How to prevent a hangover?
September 15, 2016 4:24 AM Subscribe
This Sunday, I'm going to get drunk. Probably really drunk. Is there anything I can do beforehand to prevent a hangover?
So I'm going to a craft beer festival that comes around once a year, and it is fantastic. My number one drinking maxim is to never mix drinks (after a certain point, anyway): if I start with highballs, I stick with highballs and don't switch to, say, beer or whiskey. Switching will get me drunker and worsens a hangover.
Anyhoo, I'll basically be breaking my own rule because craft beer. It's every kind of beer under the sun: lagers, ales, IPAs, etc., with wildly different alcohol percentages. So I'll be crossing the streams, as it were, pretty constantly. I did this at a previous festival and had a whopper of a hangover the next day.
So...how to prevent a hangover? This post from a while back describes one brewer's technique--to simply eat some yeast before drinking...anyone try this one? There are also some ginseng power drinks and the like, but again I don't know if they will work.
Any ideas?
So I'm going to a craft beer festival that comes around once a year, and it is fantastic. My number one drinking maxim is to never mix drinks (after a certain point, anyway): if I start with highballs, I stick with highballs and don't switch to, say, beer or whiskey. Switching will get me drunker and worsens a hangover.
Anyhoo, I'll basically be breaking my own rule because craft beer. It's every kind of beer under the sun: lagers, ales, IPAs, etc., with wildly different alcohol percentages. So I'll be crossing the streams, as it were, pretty constantly. I did this at a previous festival and had a whopper of a hangover the next day.
So...how to prevent a hangover? This post from a while back describes one brewer's technique--to simply eat some yeast before drinking...anyone try this one? There are also some ginseng power drinks and the like, but again I don't know if they will work.
Any ideas?
Best answer: Drink one serving of water between each alcoholic drink. Hangovers come from dehydration, not the order of what you drink.
posted by JoeZydeco at 4:30 AM on September 15, 2016 [37 favorites]
posted by JoeZydeco at 4:30 AM on September 15, 2016 [37 favorites]
Thirding the advice to drink water during the day and a sports drink before bed. Aspirin or similar mild painkiller just before bed seems to help me, as well.
posted by Gelatin at 4:35 AM on September 15, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by Gelatin at 4:35 AM on September 15, 2016 [4 favorites]
Best answer: JoeZydeco speaks wisdom. I match the volume of cocktails I drink with water, but given beer is lower alcohol maybe half volume will cover it. You'll pee a lot, but it will make a world of difference. Make sure you eat, and eat decent food - not just the sort of greasy shit that seems appealing when you're shitfaced.
Have a big glass of water before bed, and eat something small, like a banana or a slice of toast, just something.
For the next morning, make sure you have a hydrating solution at hand. Sports drinks are fine - your profile says you're in Tokyo, so get some Pocari Sweat, that knocks the shit out of Gatorade for this. Get a B vitamin complex and take it as soon as you wake up, it'll help your liver handle all the shit you dumped on it the day before. In Australia we have something called Berocca, I don't know if you get it in Japan, but it's pretty good. I just take a vitamin pill. Also don't be a hero, take some pain killers, aspirin or paracetamol for preference. Ginger is a good nausea suppressant, so ginger beer or ginger biscuits are going to help. Candied ginger should do it too. Eat breakfast. Even just toast is fine, no matter how ill you are, as soon as you can handle food eat. It'll help.
There's brewer's yeast in beer. It's not going to magically going to fix you. Your liver's got this. Just make sure you got your liver.
posted by Jilder at 4:41 AM on September 15, 2016 [5 favorites]
Have a big glass of water before bed, and eat something small, like a banana or a slice of toast, just something.
For the next morning, make sure you have a hydrating solution at hand. Sports drinks are fine - your profile says you're in Tokyo, so get some Pocari Sweat, that knocks the shit out of Gatorade for this. Get a B vitamin complex and take it as soon as you wake up, it'll help your liver handle all the shit you dumped on it the day before. In Australia we have something called Berocca, I don't know if you get it in Japan, but it's pretty good. I just take a vitamin pill. Also don't be a hero, take some pain killers, aspirin or paracetamol for preference. Ginger is a good nausea suppressant, so ginger beer or ginger biscuits are going to help. Candied ginger should do it too. Eat breakfast. Even just toast is fine, no matter how ill you are, as soon as you can handle food eat. It'll help.
There's brewer's yeast in beer. It's not going to magically going to fix you. Your liver's got this. Just make sure you got your liver.
posted by Jilder at 4:41 AM on September 15, 2016 [5 favorites]
Aspirin or similar mild painkiller
not not not Tylenol (acetaminophen), which will be damaging to your liver if you take it along with heavy drinking
posted by thelonius at 4:42 AM on September 15, 2016 [17 favorites]
not not not Tylenol (acetaminophen), which will be damaging to your liver if you take it along with heavy drinking
posted by thelonius at 4:42 AM on September 15, 2016 [17 favorites]
I used to go to/volunteer at these craft brew festivals all the time. It is very easy to get very drunk at these. If this is a booth setup with samples, then addition to water and having a good meal as a base, make a rule that you cannot sample a neighbor until you complete a lap of the festival area. There is a lot of temptation at these things to down your sample and move on to the next booth because it has no line or whatever, but resist that. No neighbors until you make a full circuit around the festival. This counts for booths across the way as well. Trust me, unless the booth is doing some sort of timed release deal, the beer will be there when you come round again.
