Avoid the Dreaded silly season Hangover

How to deal with binge drinking

 

Want to avoid a hangover after a big night? Here are a few natural ways to avoid the next-day blues.

Everybody loves to head out and blow off steam every now and again. But for some, a night out for a couple of drinks results in a real problem the next day: the terrible, couch-gripping, head-spinning nausea of a hangover. Here's a handful of steps you can take to avoid the next-day-blues.

Take a multivitamin

The body can deal with a certain amount of alcohol thanks to the liver. Enzymes in the liver convert alcohol into acetaldehyde, which is the chemical responsible for that embarrassing facial flushing, as well as the headaches and nausea which are part and parcel of hangovers.

In order to detoxify alcohol, liver enzymes require the mineral zinc and B vitamins, particularly B1. A good multivitamin will contain these nutrients.

Eat before you go

Party food is a trap for the unwary. Those tempting little morsels are Trojan horses of fat and kilojoules. Even innocent-looking sticks of carrot are to be treated with suspicion. One glass of champagne will weaken your resolve, and in no time you will be scooping up the rest of the gorgonzola dip with that carrot stick. Eat a nutritious meal before you go to the party. Food in your stomach will also slow down the rate of alcohol absorption.

Drink coconut water

Dehydration is a major contributor to a hangover. If you have partied hard, as soon as you get home (no matter what time), drink 500 millilitres of coconut water. The fluid will rehydrate you, and the coconut water will top up your electrolyte (minerals) and blood-glucose levels, both of which take a beating with heavy drinking.

Take St Mary's thistle

The average liver handles about one standard drink an hour. Remember, a standard drink is not a Long Island iced tea. A standard drink is a middy of beer or a schooner of light beer, a small glass of wine or champagne (150 millilitres), or a nip of spirits. More than this and unpleasant by-products such as acetaldehyde circulate in the bloodstream, maintaining a holding pattern above the liver until it is ready to take on more grog.
St Mary's thistle (Silybum marianum) is the liver herb. It has been shown to protect the liver against alcohol damage and reduce the severity of a hangover, particularly if taken a few hours before the event.

Support your liver

Beetroot, ginger and lemon are all good for the liver. The Hangover blend (see recipe below) combines the sweetness of carrots with the therapeutic properties of ginger and beetroot to support the liver and reduce the effects of a hangover.

Hangover blend

Makes 1 glass
3 carrots, chopped
1/2 beetroot, chopped
1/2 cm root ginger, chopped
Juice 1/2 lemon
Juice ingredients in a juicer, pour into a glass and drink.
(courtesey of body and soul)