Hangover Survival. Review on Handling Hangovers

Hangovers are the mysterious result of the overconsumption of alcohol.  They sneak up sometime before dawn, the day after a busy night out on the town, when you lost count of those great tasting Mai Tais or Bud Lights.  Whatever your preference in drinks, you will most likely suffer from a hangover at some point in your life if you consume alcohol.

You may recognize the early signs of exhauation, fatigue, nausea, dry mouth, headache, and other'flu like' symptoms.  Hangovers often wait until you no longer feel intoxicated before they silently slip in.  They have a way of making you forget your last, until you find another occasion where you've consumed too much alcohol again.  Make no mistake, they can keep you in bed all day mumbling that you'll never touch a drink again!

Surviving hangovers is a tricky art.  The most obvious way to survive them is to avoid them.  Drinking less will help.  Having a meal before consuming alcohol helps to keep the effects of alcohol down a bit.  Sticking to higher quality liquors is also very helpful, considering that bottom shelf whiskey almost promises a hearty hangover.  In college we used to have a saying, 'beer before liquor, never been sicker.'  This was followed by, 'liquor before beer, you're in the clear.'  I don't know if this formula actually prevents hangovers, but it did seem to be a helpful little rule to follow at the time.

Once you admit that you have that nagging hangover, you'll be wishing for a miracle cure.  There really are none, I'm sorry to say.  Hangovers are a message from our bodies that we have tried to poison ourselves with alcohol.  Sometimes, a good meal can help settle that nauseous feeling, while providing some vitamins.  Water is essential to rehydrate!  Aspirin or Tylenol might help some of the symptoms, but hangovers rely mainly on time to take them away.

My best advice is to find a sofa, get a large bottle of water, eat a meal, and spend the rest of the day immobile, napping, or muttering that you will never touch alcohol again!  Best of luck.