This way, if you want to taste them all, you'll have to make at least four complete circuits of the festival (every other inner ring then every other outer ring), which will hopefully slow your rate of consumption and, more importantly, give you a Task. Having a Task at these things is very important as otherwise your Task is 'Drink More Beer' which while easy to accomplish can lead to a bad morning the next day.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 4:47 AM on September 15, 2016 [6 favorites]
This way, if you want to taste them all, you'll have to make at least four complete circuits of the festival (every other inner ring then every other outer ring), which will hopefully slow your rate of consumption and, more importantly, give you a Task. Having a Task at these things is very important as otherwise your Task is 'Drink More Beer' which while easy to accomplish can lead to a bad morning the next day.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 4:47 AM on September 15, 2016 [6 favorites]
Eat snacks and drink lots of water. At least a cup of water between every alcoholic drink.
Take 2 ibuprofen before you go to bed with a large glass of water. Keep a glass of water by your bed, drink it if you wake up thirsty.
posted by like_neon at 5:01 AM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
Take 2 ibuprofen before you go to bed with a large glass of water. Keep a glass of water by your bed, drink it if you wake up thirsty.
posted by like_neon at 5:01 AM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
I have no idea if this actually works, but this esquire article says that eating yeast mixed with yogurt will prevent you from getting drunk. Of course, if you use this method, you will have to report back on its effectiveness.
posted by trigger at 5:02 AM on September 15, 2016
posted by trigger at 5:02 AM on September 15, 2016
* Eat a decent meal before hand. Some people say that eating cheese or something else with a high fat content will line your stomach and stop you from getting as drunk, but I'm not sure whether that's a myth. But eating something is definitely good.
* Stay well hydrated before the event.
* Drink a glass of water between each drink. Drink a pint of water before bed.
* Keep Gatorade/Hydralyte/Pedialyte handy, to drink at some point in the evening or night or morning (whenever you feel like you need it).
* Try to get a full nights sleep afterwards. Sometimes I feel hungover when I've only had one drink, simply because I didn't get enough sleep.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 5:02 AM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
* Stay well hydrated before the event.
* Drink a glass of water between each drink. Drink a pint of water before bed.
* Keep Gatorade/Hydralyte/Pedialyte handy, to drink at some point in the evening or night or morning (whenever you feel like you need it).
* Try to get a full nights sleep afterwards. Sometimes I feel hungover when I've only had one drink, simply because I didn't get enough sleep.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 5:02 AM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
I know _nothing_ about hangovers, but I have found that consuming OTC electrolytes (available at my local sporting goods store; haven't tried vitamin vendors, but they might have it too) really helps headaches, and I think they probably help you stay hydrated. I'd seriously consider trying some if I were going to do this.
posted by amtho at 5:07 AM on September 15, 2016
posted by amtho at 5:07 AM on September 15, 2016
Best answer: Electrolytes. Dehydration isn't just water, it's minerals in your blood, too. I have salt pills that I use when running distance in the summer (they're great for hangovers!) but easier-to find options like pedialyte, Emergen-c and even the generic versions will also work. I know lots of runners that use Emergen-C, Nuun tablets or the generic version in place of Gatorade because it's easier to stash in a running bag and just add water to.
posted by Brittanie at 5:14 AM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Brittanie at 5:14 AM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
I have heard that if you drink alkaseltzer before you go to bed, it can really help. I am not sure why, but friends have tried it and say they think it helps.
posted by needlegrrl at 5:22 AM on September 15, 2016
posted by needlegrrl at 5:22 AM on September 15, 2016
The water thing really works, so I'd definitely do that... and if you make sure to have a salty snack now and then, you'll have the electrolytes covered too.
I've been at a Polish wedding, the kind that lasts three days and includes a different dish or treat served every hour on the dot, and a bottle of wodka a day reserved for each guest. I've observed the Polish guests doing exactly this: in between their alcoholic drinks (beer or wodka, but mostly wodka) they always drank a glass of water or a soft drink. And there were a LOT of alcoholic drinks being consumed. The water/soft drinks thing was how they made it through what was basically three days of straight drinking and they all looked bright and snappy each morning. As did I, because I learned from the experts!
posted by Too-Ticky at 5:26 AM on September 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
I've been at a Polish wedding, the kind that lasts three days and includes a different dish or treat served every hour on the dot, and a bottle of wodka a day reserved for each guest. I've observed the Polish guests doing exactly this: in between their alcoholic drinks (beer or wodka, but mostly wodka) they always drank a glass of water or a soft drink. And there were a LOT of alcoholic drinks being consumed. The water/soft drinks thing was how they made it through what was basically three days of straight drinking and they all looked bright and snappy each morning. As did I, because I learned from the experts!
posted by Too-Ticky at 5:26 AM on September 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
eat a good solid meal before drinking any alcohol
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 5:32 AM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 5:32 AM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
Eat before you go to bed, too.
