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Hangover Prevention Strategy - 26K GIF

Here's How to Prevent a Hangover:
  1. Don't fall asleep while extremely drunk.
  2. Don't dehydrate. Drink lots of water.
  3. Take some vitamin B.
The technique is common sense.
Remembering to do it is the hard bit.
Develop a habit. Practise. :)


The scenario: you wander in at 3a.m. after a thoroughly vivacious party, having had more than a few of whatever was going. After dancing around the room with the cat and telling it how much it reminds you of Dana Scully and how you'll be off to the Bahamas together tomorrow, you suddenly fall on the bed/couch/floor and pass out.

Don't pass out! Your metabolism slows down when you're asleep, so your body takes longer to process and safely dispose of all that alcohol. This is how hangovers happen.

You are going to stay awake for at least an hour, so chat with a friend (or the cat), make a cup of tea (not coffee - that just dehydrates you more), do anything that keeps you awake. This may finally be a good time to post your first message to alt.whine or rec.pets.herp - there's no laws against drink-surfing.

You have to drink lots of water immediately. Dehydration is responsible for a major part of that hungover feeling. OK, you hate water - try Diet Coke or something, as long as it's not full of sugar. Drink at least 2 big glasses of it, whatever it is. And pop one of those B-complex vitamins; this may be a complete placebo, but I swear it does something.

Stay awake and scoff the occasional glass of water until you're only about half as drunk as you were, if not exactly sober. Now, go to bed - and when you wake up you won't feel nearly as ghastly as you would have without the extra awake time and the water. You may be pleasantly surprised by complete hangover absence if the impending hangover was likely to be mild; or if you were set for a major hangover, you'll get a mild one instead.

You will require something protein-heavy for breakfast (I favour grilled cheese on toast) - avoid lots of sugar. Have a coffee now, and extra water. Go out and face the day!

Other Hangover Links:


Did you start getting hangovers in your early 20s?

I did. Filthy, aren't they? Goodbye to one's late teens: getting plastered, falling asleep anywhere comfortable, and waking up the next day with no more than slight tiredness... USA readers: so you're not allowed to drink till you're 21? Bummer. You're missing your best drinking years. Call your congress-person immediately.

I was 22 when I got my first hangover. I've spent the past 10 years working out how to avoid them; and now, as long as I follow my own advice, I don't get them.

Here's my fave 3 drinks recipes, if you need somthing to test the theory on.

I've been getting lots of feedback about this page. It even got linked to Hotwired once, bless their techie little hearts. Thanks to everyone who's written to me, including those of you who start off with "Well, I was feeling hungover, so I went to Altavista, and..."

Let me know if this works for you, or if you think it's utter crap. It works for me! And if you have your own hangover prevention strategy, why haven't you put it on the web yet...?

Created by elleon in Melbourne, Australia - now relocated to Tver, Russia.
Started in December 1995. Updated on January 7, 2000.