Sage, if not always tested, tips for treating a hangover

  • By Andrea Brown Herald Writer
  • Monday, December 30, 2013 2:43pm
  • Life

Happy hangover, 2014.

Yeah, those tequila cocktails were really good.

But did you really need to drink four? And try all six flavors of Jell-O shots, and then cap off the night of drinking with a pepperoni pizza?

Right now, you don’t need a lecture. You need comfort and someone to wait on you.

Start with a steaming hot cup of coffee. It helps ease the nausea and clear your pounding head, which will pound even more if you don’t get your usual caffeine jolt. Or have some soda to hydrate and fizz open your bleary eyes.

Drink a glass or three of water. Take your pain reliever of choice and try to get something in your queasy stomach.

Time is the best way to relieve the network of woes from too much of the bubbly.

Here are some hangover remedies culled from Internet sites and Facebook comments.

“Scrambled eggs, water and sleep = protein, hydration and rest.”

“BLT. Coconut water. More beer.”

“Cartoons in bed, pho and cuddling.”

“Vegemite on toast.”

“Before you indulge: an Emergen-C. Drink a glass a water between drinks. When you get home: Gatorade and a few Motrin. In the a.m.: a greasy breakfast with a Coke.”

“The South Texas legend was that menudo, a traditional Mexican soup, would cure a hangover. But I was one of the few South Texans who believed the cure was worse than the hangover.”

“When I was still overimbibing, an Alka-Seltzer before I crashed always helped … unless I had really gone too far.”

“Drink the good stuff.”

“Drink every day. Then you won’t notice.”

“Smoke a joint. No kidding. Best hangover cure, instant effect and relief.”

“Ingest lots of vitamin B with a big glass of water or Gatorade right before bedtime (if you can remember and before you pass out, obviously).”

“Take two milk thistle vitamins before you drink. I’ve got all my friends into this, and we all swear by it. Definitely works. I use it when I’m in Vegas and never get hangovers anymore.”

Bartender’s recipe

2 ibuprofen flushed down with

2 pints of water followed by

2 more hours of sleep followed by

2 tortillas and a tasty layer of melted cheese served with

2 cups of coffee

Prevention tips

  • Drink a glass of water between every glass of booze.
  • Memorize this ditty: “Liquor before beer, you’re in the clear. Beer before liquor, you’ve never been sicker.”
  • Drink clear spirits. Skip or limit the fizzy drinks and mixed cocktails full of sugar.
  • The Mayo Clinic recommends drinking a glass of milk before consuming alcohol because it coats the lining of the stomach and prevents rapid alcohol absorption.
  • Have less fun: It’s been said that the intensity of a hangover correlates to the amount of fun had the night before.

Andrea Brown; 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com.

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