We all know the saying about a pound of prevention, but sometimes, no matter how hard we try, or what we tell ourselves is the plan for the evening, we fail to limit our wine consumption—and we suffer for it. It’s easily forgotten, that time when we all but tore the porcelain god out of the floor as we wretched and tried to keep the bag of ice on our throbbing head. We’ve all paid the enormous price of the dreaded hangover, always professing that we will never subject our bodies to it again. Right?
This badly needed article can be a lifesaver in times of massive trauma, and with some knowledge, it can actually help you prepare for the next hangover—or keep you from having one in the first place. There are precautions that will help, some of which you’ve probably heard before. The trouble with many of us is that we can’t always predict a hangover, or we attend a party with the intent not to drink at all, but end up doing so.
Unless you’ve lived under a rock your entire life, you’ve heard that you should always eat before consuming alcohol. Food in your stomach helps absorb the alcohol, making it less likely that you’ll experience a serious hangover. Just like preparing for a long-distance run, a plate of pasta or bread will help prevent that morning of hell. The next piece of advice is also scientifically backed, and many drinkers swear by it—water. Alcohol dehydrates your skin, and it will do the same to your insides, causing the headache that makes it impossible to lift your head from the floor in the morning. The best method is to drink a glass of water after every glass of wine. Chances are, your morning-after will make you a believer.
So, you arrive at the social function, unprepared for the night of multiple bottles of wine being opened. Finding some food and water is usually never a problem, so you’ve got that going for you. Next, it’s necessary to know about wines and their effects on different people, and which ones are more likely to affect you the next day. Different people are affected differently by different wines. Red wines seem to have a higher “headache rating” than whites because of a chemical called “congeners.” These congeners are a byproduct of the fermentation process. Additionally, some people are sensitive to sulfites, and they find that drinking organic wines (which don’t use sulfites) helps them avoid hangovers.
Well, you didn’t plan on drinking that much wine, but you did. You barely make it into the house (from the taxi, of course), and upstairs to the master bedroom where you realize you’re in trouble again, both tonight and in the morning. What can you do to prevent the end of the world tomorrow?
The first thing you should do is drink plenty of water before going to bed to help rehydrate your body. You may also want to take aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen with that water, and again in the morning as soon as you wake up (or try to). You might at least manage to get one eye partially open to find the pill container and glass of water on your nightstand. Of course, raising your head off the pillow enough to drink the water can be a challenge. Be aware that prescription pain meds, as well as over-the-counter drugs, aren’t always recommended and could cause more harm than good—never take Tylenol. Maybe ask your MD about this next time you visit.
Curing a Wine Hangover
The plain, horrible truth is that there’s no cure for a hangover. If there is a “magic” answer, the only guaranteed one is to avoid drinking alcohol altogether, and you’ll avoid the hangover. You can lessen the effects by following the suggestions in this article. You can also limit the amount of wine you consume, or stay away from red wine if you know that it’s a problem for you. Another non-scientific approach, used when drinking hard liquor, is to drink only the best of the best. Most wine drinkers find that they have fewer problems the next morning when they drink high-quality, expensive wines—although perhaps that’s because they open fewer bottles.
Here are some do’s and don’ts to pay attention to. Try to avoid drinking coffee, which we’ve always heard is the thing to do to “wake you up.” Caffeine is a diuretic and will compound the effects of alcohol, likely intensifying your headache the next morning. Try eating a banana, as it will assist in processing the alcohol and add potassium to replace what you’ve lost. Along the same lines as drinking plenty of water, try drinking a sports drink containing electrolytes. Most importantly for those suffering from a hangover, stay in bed and get as much sleep as you can. Your body has been through a wringer and will need some kindness.
Two more things to always avoid: anything with a label claiming to “cure a hangover” or “prevent a hangover,” and any suggestion from a “friend” that all you need is the “Hair of the Dog.” Big mistake, my friend. Although it may seem to make you feel better, all it really does is prolong the inevitable headache or even intensify it. Luckily, most people in this situation are on the bathroom floor and won’t be able to make it to the wine cellar for another bottle. In fact, the very thought of it will likely cause a violent reaction.
One last “cure” for the hangover that, although not scientifically proven, is one I wouldn’t say not to try—is sex. Yes, the cure for many other ailments has been suggested as the ultimate remedy. As stated by Joris C. Verster, PhD from Utrecht University in the Netherlands, “There’s no research that shows sex will make a hangover go away, but maybe it will make the time go faster.” In hindsight, maybe the cure for a wine hangover is Cialis?
