HOW TO DEAL WITH THE MORNING-AFTER HANGOVER

A couple of days ago I promised to prepare an article about something quite unpleasant which ironically is a product of something that’s indeed quite enjoyable: a wild night out ? the Holy Hangover!
Of course, the best solution for dealing with the nasty hangover is actually thinking ahead and restraining yourself from having that one ‘last drink’.

But the thing is: One moment you’re gracefully sipping wine with a blissful grin, and the next you find yourself at the bar taking shot after shot, eventually hitting the dance floor with your quirkiest and wildest moves.

And at that exact moment of nonchalance and joy the last thing that crosses your mind is the anything-but-blissful feeling that you?ll be getting in a few hours time.

And there it is – the irritable loud alarm buzzer. It’s 8:00 AM and you’re still cuddled under the duvet, blaming yourself for your irrational decision to have left at all your flat the previous night.

But we’re all aware of the scenario, don’t we, making empty promises that we’d never go near a bar or alcohol EVER AGAIN!

But no matter what your future plans are, at present you feel like a piece of crap and you have to quickly figure out how to speed up the process of recovery.

1. Basic Precautions Before You Hit the Club: There are a couple of precautions you should probably be aware of if you want to lessen the alcohol’s negative effects on your body.

– Have a proper AND filling meal if you plan to drink: Simple right? However, quite often we tend to forget (especially the female side of the population) that a salad is not enough to line your stomach. And if you still want to indulge only in a salad – make sure to add plenty of olive oil in it. Also try and have some sort of a snack while drinking (crackers, sticks of carrots with olive oil and lime juice) which is also a great and easy-to-remember precaution if you want to avoid having a hangover.

2. H2O: Drink plenty of water before you fall asleep. Alcohol tends to dehydrate your body which is why you end up feeling drained the day after. Water will also help your body get rid of the alcohol faster, which is what you need to do if you eventually want to get out of bed.

3. But sometimes no matter the precautions you’ve sensibly taken, you open your eyes feeling as if you’ve rode a roller-coaster way too many times. You’re now officially dehydrated and you need to provide your system with lots of H2O. Then grab your bottle of water (at a room temperature) and have tons of the miraculous liquid. To rehydrate faster – add some slices of cucumber in it as well as some lemons (rich in Vitamin C) both of which will also help put your stomach at ease.

4. Avoid Any Caffeine Intake: Unfortunately, even if you’ve had quite a lot of sleep, you’d probably still feel exhausted due to the amounts of alcohol you’ve had, which is why you’d be probably craving your morning coffee or English Breakfast tea. Well, you have to scratch that from your hangover diet as both drinks will dehydrate your body even more.

5. Have Fruits: The more the Better! Why not have some bananas or kiwis which are rich of potassium, the mineral that you lose while enjoying your favourite drink? I’d personally add some honey on the top of the fruits as honey facilitates in maintaining blood sugar levels and burning t alcohol at a faster speed.

6. Force yourself out of bed and have a cool shower! Even though a nice shower won’t be enough to make you feel better, it will at least refresh and energise your brain.

7. If you have the chance to stay in bed – DO IT! If your hangover’s killing you, well, it’s worth taking a day off to get back on track before you go back to work.

8. Hair of the dog: When I turned 18 I decided to throw a big party. I had an exam earlier that day and I didn?t have enough time to indulge in a proper meal. I arrived at the venue around 9PM after having rushed out of the salon, and all dolled up started welcoming my guests. The party was supposed to last all night… but, unfortunately for me it ended around 11 PM. The morning after, I couldn?t believe how sick I felt! I woke up at 7AM with my head still spinning and a rumbling belly. I couldn?t fall back to sleep and somehow dragged myself into the living room. Dad had just come home after getting the morning newspaper and he laughed when he saw me looking all miserable and puffy. He poured something in a glass and handed it to me. ‘Come on, have some’ he said. I smelled it and couldn’t believe him! He was offering me whiskey!!! He said something about ‘the hair of the dog’ but back then I thought he was just making fun of me and my horrendous hangover.

Well, he wasn?t really. When you provide your body with some alcohol, it immediately starts dealing with the new one, discarding the toxins from the previous night.

But as I assume that you wouldn’t be willing to taste any of the drinks that have caused your horrible hangover at first place, I suggest you go for a fresh Bloody Mary instead. Actually that’s such a ‘New Yorker’ thing to do! Every time I went for Sunday brunch all that I could see was people having Bloody Marys! Now I get why: They were all dealing with the consequences of drinking way too much the night before. Oh, and by the way, Bloody Mary is made with tomato juice and celery, both of which incredibly rich in vitamins that will also help you liven up a bit.

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10. Do some exercise! And NO – I’m not joking. Even if I feel a bit rough after having had a bit of a wild night ? I still go to Zumba to sweat the toxic out of my body. Honestly, force yourself to leave the flat and hit the gym or a class! You’ll be thanking me later for that.

11. Yoghurt! Take a can of Greek yoghurt, shake it, pour it in a bowl, add some water, salt and pepper – now finish it all! And if you have some energy ? add some tiny cubes of cucumber, olive oil, and have this cold and delicious soup which will certainly speed up the recovery process: it will rehydrate you, satisfy your rumbling belly, while also supplying your system with some much needed proteins.

12. Have a proper meal and as a snack have some crackers or anything that?s classified as carbs. Carbs are essential for brining your sugar levels up. And contrary to the common belief that you should indulge in greasy foods ? well, sorry to break it you ? this won’t help. Greasy foods could prevent a hangover rather than cure it and if anything the will only irritate your stomach and make you feel even worse.

And last but not least: To prevent a hangover you should probably drink a bit less next time (or at least try to not mix beverages) you head out and that’s precisely what I’m planning to do. Freshly squeezed juices with a tiny bit of wine on the side. This would certainly be me from now on. I hope.!

I hope this helped. If you have any other tips and tricks, share them in the comments below. Can’t wait to read them really!

Lots of love,