Everyone knows that a hangover is one of life's most depressing and demoralizing experiences. You feel weak in your muscles and bones, you reject the offers of food or drink, and you badly want to phone the boss and tell him to get lost. It's uncomfortable, and it leaves you feeling terrible as you wish it away as quickly as possible. "Why me?", you mumble from your sick bed. "I'm never drinking alcohol again".
Well folks, as your grandma would always say prevention is better than cure. The best and most effective way of handling a hangover is to avoid it altogether, which is pretty easy to do. Having said that, there aren't many of us that see the enjoyment in avoiding alcohol altogether. If you know in advance that you are going out to drink alcohol, there are loads of measures you can take to avoid that dreaded morning after feeling. Firstly, fill up on food before you go out. Drinking with an empty stomach isn't a good idea, and if your stomach is full, it will help to absorb the alcohol at a slower rate, which stops those nasty hangovers. Another good idea is to make sure you drink loads of water as the symptoms you'll feel in the morning will largely be down to dehydration.
When you're out there having a good time, remember to take care when choosing what to drink. Sugary drinks, or drinks like wine are likely to make you feel bad the next day. Another wise idea is to keep with one drink for the night, which will make a stomach upset less likely, and will probably lead you to drink less overall. Again when you're out, make sure you keep drinking water to keep you fully hydrated.
When you stumble in the door, make sure you down a couple of glasses of cold water. Avoid any medications which could affect your stomach badly with the alcohol, although if you're looking to take something, try a multivitamin to curb your illness.
When your eyes open the next morning, you will hopefully have done enough to stave off the worst of the symptoms. If you're suffering from the effects, it's a good idea to stay clear of coffee, and try to drink as much water as you can to help re-hydrate your body. If you're still not feeling great, you should really try to avoid going into work. It is never a good idea to lie to your boss, but if you find have to, try the flu or a stomach upset as an effective excuse, as your body will be full of nasty toxins which can take a while to leave your system. When you feel able to eat go for foods high in vitamins and minerals, and some even think that fattier, less healthy foods will help settle your stomach.
