Home Remedy for Hangovers

If you have a large amount of alcohol one night, chances are you will wake up with a hangover. A hangover is caused mainly due to dehydration. Alcohol is a diuretic which causes fluids to be flushed by the body. Since a hangover is not strictly a medical issue you should see a doctor for (although in some serious cases, a doctor's attention is required), many times the symptoms can be alleviated at home.

Food

Food helps settle your stomach and give you energy. It absorbs some of the alcohol in your system, making it harder for it to affect you. Therefore always make sure you eat while you are drinking and right after you stop drinking. When you are hung over, try eating foods that have starch and fructose in them (they help the body burn alcohol faster). Try a snack of crackers or an English muffin with honey, or multi-grain cereal with berries, to get the starch and fructose you need.

Liquid

Since the main cause of a hangover is lack of fluids in the system, drinking water is an important part of preventing and alleviating a hangover. Drink water during and immediately after you have alcohol. When you have a hangover, consume a lot of water to begin the rehydration process and to flush the alcohol out of your system. Fruit juices are good to help hangovers, as they also have fructose. Never drink coffee as a hangover cure because it, like alcohol, is a diuretic and will dehydrate you even further, making the hangover worse. Try soup with bullion, as that will replenish some of the salt and potassium alcohol causes you to lose.

Body

The major symptoms of a hangover are a headache and an upset stomach. Often times, food will help with the upset stomach, but since alcohol can irritate the stomach lining, it may not help. Over-the-counter aspirin or acetaminophen will ease the headache. Add an over-the-counter antacid to help with stomach issues. A cold press on the eyes also works to alleviate some of the head pain.