I used to work with a bunch of crazy drinkers who swore by keeping a glass next to the bed with Alka-Seltzer tablets at the ready, and drinking that whenever they woke up in the middle of the night to pee, or else very first thing in the morning.
posted by something something at 5:35 AM on September 15, 2016
I used to work with a bunch of crazy drinkers who swore by keeping a glass next to the bed with Alka-Seltzer tablets at the ready, and drinking that whenever they woke up in the middle of the night to pee, or else very first thing in the morning.
posted by something something at 5:35 AM on September 15, 2016
The way yeasts work in beer is that they catch any stray sugars and convert them into alcohols. Putting yeast into your stomach to help deal with alcohols doesn't make any sense, alcohol is what yeasts poop out after eating sugar.
posted by aimedwander at 5:38 AM on September 15, 2016
posted by aimedwander at 5:38 AM on September 15, 2016
Best answer: I am also planning on drinking inadvisably large volumes of craft beer this Sunday, cheers! 🍻
There isn't strong scientific consensus about what causes a hangover but inflammation is definitely a component. I drink water (can't hurt) and take an alleve (or generic naproxen) before drinking and in the morning. And a large greasy breakfast, that always seems to help.
posted by rodlymight at 5:39 AM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
There isn't strong scientific consensus about what causes a hangover but inflammation is definitely a component. I drink water (can't hurt) and take an alleve (or generic naproxen) before drinking and in the morning. And a large greasy breakfast, that always seems to help.
posted by rodlymight at 5:39 AM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
One remedy not mentioned here yet is eating eggs in the morning. They can lessen some of the accompanying nausea.
Be careful with the B vitamin suggestion. I recommend B vitamin for a hangover, but too many mg can hurt your stomach and CAUSE nausea.
posted by tofu_crouton at 5:42 AM on September 15, 2016
Be careful with the B vitamin suggestion. I recommend B vitamin for a hangover, but too many mg can hurt your stomach and CAUSE nausea.
posted by tofu_crouton at 5:42 AM on September 15, 2016
A friend once told me the 'hobo' hang-over prevention was,
before going to sleep eat one large spoonful of honey, drink a large glass of water and take two aspirin.
I've done this, um, often and found it helpful to mitigating the agony of the next day, if not alleviating it entirely.
posted by From Bklyn at 5:46 AM on September 15, 2016
before going to sleep eat one large spoonful of honey, drink a large glass of water and take two aspirin.
I've done this, um, often and found it helpful to mitigating the agony of the next day, if not alleviating it entirely.
posted by From Bklyn at 5:46 AM on September 15, 2016
Hey, my area of expertise as a heavy craft beer drinker - first, take Monday off, you're going to feel like shit no matter what you do. The most you can hope to do is lessen the pain - craft beer is a cruel mistress. Second, start chugging water now and I tend to abstain from any alcohol the days leading up to a festival. The day of the festival, eat a decent breakfast, drink a cup of coffee and take water with you to the festival. I take a camelback and usually try to polish off the bladder during my drinking (I can't do the 1-1 ratio people are recommending). Eat some food while you are there and know your limits, nothing worse then people upchucking. Before you go to bed, pop two advil and drink a bottle of water. On Monday, eat a greasy ass breakfast, pop two tums, two more advil, and head back to bed.
posted by lpcxa0 at 5:50 AM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by lpcxa0 at 5:50 AM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
"Many people favour the (unproven) popular belief that dehydration is the main cause of alcohol hangover symptoms. However, taking a closer look at the present research on biological changes during alcohol hangovers suggests otherwise. " (link to open-access OUP journal article)
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:52 AM on September 15, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:52 AM on September 15, 2016 [3 favorites]
To clarify my previous comment: I think staying well hydrated helps prevent hangover, but not that hangover is caused by dehyrdation. It's caused by drinking too much, right?
On the B vitamins: I recommend taking them about midway through your drinking, not waiting until next morning.
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:55 AM on September 15, 2016
On the B vitamins: I recommend taking them about midway through your drinking, not waiting until next morning.
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:55 AM on September 15, 2016
Hydrate, before during and after. Food is good, but it slow's the alcohol's effects, thereby elongating it's effects. Something like Hydralyte might help. They give something similar to you in hospital if you're dehydrated.
(This post is not sponsored, endorsed or supported by Hydralyte)
posted by Diag at 5:55 AM on September 15, 2016
(This post is not sponsored, endorsed or supported by Hydralyte)
posted by Diag at 5:55 AM on September 15, 2016
N-thing Aspirine. Drink a glass of water with either Aspirine-C in it or just a regular Aspirine. Tried it many times, always worked.
