A Night of Serious Drinking: The Results

"A systematic review of the next‐day effects of heavy alcohol consumption on cognitive performance"

The latest scientific rundown on the ramifications of hangovers, in the journal Addiction, can be found HERE.

 

Rules for a Night of Serious Drinking

Simple moves to dodge a hangover.

Let's face it: Despite all the folk remedies--ginseng, prickly pear extract, peanut butter, miso soup, and Vitamin B6, there really is no cure for a hangover except more alcohol.

However, there are things you can keep in mind when contemplating a night of serious drinking. What you do while you are drinking can mitigate or exacerbate the effects of the Day After. The following list was adapted from a post by the folks over at the Nursing Schools Network and Directory and used with their kind permission.

--If you're in it for the long haul, consider alternating an alcoholic beverage with a non-alcoholic drink. The reward for this is continual hydration, which helps offset the tendency of alcohol molecules to replace water molecules in the cells.

--Choose your liquor carefully. Red wine and cheap dark booze have more congeners, which are organic molecules that can contribute to a hangover. ML01, a genetically-modified yeast, is being touted as a way of cutting back on the headaches commonly associated with a night of red wine.

--Keep Count. When you lose count, it's time to stop. Know your measure.

--Skip the Sugar. Sweet drinks mess with your blood sugar level even more than regular drinks.

--Keep the smoking to a minimum. You'll need your oxygen come morning.

--Don't diss the bar and cocktail snacks. Foods high in fat well help absorb excess alcohol.

--Skip the Tylenol and Ibuprofen before going out. They probably won't help, and the combination with alcohol taxes the liver.

--Drink water. And keep drinking water. Morning-after dehydration causes many of a hangover's lingering effects.

--Stop drinking an hour before you go to bed. Better to nod off than to pass out, and you will have a better chance of sleeping through the night.

Picture Credit: www.ehow.com

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