More Hangover Cures, Booze or Not
A Hair of the Dog Can Fix You Up, But Vitamins and Exercise Help
Oct 14, 2008
To begin, then, there are “morning after the night before” concoctions some people swear by to cure a hangover. In India, according to Saveur magazine, imbibers drink palm wine the day after. In Martinique, the same source notes, a glass of rum with a squeeze of lime and a splash of cane syrup is the “eye opener” of choice.
Hemingway's Cure-All
Hemingway, who believed in writing drunk and editing sober, chased his morning fog away with something now called “Death in the Afternoon” after one of his novels. It’s a simple drink: one inch of absinthe in the bottom of a champagne glass, topped up with champagne and stirred. Absinthe was unavailable in the U.S. for years, but now is available again, in case anyone wants to take after one of our most colorful novelists.
British author Evelyn Waugh waited until noon, apparently, to cure his hangovers. He favored a hefty shot of gin mixed with a half pint of Guinness poured into a silver tankard and topped up with ginger beer. Apparently, according to Kinglsey Amis, the silver tankard was key; don’t try this without one!
There are other things one can do to cure a hangover, however, besides taking more alcohol into the system. In fact, it’s debatable whether taking more alcohol does cure the hangover; more likely, it simply makes the landing a bit gentler.
Following are some other tactics taken by drinkers less hardcore than Hemingway:
The Exercise Gambit
Exercise is something veteran drinker the late Kingsley Amis, advised strictly against. However, some people believe exercise will help remove toxins, thus ridding the body of the things making one feel punky. Amis did think a walk would be all right, as long as it was not too strenuous. One must use one’s own judgment, then, and either work out to the best of one’s ability, or amble around the neighborhood, or something in between.
More Health-Nut Hangover Cures
B vitamins are also helpful for hangover, although it’s best to take them before going to bed, allowing them to work while one sleeps. The reason B vitamins are supposed to work is that they help metabolize the carbohydrates in the alcohol. Some recommend a high-potency B-complex to increase the possibility of getting some benefit from this nostrum. If you do forget to swallow the pill before sleep, these believers note, you can take it immediately upon arising.
Another cure to take before sleeping is a large glass of a sports drink. High in electrolytes, they aid in helping the kidneys replenish what’s been excreted during drinking. Rehydration is paramount in getting over a hangover, according to most experts. Water by itself is often difficult for those whose tummies have also taken a jolt to deal with; the sweetened liquid seems to go down and stay down better. Of course, many drinkers in the southeastern United States think a cola drink does the job just as well.
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