Also, drink lots of water, eat snacks and stop when you lost count of the beers. Cheers!
posted by kmt at 5:58 AM on September 15, 2016
Also, drink lots of water, eat snacks and stop when you lost count of the beers. Cheers!
posted by kmt at 5:58 AM on September 15, 2016
Milk thistle. I take a capsule before going out and then another at the end of the night (though obviously don't take more than the dosage instructions on the bottle if you do this). I've never gotten a hangover doing this, and when I haven't a hangover has followed.
posted by Polychrome at 6:01 AM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Polychrome at 6:01 AM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
Eat lots of protein - I've had a few nights of drinking where I was snacking on nuts the whole time, and my hangover was very very mild.
Drink two waters for every one drink.
Take some Advil before you go to bed.
posted by sutel at 6:24 AM on September 15, 2016
Drink two waters for every one drink.
Take some Advil before you go to bed.
posted by sutel at 6:24 AM on September 15, 2016
Best answer: Naproxen is absolutely first-rate as a hangover painkiller -- I have a lot of joint problems and thus access to many medications, morphine included. Useless for these purposes. Naproxen! (AKA "Aleve.")
A meal with a multi-B vitamin or two beforehand is a wise idea. There is some idea that n-acetyl cysteine could be a useful supplement; I haven't had enough opportunity to fully test it myself, but it did seem gently promising.
Preparing extensively and indulgently for the aftereffects is wise. If you can mitigate the severity, you can get to a point where you can look at it as a sort of luxury good and spend the day spoiling yourself: you will have, all set up beforehand, of course, a fabulous, probably slightly greasy breakfast (if you can stumble out for eggs florentine and hash browns, excellent; if not, I like a croissant sandwich with egg, cheese, and tomato, and hash browns) that need only be re-heated, all of your preferred non-alcoholic beverages, a good stack of magazines or some meaning-to-read-it bookmarks on your browser, or some lowbrow TV, or whatever. If you have a partner a very brief and gentle romp in the hay can be pleasing. Spend the day in bed napping, screwing, watching/reading lowbrow things you would not want to be caught watching/reading (People magazine, and Roger Ramjet? Go for it). Enjoy the naps. Have some nice bubble bath on hand.
Part of a hangover often involves guilt. Free yourself from that sort of puritanical nonsense. I take from the question that this is not part of your normal routine, so I think your liver is in good enough shape that you can swig NyQuil from the bottle to send you back off to sleep if you so please. Do you smoke grass? I don't, but many people I know that do enjoy a wee bit to deal with mornings after.
Some time back I tied one on, stumbled down to the kitchen very, very early in the morning and realised I had poured myself a glass of juice but forgotten to take it to bed with me. I was insanely thirsty and snatched it off the counter and downed it in one go. It was not a glass of juice. It had juice, and a very large amount of vodka -- advice for a tuft of the hair of the dog that bit you is frowned upon by doctors, but what fun things aren't? I immediately felt much better, went back upstairs with some actual unadulterated juice, slept soundly for several more hours, and woke up feeling fine. Mimosas and bloodies are of course excellent morning boozes, but whatever agrees best with your stomach is what's best for you. Hot buttered rum if it's starting to get chilly where you are.
Enjoy!
P.S. It has long been my belief that 'drink a glass of water or two between each drink' 'works' not because incessant urination is useful, but because it simply slows your drinking and leaves you less in the bag at the end of the night. The only effect I have ever noticed from forcing down water -- definitely drink to thirst, go to bed with a large carafe of water by the bed, but -- is more pee.
posted by kmennie at 6:46 AM on September 15, 2016 [4 favorites]
A meal with a multi-B vitamin or two beforehand is a wise idea. There is some idea that n-acetyl cysteine could be a useful supplement; I haven't had enough opportunity to fully test it myself, but it did seem gently promising.
Preparing extensively and indulgently for the aftereffects is wise. If you can mitigate the severity, you can get to a point where you can look at it as a sort of luxury good and spend the day spoiling yourself: you will have, all set up beforehand, of course, a fabulous, probably slightly greasy breakfast (if you can stumble out for eggs florentine and hash browns, excellent; if not, I like a croissant sandwich with egg, cheese, and tomato, and hash browns) that need only be re-heated, all of your preferred non-alcoholic beverages, a good stack of magazines or some meaning-to-read-it bookmarks on your browser, or some lowbrow TV, or whatever. If you have a partner a very brief and gentle romp in the hay can be pleasing. Spend the day in bed napping, screwing, watching/reading lowbrow things you would not want to be caught watching/reading (People magazine, and Roger Ramjet? Go for it). Enjoy the naps. Have some nice bubble bath on hand.
Part of a hangover often involves guilt. Free yourself from that sort of puritanical nonsense. I take from the question that this is not part of your normal routine, so I think your liver is in good enough shape that you can swig NyQuil from the bottle to send you back off to sleep if you so please. Do you smoke grass? I don't, but many people I know that do enjoy a wee bit to deal with mornings after.
