Recovering From Holiday 'Spirits'

What To Do If You Had A Bit Too Much Fun

By Jennifer Openshaw of the Women's Financial Network

Kama Lee Jackson, Staff Writer
December 16, 1999, 10:53 a.m. EST

'Tis the season for a whole lot of eating and other forms of over-indulgence -- and that includes alcohol. Most of us are wont to occasionally take a few too many sips of whatever's in the punch bowl, and even more so during this jolly time of year.

The Morning After

We know better, but more than a few of us will be indulging in the holiday spirits -- and might wake up the next morning feeling like a sadistic elf is shoving splinters behind our eyeballs. Chances are that if you've imbibed before, you've been to the land of the hangover. You may have even said that you'd never drink again.

Yet, even knowing how we'll feel the next day, the draw of the holiday party is still hard to resist. So if you're not going to give up the mulled wine and the champagne, there are a few things you should know.

How To Cure The Hangover Blues

Let's get this out of the way: The best cure for a hangover is prevention -- i.e., don't drink. Stop the guffaws. I had to say it, at least.

That said, and likely ignored, we'll move on to the useful information. A hangover, according to Webster, is:

hang?over
Function: noun
Date: 1894
1 : something (as a surviving custom) that remains from what is past
2 a : disagreeable physical effects following heavy consumption of alcohol or the use of drugs
b : a letdown following great excitement or excess

Note that the word has been around for more than a century, and the condition much longer, no doubt. "Bottoms up" at night means belly up the next day. Mankind has found cures for polio, tuberculosis and smallpox, but there is still no universally accepted way to cure a hangover. It's a tough one. Everyone from the frat dude on campus to your moonshining grandma has their own version of a cure.

A hangover, to put it simply, is your body's reaction to all the poison that you threw into it the night before. If you want a more detailed, but easy-to-read definition visit The Hangover Page.

How To Indulge And Still Prevent A Hangover

When dealing with a hangover, the general rule is that you have to think about all three stages: while you're still sober, as you get drunk, and the morning after.

If you are anticipating an evening of merriment, one source advises taking vitamin C for a few days before the big night.

It's also a good idea to have some food in your stomach before you take your first sip. Carbohydrates like bread and pasta will slow alcohol absorption, and proteins speed up the metabolism. It's also been said that fat and oily foods do the same thing.

Here are a few things to remember as you raise your glass:

Drink at a rate that gives your body time to absorb the alcohol.
Skip the fancy umbrella drinks and stick to the cleaner, purer alcoholic drinks, like vodka, believe it or not.
Have a glass of water between alcoholic drinks, and when you get home.

And If That Doesn't Work...

When you're able to drag yourself out of bed (or off the floor), the first thing you'll need to do is rehydrate yourself. That means more water, and fruit juice, too. If the thought of that makes your stomach spin, let some ginger ale go flat and take small sips of that.

Stay away from the coffee. It'll just put you one step back, because the caffeine will dehydrate you even more.

Slip a non-prescription painkiller in the mix, to take the edge off.

If you can stomach it, you should get some food in your belly. Breads and fruit are good.

And If All Else Fails...

Stay in bed -- but you knew that already, didn't you?

Happy hangover ... er ... holidays!

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