AVOIDING HANGOVERS
Our top ten tips for a hangover free morning.
Food and water may help to ease the symptoms of a hangover but showers, greasy fry-ups and coffee can’t sober you up. The only thing that will is time!
1: Aim to drink in moderation
Set yourself a limit before you go out and stick to it. If you need a little extra help download the free DrinkCoach app and keep real-time tabs on your alcohol intake. You can also set some reminders to help you stick to your goals.
2: Know yourself
If you’re sensitive to sulphites you’ll want to avoid red wine. If you’re allergic to yeast, beer might leave you feeling off colour. Learn to say no to those shots that tip you over the edge. Learn to listen to your body and you’ll soon find out what is and isn’t your cup of… Long Island Ice Tea?
3: Line your stomach
A full stomach can help slow the rate at which alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream. This can give your body a better chance of dealing with the increasing level of by-products as your body metabolises alcohol.
“A hangover is our body’s way of telling us it needs some repair work.”
4: Drink plenty of water
Alternating between alcoholic drinks and water can help control the amount of alcohol you consume, whilst counter-balancing alcohol’s diuretic effect. We would also recommend spreading this water intake so you are not overloading your body with water at the end of the night.
5: Try not to exceed limits
The Chief Medical Officer recommends drinking no more than 14 units per week spread over a couple of days. Any time you drink more than 6 units for women or 8 units for men it is considered binge-drinking. Drinking more than that places unnecessary stress on our livers. This reduces our body’s efficiency at removing those nasty by-products of metabolising alcohol.
6: Choose light over dark
Clearer drinks such as vodka and gin go through a distillation process that removes many of the impurities linked to hangovers. Keep in check the number of distilled drinks you have though, as the distillation process removes water leaving a much higher alcohol content.
7: Avoid sugary mixers
Sugar can hide the taste of alcohol encouraging us to consume more. Alcohol on its own can heighten emotional reactions and we are likely to experience mood swings when alcohol is coupled with sugary mixers. What’s more, since alcohol depresses your central nervous system, your body will be less able to deal with any increasing sugar levels. The result of this is that you’re likely to suffer from low blood sugar, which will heighten any hangover.
8: Say no to salt
Salt-laced cocktails and snacks will make you thirsty and so encourage you to drink more as you try to quench your thirst. This only adds to the dehydration effect.
9: Don’t mix your drinks
Alcohol is alcohol so while the type is not going to make you more drunk, the more you mix, the less likely you are to be able to keep track of how much you’ve actually had.
10: Avoid getting into rounds
Avoiding rounds in the first place is often easier than skipping a round once you’re in them. The impact of falling into another person’s drinking pattern can be damaging. We all have that one friend that seems to down the drink faster than the rest. Stand strong and stick to your drinking goal without the pressure of rounds.
Our DrinkCoach Tools
Alcohol Test - DrinkCoach App - Online Coaching
AS FEATURED IN:
