How To Avoid A Hangover?

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I have a client who is travelling away with a group of his work colleagues for a week of fun and a fairly hefty amount of alcoholic consuming and so, it is timely that I pen this little gem of advice.

Everybody does it from time to time, they over indulge with one of our most favorite of pastimes, alcohol.

Now I’m not the perfect angel when it comes to the amber liquid. I have been known to have hangovers from time to time. In fact the last one still lingers in the bad memory blocks.

So, today I’m going to discuss some simple ways that you can minimize the effects of your big night out, so that that killer hangover is NOT SO KILLER AFTER ALL!!!

So, what is a hangover?

Simply put: Alcohol is a toxic substance. When you ingest toxins, your body is going to feel the after effects. 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. Your liver is the primary organ responsible for detoxifying your body of the poisons that you provide it. There are some things that you can do, to give your liver a helping hand.

Before You Get Drunk…

Eat: Don’t drink on an empty stomach. That’s an absolute given. 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.

My suggestion is, especially if you are heading out on the town around dinner time, make dinner a special meal and here’s my suggestion.

A fairly nice slice of protein (Steak, fish, or anything that used to have a set of eyes) and a hefty helping of steamed vegetables, minus any calorie dense carbohydrates (potatoes, fries, pumpkin, rice, pasta) and here’s why.

The vitamins, minerals and antioxidants contained in the vegetables will assist your liver to perform its detoxing role and the protein from the meat will line your stomach in preparation for the big night out.

The alcohol that you are about to consume will be your body’s first choice for energy when its looking for some, (like when you hit the dance floor) so there is no need to eat any energy at your evening meal.
Use the extra space on your plate to overdose on veges and let that alcohol provide you with the petrol to hammer out those funky dance moves.

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? Again, you are giving your liver an extra special hand at doing its job.

Centrum Adult Multivitamin Tablets Dr. Tobias Vitality – Multivitamin NATURELO One Daily Multivitamin

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. This isn’t always easy when you are going round for round with your friends. However, one thing that always happens when you are out is that all important natures call.

So, here’s my tip, swing by the bar every time you go to the toilet and grab yourself a big drink of water.

Don’t mix it up: Make it a beer night, or a wine night, or a vodka night, or a rum 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.

Alcoholic drinks heavily laden with preservatives tend to compound head aches, so if possible avoid those brands.

Look After Your Mates: When you are out with a group of friends, look after each other. Girls, keep a track of who is getting your drinks. I personally know girls who’ve had their drinks spiked, so please let that not be you.

Guys, alcohol makes us 10 feet tall and bullet proof. I’ve also seen my fair share of nasty injuries from bar fights so again let that not be you or your mates.

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.

Gatorade G2 Variety Pack Low-Calorie Sports Drink Organic Electrolyte Drink

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 on New Year’s Eve and avoided the dreaded hangover.

So to summarize, here’s my top eight tips: