Holiday Hangover: Symptom Relief and Preventative Measures

So, you have been out celebrating during the holidays, going from one party to another party. Now you wake up the next morning and find you have a tiny person in your head using a jackhammer. Do not give up hope, they might not be cures but there are some things you can do to alleviate the symptoms of one too many. So, lift your head out of the toilet and read on.

A hangover is caused by a condition of the toxic by product of alcohol metabolism (acetalolhyde), dehydration, and vitamins A, B (particularly B6) and C depletion caused by the chemical action of alcohol in your system. A nasty hangover is also Mother Nature's way of telling you, "I told you not to drink so much".

Symptoms of a hangover

The symptoms are usually an extremely dry mouth, nausea, fatigue dizziness and of course let us not forget a headache…. a very large headache. Besides the obvious toxic effects, you should realize you are suffering the effects of a mild overdose of a depressant drug and your nervous system is just acting accordingly.

The severity of a hangover depends on:

· The amount of alcohol you drink in a given time period.

· Your own enzymatic capacity to deal with poisons. (How you hold your liquor.)

· Your age.

To break it down it means the more you drink in a short amount of time, the more you will feel the alcohol. One's weight is also a factor (the less you weigh the more you are going to feel the effects of alcohol), as is genetic predisposition. Finally the older you get, the more you will feel the effects of alcohol the next morning.

Now that you know how alcohol affects your body here are some preventative measures to keep from getting a hangover, besides the obvious of not drinking.
Do not go out to drink on an empty stomach. We have all heard this one but there is a reason. The emptier your stomach is before drinking increases the possibility of a hangover. You could start your night out with a double order of fries to pad your stomach. The effect this will have is it will slow the absorption of the alcohol into your system. Hey, you probably will not get a hangover eating a double order of fries, you may get clogged arteries, but you probably will not get a hangover.

Make sure your body is hydrated. This is probably the most important piece of advice. Alcohol acts as a diuretic, it makes you go to the bathroom. We all know this from the long lines at bars for the restroom. The more you have coming out, the more you need going in.

Are there some drinks that cause a worse hangover than others do?

Yes Virginia, there are drinks that cause a hangover to be worse. Some drinks cause a more severe hangover due to the actions of impurities called Congeners. While it is the ethyl alcohol (ethanol) that gets you drunk, amyl alcohol, butyl alcohol, methyl alcohol, propyl alcohol, and isopropyl alcohol is found in most drinks in various degrees. The concentration of these Congeners will go a long way to determine the severity of a hangover.

Vodka and gin (clear liquors) are generally lower in congeners than dark liquors such as whiskey, rum and bourbon, due to the filtering process involved, and hence usually give a less intense hangover. Unfortunately, Congeners are what gives flavor, smell and appearance to alcohol.

Hangover Remedies

Most hangover cures simply apply to one or more symptoms and really are not a cure. The hangover will not stop until the alcohol is out of your system.
Berocca - this puts the vitamin B back in, as well as a big glass of water with it. It is probably best to do this before your night out.

Soda - Carbonation for the nausea, liquid for the dehydration, and a sugar and caffeine mix to make you feel a bit more alive.

Coffee - this is sort of like the soda without the bubbles to ease the nausea. You should drink it with honey instead of sugar. The fructose in honey is absorbed quicker.

Peanut butter on toast - Something on your stomach is good and the saltier the better. You also get the much-needed vitamin B also. The oily nature of peanut butter can increase nausea for those with a sensitive stomach, so for those people you can just eat the toast.

Cold pizza - This one no one really knows why it helps. It could be the combination of bread and cheese.

Vitamin C - This is another that alcohol takes out of your system and you need to put it back in.

A hot bath - The heat will cause the toxins to sweat out of you. Be careful though it cold makes you dizzy at first. Make sure you drink plenty of water so you do not dehydrate more.