Hangover Help

How Do I Cure a Hangover?

If you already have a hangover--dry mouth, nausea, dizziness and a nasty headache--it's too late to do very much to make yourself feel better. A lot of hangover remedies have been tried, but there's not much evidence they actually help.

It's not clear why overindulging in alcohol results in a hangover. It's thought that dehydration, byproducts from the breakdown of alcohol, which can be more toxic to some people than others, overeating and disturbed sleep may play a role.

The best approach to hangovers is to avoid them by not over indulging in the first place. However, even small amounts of alcohol can cause unpleasant side effects in many people.

If you have a hangover, skip the black coffee and other folk remedies, such as having another alcoholic drink in the morning. Instead, try the following methods.

Rest and RE-HYDRATE--Give yourself time to recover, and drink bland liquids, such as water, soda, fruit juices or broth. I think lots of water is the best thing to drink. Alcohol is essentially a diuretic and the more you imbibe, the more your kidneys filter valuable fluids out of the body along with the alcohol. Most people do not appreciate the extent of dehydration that can occur after an evening out to the bars, etc.

Use over-the-counter pain medication--Acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), such as aspirin and ibuprofen, may help relieve your headache. However, they're not risk-free. NSAIDS, when combined with alcohol, may irritate your stomach. And excessive doses of acetaminophen can be toxic to your liver, particularly when combined with alcohol.

It may help take the edge off the "morning after" if you drink plenty of fluids (nonalcoholic)--water is the best, and use pain medication before hangover symptoms begin. If you chose to drink, make sure you drink plenty of water while you are drinking alcohol; this can help keep a hangover to a minimum.