Your Prescription for Hangovers

For those of you who have ever had a little too much to drink and have paid the price the next morning, you know there is no magic pill that can miraculously cure your hangover. There are some things, however, that may get you back on the road to a quick recovery.

There are several things that have been shown to help ease the pain of a hangover. Some are more effective than others, of course. Here is a look at some of the things that have proven most successful.

You can actually start by popping some pills. Taking a dose of aspirin is the most effective cure for any pains that you are feeling; provided that your stomach is not in too bad of shape (aspirin can irritate sensitive stomachs). Also take 200 mg of cysteine, which you can get at specialty food stores and supplement stores. Cysteine has been shown to counteract the effects of acetaldehyde on the body. 600 mg of Vitamin C and a Vitamin B-complex supplement can help to replenish the nutrients that were flushed out of your body with the frequent visits to the bathroom. If you do not have these as separate pills, try taking a multivitamin.

Next, a smoothie can help hydrate you and get vitamins and minerals back into your system while still being pretty easy on your queasy stomach. Blend together a banana, a can of V-8 juice, six strawberries, a couple tablespoons of honey, 1-2 cups of milk, a pinch of salt and a dash of nutmeg until it reaches your desired consistency. This will help coat your stomach and get some nutrition in you. If you know that operating a blender will be beyond your capabilities with a hangover, prepare the night before so that it is ready in the morning.

If you are still feeling bad later on in the day, then you can round it out with some Maalox, Gatorade, and bouillon soup. These should all sit easily on your stomach, help hydrate you, and replenish the vitamins and minerals that you lost. If you are still nauseous, add food back slowly into your diet so that you do not end up throwing everything back up.

If your head is still pounding after the aspirin, take an icepack, wrap it in a towel, and put it on your head. Alternate twenty minutes on with ten minutes off until the pain subsides.

Of course, your friends and family will have their own remedies for the morning after pain. You are welcome to try these as well if you think you can tolerate them. However, avoid any "remedies" that involve drinking more alcohol, vast quantities of caffeine, or taking painkillers like acetaminophen. In the long run, these will actually end up harming your body more and causing you to feel worse once their effects have worn off.

All in all, the best cure for a hangover is time - your body needs time to process the alcohol and the toxins so that you can start to feel better, and there is no real way to speed that up.