Some time back I tied one on, stumbled down to the kitchen very, very early in the morning and realised I had poured myself a glass of juice but forgotten to take it to bed with me. I was insanely thirsty and snatched it off the counter and downed it in one go. It was not a glass of juice. It had juice, and a very large amount of vodka -- advice for a tuft of the hair of the dog that bit you is frowned upon by doctors, but what fun things aren't? I immediately felt much better, went back upstairs with some actual unadulterated juice, slept soundly for several more hours, and woke up feeling fine. Mimosas and bloodies are of course excellent morning boozes, but whatever agrees best with your stomach is what's best for you. Hot buttered rum if it's starting to get chilly where you are.
Enjoy!
P.S. It has long been my belief that 'drink a glass of water or two between each drink' 'works' not because incessant urination is useful, but because it simply slows your drinking and leaves you less in the bag at the end of the night. The only effect I have ever noticed from forcing down water -- definitely drink to thirst, go to bed with a large carafe of water by the bed, but -- is more pee.
posted by kmennie at 6:46 AM on September 15, 2016 [4 favorites]
I used to be able to drink a TON and not get hungover, but not anymore. The only way I know of avoiding a hangover is to not drink as much. It sucks but it is the reality of life. The order in which you drink alcohols has exactly zero baring on it aside from "Once you get a bit drunk on beer you will pour the highballs a lot stronger".
Alternatively, staying up all night until I sober up has also worked to avoid a hangover. Stop drinking at 2am (or whenever) and then stay up all night playing Skyrim or playing cards or whatever, drinking water all the while. In a few hours you're sober, not hung over, and dead exhausted. But not hung over.
On some level, though, I think you should just accept you're going to feel like a bouquet of smashed assholes the next day. Understand that is the price you are likely going to be paying for your night of fun. Own it. Have fun. And get some soft towels folded by the toilet to kneel on while you vomit the next day. Seriously. Makes the whole experience a lot more dignified.
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 7:04 AM on September 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
Alternatively, staying up all night until I sober up has also worked to avoid a hangover. Stop drinking at 2am (or whenever) and then stay up all night playing Skyrim or playing cards or whatever, drinking water all the while. In a few hours you're sober, not hung over, and dead exhausted. But not hung over.
On some level, though, I think you should just accept you're going to feel like a bouquet of smashed assholes the next day. Understand that is the price you are likely going to be paying for your night of fun. Own it. Have fun. And get some soft towels folded by the toilet to kneel on while you vomit the next day. Seriously. Makes the whole experience a lot more dignified.
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 7:04 AM on September 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
A spoonful or two of olive or coconut oil down the hatch before going out.
posted by tippy at 7:35 AM on September 15, 2016
posted by tippy at 7:35 AM on September 15, 2016
The latest cure I've heard was Asian pears (whole or juiced) before alcohol consumption. I haven't tried it yet, but why not?
Last time I went to a craft beer festival, I tried over 50 beers and didn't get a hangover. I made sure to stay hydrated and ate large and simple meals the day of the festival.
posted by beyond_pink at 7:38 AM on September 15, 2016
Last time I went to a craft beer festival, I tried over 50 beers and didn't get a hangover. I made sure to stay hydrated and ate large and simple meals the day of the festival.
posted by beyond_pink at 7:38 AM on September 15, 2016
I cannot believe that I don't see my go to college/vegas technique.
Eat before drinking (carb heavy)
Drink lots of water and alternating with beer is good throw in a couple rounds of Sports drinks too.
Have a slice of pepperoni pizza and a glass of OJ (fresh squeezed is best) before passing out for the night. Seriously the Pizza-OJ combo is magic!
posted by saradarlin at 7:49 AM on September 15, 2016
Eat before drinking (carb heavy)
Drink lots of water and alternating with beer is good throw in a couple rounds of Sports drinks too.
Have a slice of pepperoni pizza and a glass of OJ (fresh squeezed is best) before passing out for the night. Seriously the Pizza-OJ combo is magic!
posted by saradarlin at 7:49 AM on September 15, 2016
A recovering alcoholic once told me that their best hangover prevention trick was to regularly drink extremely salty things during the drinking phase. They specifically mentioned "shots of soy sauce" as an example. The theory is to retain fluids and electrolytes as much as possible, which the alcohol in your body will be countering as hard as it can. They claimed it worked 100%, as long as they remembered to do so before they got too drunk to care. I think you should do it every so often, and remember to take one final slug before you pass out for the night.
I will say, it (I specifically drank a shot of soy sauce before bed a few times) has helped me prevent what would have been mild to moderate hangovers. YMMV.
Have a good time? :)
posted by aperturescientist at 7:49 AM on September 15, 2016
I will say, it (I specifically drank a shot of soy sauce before bed a few times) has helped me prevent what would have been mild to moderate hangovers. YMMV.
