So you got that promotion you’ve been working so hard towards or finally get engaged and it’s a life changing event that warrants some serious celebration. So you head out with your friends to celebrate and let your hair down.
 

Well we seldom think of the suffering we will most likely have to endure the next day when inevitably the dreaded hangover kicks in.
 

It’s most likely that you will wake up the next morning with a pounding headache, dizziness, aching muscles, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound and an overall feeling of irritability. The smell of food or alcohol is enough to make you vomit.
 

Although we don’t like to admit it, especially when we’re having such a good time, alcohol is a drug. It’s a depressant, and when it is taken in excess, it fills the body with toxins.
 

Your body reacts as it would to any drug overdose which is trying to metabolize and get rid of the toxins.
 

We all know the best way to prevent a hangover is to drink in moderation or abstaining from alcohol but where’s the fun in that? So keeping well-hydrated and well-nourished when you’re drinking is your best way of reducing hangover symptoms.
 

Here are few cures that according to doctors may help:
 

1.       Bananas
 

Intoxication and the dehydration that it causes means that your body has been drained of potassium. Eat a banana to give your body the potassium boost that it needs.
 

2.       Ginger
 

In the East they have been using ginger to cure nausea. If you are really hung over drink a ginger ale or brew some ginger tea by boiling ginger in hot water. Add orange juice and lemon and honey for a super cure to that nauseous feeling.  
 

3.       Honey and Lemon
 

A hot toddy made by combining honey, lemon and hot water is an excellent way of  replenishing lost fluids and sugars to the body.  The fructose in the honey competes for the metabolism of alcohol which prevents the rapid change in alcohol levels that results in headaches.
 

4.       Eat Food
 

Although you may be too nauseous to even think of food you need the energy. Stay away from clear liquids until you can tolerate something solid. Then start off slowly with mild, easy-to-digest foods such as plain toast, rice or clear soup.
 

5.       Consume Sport Drinks
 

Sports drinks are composed of electrolytes and glucose which are used by athletes to replace lost fluids, it can work for hangovers too.
 

6.       Use Ice
 

An ice compress can help the headache. So place it on your forehead or where your head hurts the most.
 

7.       Drink Juice
 

Fresh orange juice especially can raise your blood sugar level and ease the symptoms of the hangover.
 

8.       Drink Water
 

 
 

Water is undeniably the best cure for a night of overindulgence. Dehydration is the biggest side effect of drinking and causes most of the discomfort you feel during the hangover period, so drink water to replenish the liquid you’ve lost.  
 

Tips to Remember:
 

• Always drink plenty of water. Even before you go to sleep have a full glass of water and the next morning the symptoms won’t be as bad. If you can remember one thing while intoxicated, remember this: Consume enough water before going to bed. It will help stop dehydration before it starts and you’ll feel much better in the morning.
 

• Drink only one alcohol beverage or less every hour and do so slowly. One hour is approximately the time it takes for the average adult body to process an alcoholic beverage.
 

• Get plenty of Rest. Draw the curtains and the blinds, unplug the telephone and go to sleep.
 

• Never, ever under any circumstances drink and drive. Before overindulging make sure you have a safe way of getting home. A designated driver, a taxi cab, a friend or family member to pick you up…arrange this beforehand.
 

• Try antacid to relieve queasiness and settle your stomach, this will especially help with that nauseated feeling that is so synonymous with hangovers.
 

• Take a multivitamin with B vitamins to replace those lost during your night of drinking. Drink more than eight glasses of water a day while recovering from the hangover, most should only last a day.
 

Posted by Peter Cutforth