Beer Edition — Reagle: Preventing, and coping with, a hangover

By Sarah Reagle

I never used to get hangovers. I could mix beer with liquor and drink bottom-shelf cocktails… I never used to get hangovers. I could mix beer with liquor and drink bottom-shelf cocktails with no adverse effects — unless you count poor decision-making. But that’s not what’s important here. The important thing is that I get hangovers now. All the time. I must be getting old.

Instead of taking my mom’s advice — “You know, you could just drink less” — I’ve been on a quest to create the perfect night of drinking that precedes a perfect morning.

Most of my hangover prevention is mental. I get ready for the evening and tell myself, “We will not be hungover tomorrow morning.” This doesn’t always work by itself, however, so I started experimenting with other variables. Lucky for you, I’m prepared to share my results.

Look higher than the bottom shelf

I understand that we’re all poor college kids, and Vladimir and Bankers Club have become close companions during these rough times. Nevertheless, your body deserves better than that. I’m certainly not telling you to buy Grey Goose or Johnnie Walker, but move a little higher up the ladder than the bottom rung. Get a bottle of mid-shelf liquor on special, and it’s not that much more expensive. Besides, you won’t regret it in the morning.

When drinking liquor, remember that lighter drinks cause less-severe hangovers. The darker the liquor, the more likely it’ll give you a bad hangover.

For mixers, I recommend skipping the sugary drinks. I have no idea if there’s evidence to substantiate this theory, but I find that drinking sugary cocktails makes you feel worse the next day. Stick to VitaminWater, club soda and juices that don’t have added sugars.

If you’re more of a beer drinker, the same rule applies for the cheap stuff. Drinking cheap beer will often make you feel worse the next day than if you buy something a little more respectable. Spend a few more dollars, and you’ll get your well-being in return.

Eat something

Before going out for a night, eat a meal. Drinking on an empty stomach is one of the leading causes of early vomiting. This is the reason I wasn’t the first person to puke on my 21st birthday. (As a side note, I didn’t blow any chunks on my 21st birthday because I’m awesome. Clearly this makes me a font of wisdom.) So eat a meal — preferably something with carbs. It’ll take the alcohol longer to pass through your system when you have food in your stomach.

A lot of people think it’s a good idea to eat while drinking to avoid a hangover, but I’m not one of those people. Eating while out for the night generally means pizza or some other form of greasy food, and that’s not good for your digestion. Grease is hard on your stomach, and so is alcohol. Pick your poison: You can choose either pizza or alcohol, but don’t mix them. It only hurts more. If you really want to eat, select something easier to digest. Have toast, a bowl of cereal or some macaroni and cheese.

Drink water

This is maximally important. The vast majority of your hangover derives from dehydration. There are various theories about when to drink water. One friend tells me to drink two glasses of water before bed. Another tells me to drink a glass of water immediately upon waking. My mom tells me to drink a glass of water between each drink. I don’t think any are wrong. Drink water, or you will feel horrible the next day when your body realizes you peed out all its precious nutrients.

Other theorists say that drinking Pedialyte or Gatorade the next morning works better than just plain water. I personally think Gatorade tastes like sweaty soccer practices and the flu, so it’s not my preferred method of hydration. But if it works for you, do it.

The next day

OK, so you failed. It happens. You wake up with a pounding headache, an inability to be productive and possibly even the desire to vomit. Fear not. A hangover is sort of like the common cold: There’s no cure, so you treat the symptoms.

If you have a headache, pound a few glasses of water and see if you feel any better after about a half hour. Headaches result from dehydration, and this should help. If it doesn’t, pop an ibuprofen.

If you can’t seem to focus or get any work done, this is likely the result of too little sleep. Obviously the best cure is a few more hours of sleep. If you don’t have that kind of time, drink some coffee. The energy boost should get you through what you need to accomplish.

If you have the urge to vomit, then you definitely drank too much. However, knowing this won’t help you feel better. You can try over-the-counter medicines like Emetrol or Pepto-Bismol, which might alleviate your nausea. If you don’t have these medicines on hand and can’t manage to leave the house, try to wait it out. Keep drinking water, and eat some toast. You can get through this.

Know when to give up

There are times when you just can’t defeat the hangover. When this happens, know when to give up and sleep it off. Throw your pajamas back on — or maybe you never changed out of them — get into bed and give it a few hours. You can be productive later. Sometimes you just need a reminder of what it feels like to drink way too much. When this happens, try not to let it happen again.

As a parting gift, here are some quick-and-dirty to-don’ts: Don’t drink an entire bottle of red wine, don’t take antihistamines before going out and don’t think you’re getting anything above the bottom shelf when you order a mixed drink on special at a bar.

Here’s hoping for success in navigating a hangover-free lifestyle.

To share your tips on hangover prevention, email Sarah at sarahreagle@gmail.com.