health.howstuffworks.com