Student and Graduate Advice on Hangovers and Hangover Cures

The exact reason we suffer hangovers is not wholly understood. Invariably the pounding head is caused by dehydration. Symptoms like nausea and general grouchiness - are probably due to other stuff that goes into modern day drinks. The effects of the demon drink is an issue some people take very seriously. A journal published by the American College of Physicians reported hangover-induced absenteeism and poor job performance costs the US economy about $148 billion a year.

If you have a hangover now you probably care less about the cause or reason and more on a potential cure. Well we've toured the information available and come up with ten likely or even unlikely things you may want to try.

1. Cabbage ... may not be as bad as it sounds. Reputedly the ancient Greeks thought it was a potent cure. Cabbage is thought to help the body clear out Congeners. Do What? Congeners are toxic byproducts of the fermentation and distillation processes. Chemical impurities responsible for giving each drink its individual taste, aroma and a colour (good). Big but .. Congeners do add to the strength of your hangover. (Bad) Some drinks manufacturers may well add artificial colourings and flavourings to enhance their brands. There is some speculative evidence to suggest these may increase the drinks toxicity ... and help make a hangover even worse.

2. Water ... A pint or two just before you go to sleep ... you might wake up needing the loo in the night, but will probably avoid the dehydration hangover, probably the most common. A dry mouth in the morning is a big clue to dehydration!

3. Coffee ... coffee in the morning or the proverbial strong black coffee ... well tested but apparently scientifically bogus .. the caffeine may dim the ache but it'll just dehydrate you more too. You'll just be a wide-awake head holder. Water is infinitely a better, read healthier, option.

4. Voodoo ... apparently the Haitian suggestion is to stick thirteen pins in the cork of the offending bottle. If you can focus long enough it might feel a little like revenge.

5. Herb lore ... in the dark ages it was suggested to try drinking a concoction which was predominantly Soot. Probably going to empty your stomach fairly quickly. Charcoal is thought to help clear out the congeners from your system. So hands up the chimney or down to Boots for charcoal tablets ... down to you.

6. Suffering ... suffering with perpetual hangovers? Watch the vitamins, alcohol drains the system of a few things. Big among them vitamins A, B, B6 and C. Add also minerals like potassium, calcium, niacin, magnesium and .. and .. and .. Keep those multivitamins handy, pick one with minerals included. The DT's are an infamous sign of vitamin deficiency.

7. Common ... Get up, take a couple of paracetamol, a big glass of water and go back to bed for a couple of hours. This is probably the favorite, running close in notoriety with hair-of-the-dog. If you do, be wise several types of pain killers and alcohol really don't mix. Any pain relief made from Tylenol is bad news for you and your liver. Combined with alcohol it can kill your liver in a very short space of time. Read the label.

8. The hair of the dog ... Don't gather the hairs from big dogs unknown to you, else it might be not 'the hair of the dog that bit you' but 'the hair of bit dog .. bit .. big dog .. hair .. bite thing' ... thing. Seriously, alcohol to cure a hangover has both factual and fictional element. A little might help you feel better, as you will be suffering from a mild form of withdrawal and a drink may feed the need. But the drink won't help the hangover, in reality you will just be extending the time it takes to get better.

9. Fruit Juice ... Fresh juice would have a good measure of fructose, which is good for burning up alcohol still residing in your stomach. Good if you can drink it.

10. Be true to the one ... Different drinks have different ingredients, congeners, additives. Would you drink a half pint of fresh orange, a pint of chocolate milk shake and then a can or two of lager all in a row? Assuming you did it for a bet would you expect to feel ill afterward? By drinking a variety of drinks you will greatly increase the variety of toxins and additives going into your system. As the toxicity levels rise your system goes into overload dealing with all what the body sees as poisons. Your liver works overtime trying to flush the system, you'll need to pee more as this is done. If you're not drinking the water the liver needs to do its job .. you'll be dehydrating bringing on a much worse hangover.

11. What the heck, we'll have eleven ... The best advice to prevent a hangover is don't drink alcoholic drinks! If your reading this it probably means this is one you'll ignore. So try drinking in moderation. Failing that, drink light coloured drinks. It's only a rule of thumb, but light coloured drinks are likely to contain fewer congeners, which affect the strength of your hangover.

Related Links

7 of the Best Hangover Cures for Students"Provided by The Student Zone (United Kingdom)