Have a good time? :)
posted by aperturescientist at 7:49 AM on September 15, 2016
Anecdotally, I'm told the Russian vodka drinking routine includes a lot of salty snacks. That checks the box in both the food and electrolyte columns. Plus, snacks are great.
posted by mikeh at 8:01 AM on September 15, 2016
posted by mikeh at 8:01 AM on September 15, 2016
To help with the water drinking, wear a Camelbak if you have one. It helps a lot to have 3 liters of water or gatorade on your back rather than trying to remember (and forgetting) to occasionally track down a water fountain.
posted by craven_morhead at 8:19 AM on September 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by craven_morhead at 8:19 AM on September 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
In my experience, if you're young and you get drunk, you might not have a hangover. If you're old and you get drunk, you're going to have a hangover. So if this were me, given that I have somehow become ancient, I wouldn't go to the craft beer festival. But if I did go to the craft beer festival, like, say because somebody gave me $600,000, which is about the minimum it would take to get me to attend a craft beer festival and drink beer as if I were still a young person, I would plan to be hungover the next day. In order that my hangover be as mild as possible, I would start eating early in the day of the festival and I would continue eating all that day and through the festival, little, regular, maximumyummy fatladen inputs. I would alternate water and beer, but I'd make it icycold carbonated water--because of its being slightly more like beer and funner to drink than plain water. And I'd consciously and resolutely sip the beer. I'd probably be unable to resist pounding the water, trying to get to the next beer. But I would not pound beers at the craft beer festival. At least not until after beer 6, by which time I would have become a tragic, irredeemable lizardbrained mess, all plans out the window, doublefisting and rapidly gargling down whatever alcoholic anything I ran up on. In other words, drinking like a young person, having become someone about to have a horrible next day. But I'd have $600,000. Maybe it would be comforting to have that to think about as I writhed upon my bed of pain and disgusting nauseated hellish grossness.
I tried that yeast thing. It does not work. It does not matter what you drink, in what order, whether you burn sage, whether you eat kale, whether you're packed full of potassium--none of that matters. All that matters is how much alcohol you take on. If you make it harder to drink by filling up your stomach with slow-to-digest food and keeping it full, if you drink slowly, you will take in less alcohol. That's the only way, other than being young and better able to metabolize the poison, that you can avoid a hideous hangover.
posted by Don Pepino at 8:52 AM on September 15, 2016 [5 favorites]
I tried that yeast thing. It does not work. It does not matter what you drink, in what order, whether you burn sage, whether you eat kale, whether you're packed full of potassium--none of that matters. All that matters is how much alcohol you take on. If you make it harder to drink by filling up your stomach with slow-to-digest food and keeping it full, if you drink slowly, you will take in less alcohol. That's the only way, other than being young and better able to metabolize the poison, that you can avoid a hideous hangover.
posted by Don Pepino at 8:52 AM on September 15, 2016 [5 favorites]
Water, salt and fat. I have staved off hangovers with a big greasy turkey/cheese/avocado sandwich at the end of the night. (I was younger then though, so who knows if this would still work.)
posted by fingersandtoes at 9:10 AM on September 15, 2016
posted by fingersandtoes at 9:10 AM on September 15, 2016
This may seem obvious, but has not been to me in the past: you don't have to finish the samples!
Last beer fest, I decided I didn't feel bad about tossing things, or asking for half-pours, and I not only wasn't hungover the next day, I was able to get up early to go to something I'd planned the next day.*
*It was a beer-tasting class. There were a LOT of no-shows.
posted by pixiecrinkle at 9:35 AM on September 15, 2016 [4 favorites]
Last beer fest, I decided I didn't feel bad about tossing things, or asking for half-pours, and I not only wasn't hungover the next day, I was able to get up early to go to something I'd planned the next day.*
*It was a beer-tasting class. There were a LOT of no-shows.
posted by pixiecrinkle at 9:35 AM on September 15, 2016 [4 favorites]
Least popular idea ever probably: Do you buy each beer at this festival, or are there tickets or ? If the idea is to taste all the delicious beers, why not do just that, just taste them. Have a few sips where you savor it and roll it around then move on to the next. (Yes, discard the rest of that beverage.) I mean, you can still end up drunk and you could still end up hungover, but less alcohol = lower odds of a hangover.
posted by purple_bird at 9:43 AM on September 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by purple_bird at 9:43 AM on September 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
COCONUT WATER. Sincerely. It really, really helps -- and I say that as an old who gets awful hangovers now (when I was a young, I just drank my face off). Get a thing of coconut water -- as big as you can buy -- and drink the ENTIRE THING before you go to bed. Drink two if you can stand it. Drink another one when you get up in the morning.
A banana will also help in the morning because you need potassium.
My other real advice for pre-gaming a night of drinking is to clean your bathroom before you go out because there is nothing worse than looking at a dingy toilet while you puke.
posted by Countess Sandwich at 9:50 AM on September 15, 2016 [6 favorites]
A banana will also help in the morning because you need potassium.
My other real advice for pre-gaming a night of drinking is to clean your bathroom before you go out because there is nothing worse than looking at a dingy toilet while you puke.
posted by Countess Sandwich at 9:50 AM on September 15, 2016 [6 favorites]
Just wanted to second the advice about milk thistle. It works so well that I have friends that refuse to take it when I offer it before a night of drinking, because it keeps them 'too sober'. I don't get that, but I also don't get hangovers. This is in addition to all of the other suggestions above, like staying hydrated.
posted by destructive cactus at 9:52 AM on September 15, 2016
posted by destructive cactus at 9:52 AM on September 15, 2016
This only applies to a seasoned drinker who is over 30 and going to consume a lot of alcohol. If you aren't having more than 6 drinks or are under 30, your hangover doesn't require all the steps mentioned below.
