You only wanted to have a single drink as an aperitif. It extended over a couple of glasses of wine, discussions, and a wine you absolutely had to try beyond the amount of alcohol you should have consumed. You start the next day with a terrible hangover and stomach problems.
Can you avoid this? Is there a miracle cure? Unfortunately, there`s no miracle cure! There`re a couple of things you need to respect to reduce or avoid your hangover.
How to prevent a hangover?
Don`t start drinking on an empty stomach. Try to have a meal that includes carbohydrates or fats before you start to drink. If you don`t have the possibility to do this, try salty snacks e.g. peanuts, olives or pretzels which you can find easily in a bar. The food will slow down the absorption of alcohol by your body.
Try to have a glass of water with each glass of wine. You will stay hydrated, and you reduce the amount of alcohol you consume during the evening. A glass of water or vegetable juice before you go to bed will help you to hydrate, too.
Avoid dark coloured drinks e.g. rhum, whiskey, bourbon, dark beer and red wine if you`re sensitive to congeners. They irritate blood vessels and brain tissue and will make your hangover worse.
The hangover will be worse if you`re allergic to sulphur in wine and consume normal wine. Drink bio-labelled wines which have a lower sulphur content.
The perfect strategy to avoid a hangover is to plan your evening and to know which drinks to avoid. This is described in a very humoristic way by the actress Cleo Rocos in her book “The Power of Positive Drinking”.
Hangover eating
Depending on your state you may only reach for a painkiller (aspirin or ibuprofene) or decide for a hearty meal. Some people prefer a scrambled egg with bacon, yoghurt with honey, virgin bloody mary or a bouillon soup. Try to consume food which is gentle to your challenged stomach.
Hangover drink
“Hair of the dog” or drinking more alcohol the next morning does not help. It will only delay the hangover until the extra alcohol wears off. The alcohol is metabolised in your body to acetaldehyde which is toxic in high concentration. The side effects of the hangover get worse the lower the alcohol blood level is after drinking too much alcohol.
Conclusion
There is no real hangover cure. The only thing you can do is to prevent a hangover by not drinking too much alcohol. You can do this by responsibly enjoying low alcohol drinks like sangria.
