You know very well you should have stopped at the last one but where is the fun in that? Life is short, and there are so many more good times to be had!
We all know there is no cure for a hangover. Saying that: over the years, I have learned a trick or two about how to manage life on a hangover. My hard earned knowledge stems from necessity, like how to get through an active 12 hour shift, faking it for a meeting or preparing yourself to do it all over again for yet another festive party.
So, my tricks of the trade are:
1. Prevention. No, I’m not about to spout on about the benefits of avoiding alcohol; we’re all adults here. There are some very basic and easy steps you can take to prevent hangovers whilst still enjoying yourself (and avoiding those well-meaning-yet-annoying friends that refuse to accept your attempts at sobriety).
a. Never drink bad spirits. Cheap spirits that are low in alcohol are high in sugar. Some are so high in sugar they will cause the mother of headaches. They may make you feel drunk, but all that happens is you get a huge sugar rush, followed by a huge sugar crash. Too many of those QF shots, and your stomach will try to fix the bad decisions with some purging. Yup, the spews. Things are only going downhill.
b. Water with everything. There are two ways this can work. If you’re at a work do that’s going on for more a few hours, have a glass of water between each drink. It doesn’t need to be a huge glass, because we don’t want people questioning why you’re popping off to the toilet every half hour… The other, simpler, way to go is to mix your spirits with water. Vodka, water and lime is a classic, tasty and effective way to get the good buzz, keep up your water intake and reduce your sugar consumption. All winning options to avoid the dreaded hangover.
2. Eat. Eat early. Eat after. This isn’t a myth. Eating food early on in the game helps absorb alcohol. And before you head home, stock up on the fatty, greasy, stomach lining foods. Even if you don’t eat them straight away, you’ll be thanking past-you in no time when you suddenly realise that mild stomachache was actually hunger all along. The next morning be sure to have a piece of toast. It settles the stomach and lifts those blood sugar levels.
3. Two Panadol and large glass of water before bed. Don’t forget. Be awesome to yourself and get it ready before you head out on the town. The healing process has to start somewhere.
4. Before you have anything else in the morning, drink 2 cups of English breakfast tea. I have only recently learnt this and promise you, it’s like heaven in a cup. When I think about all the morning-afters I could have conquered if I knew this years ago...
Now that you are feeling human again, here are my tricks for coping with the day:
1. Order some fried goodness with your brunch. No scientific facts, it’s just hot, greasy and salty and makes everything better. Ask anyone.
2. Have a Bloody Mary. There are several studies that suggest evidence behind this theory. But I’m not interested in science here. All I know that a good Bloody Mary has rescued me from countless killer work shifts. It’s like a soothing tonic and it’s a vegetable. Double win.
3. Drink Sprite. Again, there is even some medical research to suggest it could be a cure. I could’ve told them that.
4. Have a dosa (Indian pancake filled spiced goodness) for a late lunch. Kathakali in Devon St, New Plymouth do a great one. Well worth the trip. If you’re at work and everyone is suffering from the staff party, put yourself in the manager's’ good books and organise the morning tea pick up.
5. Take more Panadol. I hope you put some in your bag.
6. Have a small scoop of ice cream. It will wash away the last remnants of the night before and give you a wee sugar hit to get motivated for the day ahead.
Merry Christmas and good luck to you over this festive season!