1) Before drinking, eat a solid meal
2) Drink water through the course of your binge
3) Eat some food through the course of your binge
4) Take a drunken shower before going to bed
5) Drink Gatorade / Water before going to bed and take some aspirin and Vitamin B
6) Upon waking up, drink a little bit of coffee
7) Go for a very long run / swim / etc. no matter how bad you feel. Sweat as long as possible.
8) Eat a huge omelette with toast and more Gatorade
9) Do not lay around. It will not help your hangover. Keep moving.
posted by jasondigitized at 9:57 AM on September 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
1) Before drinking, eat a solid meal
2) Drink water through the course of your binge
3) Eat some food through the course of your binge
4) Take a drunken shower before going to bed
5) Drink Gatorade / Water before going to bed and take some aspirin and Vitamin B
6) Upon waking up, drink a little bit of coffee
7) Go for a very long run / swim / etc. no matter how bad you feel. Sweat as long as possible.
8) Eat a huge omelette with toast and more Gatorade
9) Do not lay around. It will not help your hangover. Keep moving.
posted by jasondigitized at 9:57 AM on September 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Beer fests are awesome.
Eat before, during, and after. Pretzel necklaces are starting to be considered gauche by some of the beer snobs, but for me they are a decent pallet cleanser and make sure that when I am too tipsy to make the best decisions, there is an electrolyte and carbohydrate delivery mechanism within easy reach.
Hydrate, as mentioned above. Maybe not between every sample, but 8oz of water every trip to the porta potties is a decent plan.
Pace yourself, there are probably more beers there than you can possibly sample. Look through the program, and flag your real "must haves". Beyond making a point to get to those, consider your goal to be to experience fun and friendship for the afternoon/evening.
To that end, if there's music, take breaks to dance. Consider bringing a cheap (assume it will be destroyed/lost), easy to explain pocket sized game. Fluxx is good for this, or a standard deck of cards. Grab a full sample, find a table or some comfy grass, and see if you can get a game going while you savor.
If you can establish a "home base", you can go out on the occasional foray for more beer. Mr. Motion and I generally take turns going to grab a new sample or two (it doesn't hurt that we don't mind sharing samples).
After you leave, try to eat before you sleep (even a nap). Taking a multi vitamin isn't a bad idea.
posted by sparklemotion at 10:28 AM on September 15, 2016
Eat before, during, and after. Pretzel necklaces are starting to be considered gauche by some of the beer snobs, but for me they are a decent pallet cleanser and make sure that when I am too tipsy to make the best decisions, there is an electrolyte and carbohydrate delivery mechanism within easy reach.
Hydrate, as mentioned above. Maybe not between every sample, but 8oz of water every trip to the porta potties is a decent plan.
Pace yourself, there are probably more beers there than you can possibly sample. Look through the program, and flag your real "must haves". Beyond making a point to get to those, consider your goal to be to experience fun and friendship for the afternoon/evening.
To that end, if there's music, take breaks to dance. Consider bringing a cheap (assume it will be destroyed/lost), easy to explain pocket sized game. Fluxx is good for this, or a standard deck of cards. Grab a full sample, find a table or some comfy grass, and see if you can get a game going while you savor.
If you can establish a "home base", you can go out on the occasional foray for more beer. Mr. Motion and I generally take turns going to grab a new sample or two (it doesn't hurt that we don't mind sharing samples).
After you leave, try to eat before you sleep (even a nap). Taking a multi vitamin isn't a bad idea.
posted by sparklemotion at 10:28 AM on September 15, 2016
Seconding milk thistle. I used to use it regularly and it really seemed to work for me. Take before you start drinking.
Do not take ibuprofen with/after alcohol.
posted by rosiroo at 10:31 AM on September 15, 2016
Do not take ibuprofen with/after alcohol.
posted by rosiroo at 10:31 AM on September 15, 2016
If you get a sample that you're not really that into, take one or two sips to get the flavor and then dump the rest. Save drinking the full samples for the ones you really enjoy.
posted by MsMolly at 10:46 AM on September 15, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by MsMolly at 10:46 AM on September 15, 2016 [3 favorites]
Back in the day, my lunatic alkie friend's insistence that we go running in the morning after drinking all night might have made some sense. What with all the... breathing and shit, maybe we would have metabolized it faster or something. But she was living in the land of alcohol-poisoned mornings, whereas I was just vacationing there. Sorry, but no to that. Not then. Not now. Not ever. I will absolutely lie around, and I will absolutely not keep moving. Lying around might not help my hangover, but it will make it much, much more enjoyable than would running through the streets with a pounding head and a flipping stomach and an outraged bowel. Why would I inflict my desperate, constant need for an unoccupied bathroom on fellow citizens who had the sense to keep away from the craft beer festival? The other thing about going outside and potentially encountering people: what if one of them talked? (Louis. Coffeshop scene.) No. Absolutely not. However, rocking out in some strenuously fun way while drinking is a whole different deal, and dancing breaks is a great idea.
