Hangover Remedies from Around the World

You don't really remember the last half of last night, but your body does. At one point you may have been struck by a bus, freight train, or water buffalo. Not only does your body hurt, but your brain feels like it is about to explode. If you have these symptoms, you are most likely the victim of a killer hangover.

From Russia to Peru and Egypt to Australia, virtually every country in the world has some sort of alcoholic drink to brighten moods and celebrate. Where there is booze, there is hangover. Each country has its own special method of dealing with the morning after; let's take a look at a few.

Let's start with Ireland, a country known just as much for their beautiful landscape as they are for the raucous drinking abilities. More booze equals a bigger hangover. The most common cure is called the Irish Breakfast. The IB is the fattiest, most hugified breakfast consisting of bacon, sausage, fried eggs, fried tomatoes, bread pudding, and more. It's like a McDonalds Big Breakfast times ten. All of this is washed down with tea. Rumor is, if you can finish it, your hangover will be cured.

In countries like Russia, where the average Russians drinking skills would make a frat boy or sailor green with envy (or alcohol poisoning), the hangover cures range from pickled gherkins and juice to something called fizzy cabbage juice. Sounds gross, but apparently it works. The drink is made from only the freshest ingredients and is full of salt. Apparently the salt helps retain fluid in your body. This is the reason pickles and pickle juices are commonly called upon to knock out hangovers.

But what if the hangover is so bad you can't hold anything down? For this we go to America. In a fast paced country where people don't have time to take a day off to nurse a killer headache. Although we may not be athletes, we start drinking like them. Gatorade, water, vita water, and stuff like rockstar recovery work wonders by replacing essential b vitamins and giving you a jolt of caffeine without putting weight into your stomach. Mixed with something like BC powder or Excedrin, this is the quickest way to ice a really bad hang-over.

A common cure in all drinking nations is using the "Hair of the Dog" method. This is basically just waking up and starting to drink again. It sort of dilutes the alcohol left in your system with more alcohol. This isn't the best way if you need to head into work, but will certainly do the trick if you can stomach it. If anything it buys you time to drink a ton of water and eat before the real hangover sets in. Try to shy away from this method, as it can lead to alcoholism.