How to deal with hangovers

Despite our best intentions, sometimes we all consume a little more alcohol than we should. The result is that unpleasant feeling, called a hangover, which is probably one of the worse things a party animal could experience after a night of boozing it up. We all know when we have it. It’s that feeling of being unwell, characterized by two or more of the following symptoms: headache, nausea, diarrhea, lack of appetite, shakiness and lethargy after a heavy intake of alcoholic drinks.

It seems that a hangover is nature's way of punishment to prevent future drinking binges. Excessive intake of alcohol causes numerous changes in the balance of hormones, neurotransmitters and other biological substances in the body which lead to the symptoms stated above.

However, not even the worse hangover seems to deter partyphiles from drinking. Socialite Shawn Umsted, a self confessed hard drinker, suggests the following to abate the pains of hangovers:

Avoid drinking on an empty stomach. Food in the stomach prevents rapid absorption of alcohol into the blood stream. Thus, the more food you have before and during drinking, the less the impact of alcohol.

Don’t mix alcohols! Yes it’s fun to go out and have beers with your friends and then have shots after you get all wasted. What isn’t fun are the little guys with big hammers the next morning trying to get out of your head.

As much as possible, drink "clear" alcohols. Brandy, red wine, tequila and rum are more likely to cause hangover than white wine, vodka and gin.

Drink plenty of water. Try to drink one 8oz glass of water for every alcoholic drink that you have: you will get just as drunk but you won’t hurt as much the next day! Drinking other fluids such as apple juice or Gatorade before going to sleep is also advisable to prevent dehydration.

These tips can only lessen the pain of a hangover. The only thing that can absolutely guarantee that a hangover will not occur is to avoid drinking altogether.