Don’t you hate when people tell you the best way not to have a hangover is to (insert intense music here, please) – not drink? Be that your parent, your sibling, partner, or a friend, at that moment, they’re just a bunch of know-it-alls who get on your drunken nerves.

They’re right, though. There is no cure for a hangover; hence the lack of clickbaity title Google and other engines are full of.

Many people get buzzed after just one or two drinks, so the amount of alcoholic beverage that delivers a hangover in your case will most likely differ from others.

Nevertheless, if you have experienced headaches, spinning sensation, vomiting, or other unpleasant physical manifestations like nausea, faster heartbeat, diarrhea – you met the hangover.

BUT! Here’s a big but (pun unintended). You can learn some ways to minimize the chances of the worst-case scenario hangover, and we’ll tell you all about it.

Painkillers that kill the pain SLOWLY

If you are experiencing a heavy hangover, you may want to reach out and take a painkiller (a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, aka NSAID). This will diminish the consequences of excessive drinking and help with the headache and the achy sensations. Still, it probably won’t help immediately.

How to cure a hangover “fast”: The hair of the dog

Loving a drink but have no love for hangovers? Keep on drinking! Seriously, that’s what the hair of the dog is all about.

You probably heard about this advice to continue to drink the next day to cure your hangover. After a heavy drinking number you did the previous day, you can get a drink or two to ease the consequences.

Where does this come from? Some doctors suggest that if a hangover is observed as an alcohol withdrawal, consuming more alcohol could ease the withdrawal when blood alcohol levels begin to drop.

Don’t spice the drink with dog hairs, though. You may accidentally brew a potion that’ll make you grow a dog tail or something like that.

The best hangover cure is water + zzzZZZzzz

The water will not counteract your efforts to get loose and go wild. You can enjoy the giggling, energetic, relaxed, or feeling-sexy vibe all while you keep on following your alcoholic drink with a cup of water.

What water does is slow the absorption of alcohol in your body and can even prevent a hangover. It will also help you with dehydration, so you should keep a bottle or glass with water by your bed so you can sip it throughout the night or morning while in bed.

Get your tummy full for a delicious hangover cure

If you want to drink wine or spirits (i.e., whiskey, vodka, gin, etc.), you should get the setting right. And that means that you should eat before and/or while you drink. And I am talking about some real food here, a meal that includes carbohydrates or fats.

Best hangover food

The day after is a bit tricky. You may feel the hunger that can be satisfied only with fast food, or you may completely lose the appetite. Whatever the case, have breakfast, including eggs and bread.

The recently published study in The Journal of Clinical Medicine evaluated the diets in the range of 24 hours before and after the extreme drinking event took place. The study was small (with 23 participants) and based on participants’ self-report in terms of food intake. The study concluded that people who consumed more significant amounts of zinc and vitamin B3 (niacin or nicotinic acid) had less harsh hangovers.

Yogurt may provide some temporary relief in your stomach, and it may also help to drink a water-diluted magnesium effervescent tablet before or after a meal the day after.

Think twice before you light a cigarette

If you are not a frequent smoker, you are more compelled to smoke while drinking because those two always seem to come in the package. Although it may be easy to not smoke generally, smokes with alcohol is an entirely different story for you.

If you are a weekend smoker, try to hold yourself from binge smoking while drinking from the start. If you light up a smoke after a few drinks, you will immediately get that blow into your head that blurs your mind, and it really sucks, so you’d be better off skipping it altogether the next time.

Advice for frequent smokers is to try to cut down on the number they usually smoke while drinking.

The last call

After a few unsuccessfully cured hangovers, you begin to realize that these hangover cures are more of a myth. There are no cures for a hangover (If you think there is, please share your wisdom and prove us wrong), but there are things you can do to avoid or ease the discomfort of a nasty hangover.

Photo credits

Featured image: Kampus production

Photo by Jill Burrow, Anderson Martins from Pexels