Why would anyone object to a pretzel necklace? What a wonderful thing!
posted by Don Pepino at 10:59 AM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
Why would anyone object to a pretzel necklace? What a wonderful thing!
posted by Don Pepino at 10:59 AM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
Have Pepto Bismol on hand to calm an acidic morning stomach.
posted by littlewater at 12:16 PM on September 15, 2016
posted by littlewater at 12:16 PM on September 15, 2016
Response by poster: Wow, an embarrassment of great advice, thanks all. Just to fill in some gaps, yes, I am here in Tokyo and will attend Beerfes Yokohama, arguably the best craft beer festival in Japan. Plenty of foreign imports but at least half are Japanese craft beers, which are really blowing up now. There's a flat admission fee and you get a glass, then at each vendor you can get a fairly small sample, maybe two or three drinks' worth. Then on to the next. There's so many vendors that it's simply not possible to try them all in the time allotted--4 hours (last time we tried but it wasn't possible).
Anyway, great advice all around. I'll be sure to eat beforehand, hydrate throughout, and take some ibuprofen before bed. Then an egg breakfast! There's a minor industry of "genki (wellness?)" drinks in Japan, specifically for when you go out drinking. They're usually ginseng drinks with various B-vitamins and caffeine and the like. Good for keeping you going all night, but not necessarily for preventing a hangover.
Fantastic thread, thanks again!
posted by zardoz at 3:59 PM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
Anyway, great advice all around. I'll be sure to eat beforehand, hydrate throughout, and take some ibuprofen before bed. Then an egg breakfast! There's a minor industry of "genki (wellness?)" drinks in Japan, specifically for when you go out drinking. They're usually ginseng drinks with various B-vitamins and caffeine and the like. Good for keeping you going all night, but not necessarily for preventing a hangover.
Fantastic thread, thanks again!
posted by zardoz at 3:59 PM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'd second Pocari Sweat. It's like mana from heaven the morning after, and you can even get it in powder form.
posted by lucidium at 4:11 PM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by lucidium at 4:11 PM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
Seconding n acetyl cysteine, taking one or two before you start drinking really seems to take the edge off the hangover.
posted by superna at 5:22 PM on September 15, 2016
posted by superna at 5:22 PM on September 15, 2016
Drinks like Ukon no chikara and Heparize have turmeric, which is apparently good for liver function, and there are lots of shijimi (fresh waterclams) products lately that are supposedly good for the liver too, which helps process the alcohol and eases the hangover. Curry is meant to be good too, because of the turmeric and other spices.
posted by Sar at 5:55 PM on September 15, 2016
posted by Sar at 5:55 PM on September 15, 2016
Almost forgot my magical trick - if you wake up feeling dodgy, and have a few hours that you can still spend sleeping, take a gravol, or similar anti-nauseant, and go back to bed. It makes you sleepy so it's easy to get some more solid rest, and your stomach is totally settled by the time you wake up again.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 8:48 PM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 8:48 PM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
Pizza and OJ? Good lord, saradarlin. Aspiran and a banana before bed was the conventional wisdom when I was 30. Now I'm an Old, who stopped drinking more than one a long time ago, because the knowledge that tomorrow will be hangover takes the fun out of it.
posted by Rash at 10:19 PM on September 16, 2016
posted by Rash at 10:19 PM on September 16, 2016
Response by poster: Just a quick update, for those troopers that lasted this long. The festival was great and the next day I had...NO hangover! I took a lot of advice from this thread, things that I was planning on anyway--like eating well beforehand. That was a big one. And directly afterward I at again, greasy spicy sweet ramen, which is awesome. I brought a 2-liter of water with me and every 15 mins or so took a big swig from that. I also went to the john a lot. Before bed I took two ibuprofen, and slept for at least 7 1/2 hours, so a good sleep. The next day I was a little groggy but head and stomach were a-ok. I even went for a run!
Moral of the story: preparation is everything. In the spring I had a all-night drinking session that gave me a hangover for the ages. Basically everything I listed above I didn't do that night, and I was sick for at least 48 hours. Anyway, never again!
posted by zardoz at 8:47 PM on September 19, 2016 [6 favorites]
Moral of the story: preparation is everything. In the spring I had a all-night drinking session that gave me a hangover for the ages. Basically everything I listed above I didn't do that night, and I was sick for at least 48 hours. Anyway, never again!
posted by zardoz at 8:47 PM on September 19, 2016 [6 favorites]
In case anyone needs more evidence about exercise after a binge.....
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/22/well/move/jogging-the-brain.html
posted by jasondigitized at 4:57 PM on December 6, 2016
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/22/well/move/jogging-the-brain.html
posted by jasondigitized at 4:57 PM on December 6, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by kellyblah at 4:26 AM on September 15, 2016 [2 favorites]