You’ve done it again, enjoyed an evening of revelry with a few too many adult beverages. The result is always the same—a nasty hangover that leaves you nauseated, drained of energy, dehydrated, and with a killer headache the next day. When will you learn?
I’m not pointing fingers. We all suffer the consequences of a hangover every now and again. However, if you’re attempting to prevent a hangover using these eight mythical and ineffective tricks, you’re only fooling yourself…
1. A Few Drinks Won’t Cause a Hangover
Don’t fool yourself; a martini packs a pretty heavy punch when it comes to inebriation. I drink 2 cosmopolitans and I’m drunk enough to be hung-over the next morning. That’s why I’ve learned a valuable lesson—order a big glass of soda water in between each drink to keep hydrated and dilute the alcohol in my bloodstream.
2. Stick to Diet Mixes
Sure, if you’re trying to shed a few pounds swapping diet pop for full-sugar mix will help you stay trim. However, the lack of sugar in your rum and diet coke is more likely to leave you with a morning-after headache because the sugar and fruit juice mixes actually dilute the affects of alcohol more effectively in the bloodstream.
3. Alcohol Puts You To Sleep
You might think that a glass of wine will lull you off to la-la-land. However, your typical nightcap will actually disrupt your REM sleep cycles, which means even though you might get sleepy faster; you’ll suffer poorer quality zzzzz’s.
4. Liquor Before Beer…You’re In the Clear
Not so clear according to common sense drinking, considering the usual 5-ounce glass of red or white wine, a standard 12-ounce beer, or common 1.5-ounce shot of liquor all contain the exact amount of alcohol. So really, it doesn’t matter which order you drink them in.
5. Carb-Loading Prevents Hangovers
When it comes to pro-actively eating to prevent a nasty hangover fat works miles compared to starchy carbohydrates, which is why that greasy spoon breakfast feels so good going down the day after a night of drinking. If you want to prevent alcohol absorption, opt for a fatty meal—like chicken wings, steak, a big burger and fries, or a few pieces of pizza before you go out drinking.
6. Hair of the Dog Cures Hangovers
Hair of the dog refers to drinking more alcohol the next morning in order to stifle hangover symptoms. And while it might seem like it works at the time, you’re merely delaying your hangover by adding more alcohol to your bloodstream, aka: getting yourself drunk again. Really, who wants to delay the inevitable—a nasty hangover later in the day?
7. Men and Women Can Drink the Same Amount
When it comes to drinking ladies, I’m afraid gender equality doesn’t apply. Ladies night may offer the promise of cheap drinks, but if you down more than a few, you’ll likely feel the effects much sooner and much more harshly than men drinking the same liquor and the same amount. It’s due to the fact that men’s bodies contain more water than women’s bodies—thus, they can drink more!
8. Drink Coffee to Sober Up
Many of us have a few strong cups of coffee following a few rounds of stiff drinks in order to sober up quickly so we can drive home. However, coffee does nothing in the face of helping you absorb and eliminate alcohol more quickly. All caffeine does is dehydrate you further, making the after affects of your night of drinking even worse. So do yourself a favor and right the influence of dehydrating booze by drinking a big glass of water or sipping an electrolyte beverage before bed.
