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If you know you will be in trouble the next morning, make your bedroom as cold as possible before going to bed. In the winter, turn off the heat and open a window; in the summer, crank down the thermostat to as low a temp as you can get.

If you anticipate only a mild hangover, chocolate milk when you get up the the morning does the
trick.

Posted by: Angela, Jan 02, 2009 09:03:20 AM

Ramen noodle soup always does the trick. The combination of salt and broth does a hungover body good.

Posted by: Jenny, Dec 31, 2008 08:01:12 AM

All you need to do is take 2 Aspirin before you go to bed! Oprah suggested this on her show, saying that after she throws parties at her house...all her overnight guest have 2 aspirin and a bottle of water on their night stands to take before bed. I have been doing this for awhile now..and when I don’t, I regret it!

Posted by: Camille Uba, Dec 30, 2008 05:49:27 PM

Nothing works as well as the capsules called "Chaser". Take them before drinking and the next day feel as if the night before never happened. HONESTLY!

Get them at Wal-Green’s and GNC.

Posted by: The Truth!, Dec 28, 2008 06:28:22 PM

Smoking a fatty is great for Bourdain or anyone else that gets to frolic around the world sans Police ...but for those of us privileged enough to to live in a nanny-state, our (legal) options are regrettably limited. That being said, I fancy myself a drinker, and I’ve spent the better part of 15 years studying the ancient Chinese art of hangover-management. Now if you’re anything like me, it’s likely that your job is constantly interfering with your weeknight drinking. Trust me, I sympathize. Mornings tend be a bit rough for folks like us, but hey, we’ve all gotta prioritize and make sacrifices, right? Not to worry. Your old pal Mike has a few methods for easing the pain.

First, I strongly urge you to forget the Gatorade and pick up a bottle of Pedialyte the next time you’re planning on a rowdy night. Gatorade and Vitamin Water don’t hold a candle to Pedialyte (yes, the stuff you give your toddlers for diarrhea and vomiting). Nothing short of an IV bag will replace fluids and electrolytes faster. And Soda, Juice, and Gatorade are loaded with sugars (and other carbs), which definitely won’t help if you’re the type that gets gastrointestinal problems with your hangovers (or if you’re counting carbs). If you remember, try to drink a glass before you go to bed but when you wake up, pop two advil and get to chugging. Again, very little sugar, so don’t expect it to taste like candy, more like watered down dimetapp/triamenic/Robitussin. It gets the job done.

Now if my hangover is accompanied by heartburn/ acid reflux/ etc... Pepcid Complete almost always takes care of business and helps me feel like eating again. Tums are usually not adequate.

If you’re nauseous and still don’t have an appetite later in the day, a glass of milk (definitely chocolate) about 20 minutes before you attempt to eat will really help. Greasy breakfast foods are often on my list, but on those occasions when I don’t think I can possibly stomach any food, the grilled cheese sandwich proves to be a godsend. Not all that filling, but sometimes putting food in your stomach is the only way to get rid of the nausea... and sometime you just aren’t going to be able to keep down a plate full of bacon, sausage, eggs, juice, toast, potatoes, etc.

The hangover prevention pills are worthless, for the most part. I’ve had moderate luck with Vitamin b-12 supplements and multivitamins (the morning after), but nothing I’d swear by. Definitely don’t take on an empty stomach. Those "Chaser" hangover prevention pills (taken before you drink) that you often see at 7-Eleven are nothing but calcium carbonate... the active ingredient of tums. The only time I thought I might have noticed a difference was with red wine... unlike the aformentioned advice, this isn’t something I’ve tested over and over again because I didn’t want to keep paying for pills that didn’t work for me. What I will tell you is that after trying it for several nights of what most would consider binge drinking, there was no noticeable improvement of my hangovers. You might have better luck if you drink in moderation, but in my book, it’s not worth the money.

