If you were out with your friends last night for drinks, its not until the next morning that you realize that you had perhaps over-indulged yourself. You head is pounding, throat is dry, the room is spinning and you have the urge to throw up: hangovers seriously suck.
If you are going out for a happy hour, a wedding, vacation or a party and do not want to pay the price the next day, here are few things you can do to prevent a hangover or at least make it less painful.
Read on to find how to prevent a hangover.
Drink less
Try to abstain completely from drinking, if not try to drink less. Hold your drink and sip it slowly. As a rule, don’t consume more than one drink per hour to give your body enough time to break down the alcohol. Try to avoid cocktails, which are loaded, instead opt for beer or a glass of wine.
Drink water
Alcohol dehydrates the body, which makes the hangovers worse. Start and end your party with lots of water. Make a rule to drink at least a glass of water for every pint or glass of Sauvignon Blanc.
Eat before drinking
Avoid drinking on an empty stomach as it causes the alcohol to absorb faster. Try to grab a healthy meal before the party.
Keep it Light
Darker drinks like red wine or rum contain congeners, which cause hangovers. Stay away from sugary and carbonated drinks, which speed up alcohol absorption.
Don’t mix it up
Make it a wine night or a beer night or a vodka night, but don’t ever mix your drinks. Not only will you drink too much, most drinks don’t mix well with each other.
Skip the bubbles
Instead of using carbonated mixers, use fruit juice or water for mixing your liquors. The gas in carbonated drinks speed up he rate of alcohol absorption in the blood.
Eat after your drinks
Just like eating before the party is important, so is after your drinks. Fat and carbs will line your stomach and will slow the absorption of alcohol.
If its too late and you are already having a hangover, check out our recovery tips for curing it instead.