Prevention ain’t a bad idea either, folks. Always eat a decent meal before you booze. Never take tylenol when you’re drinking (or any medication that’s going to be taxing on your liver while it’s trying to process the alcohol). Don’t drink rail or well liquor. Most are not filtered or distilled as much as your top shelf liquors, you’ll definitely notice a difference with vodkas. Now it’s particularly difficult for me, but try your best to avoid bourbons, whiskeys, and dark rum, late in the evening... Remember that any liquor not adequately filtered and distilled is guaranteed to increase the intensity of your hangovers. Go for the clear liquors and if you’re using mixers, try your best to limit sodas, juices, or anything with sugars. Tonic is always a good choice. If you’re drinking bourbons and whiskeys, for the love of god, strap on a pair and stop mixing it with coke. You’re only making your hangovers worse and building your beer gut. There’s also absolutely nothing wrong with ordering a glass of water from time to time. If you’re in a situation where you think that not drinking would be awkward, simply order tonic with lime and no one will be the wiser.

And of course, when all else fails, just pull the trigger.

Now for you college fratboys out there on a tight budget, I’m going to bestow upon you one of the best kept secrets of the boozing enthusiast: Charcoal filtering. You may have read about a product called the Gray Kangaroo in Maxim a few years back, it’s on backorder from the company now, but you can accomplish the exact same process with your ordinary brita water filtration pitcher. With this simple process you can turn your cheap plastic gallon of vodka into top-shelf in less than 10 minutes, removing many of the impurities that can increase the severity and duration of your hangovers. I know, I know, you’re understandably skeptical, but I can assure you that a blind taste test will blow you away. Odds are, you probably already have everything you need: a Brita pitcher. It’s best to use a filter that isn’t new, but if you must use a new one, be sure to run a ton of water through it before you get started. When you’re ready, separate some of the vodka for the before and after comparison, then go ahead and pour it through the filter. Repeat this at least four times and take a taste. You’ve alreay produced a vodka that’s incredibly smooth compared to what you started with. You’re welcome to keep going, I’ve found that after about 4-5 times through the filter I’m hard pressed to tell the difference between the cheap stuff and Absolut, after 8 times, it resembles Ketel. You’re welcome to keep filtering, but I don’t notice much of a difference after round 8 or 9. Regardless, by that point, all the attributes of a smooth, high-quality vodka are there. Go ahead and compare it to your vodka of choice and you’ll be amazed at what you were able to do with well liquor. You can do this with any liquor, but keep in mind that dark liquors will become lighter, and in many cases, those cheap bourbons and whiskeys aren’t anything of the sort... they’re just "flavored," so you may very well lose some of that flavor in the filter and end up with a lightly bourbon flavored vodka.

Cheers!

Posted by: Michael B, Dec 23, 2008 03:44:03 PM

I really think drinking a little water in between a few alcoholic beverages helps prevent a hangover in the first place, but if I manage to get one I drink water before bed, gatorade or vitamin water in the a.m. along with a greasy breakfast or pizza! And of course, exedrin is a must have.

Posted by: Jesseka, Dec 23, 2008 12:17:41 PM

An all-you-can-eat brunch with several mimosa’s!

Posted by: VA gal, Dec 23, 2008 11:50:26 AM

Wonton soup!!

Posted by: Cure, Dec 23, 2008 11:42:30 AM

If you’ve got it, xanax.

If not, double dose of excedrine and water/gatorade until you feel like you’re going to pee yourself. Then a greasy breakfast.

Posted by: Brian Holcomb, Dec 23, 2008 11:29:31 AM

Water before bed.

When you wake up early in the morning to use the bathroom, drink a glass of water with 2 advil. Sometimes a multivitamin. Back to sleep.

Wake up, eat a popeyes spicy meal. You will feel great.

Posted by: Amanda, Dec 23, 2008 11:15:50 AM

Not one, but two egg sandwiches with as much cheese and bacon as possible. Maybe some homefries on the side with lots of ketchup mixed with Tabasco.

Posted by: Logan Circle, Dec 23, 2008 11:10:04 AM

I really hate that this works, but two bottles of Vitamin Water "Revive" do the trick.

Posted by: DCSOBloop, Dec 23, 2008 11:04:33 AM

Drinking a glass or two of water before bed has always helped me. Then I drink more water in the morning followed by getting my brunch on. Eggs, bacon, toast, coffee.

Posted by: Claudia, Dec 23, 2008 10:54:23 AM

before bed:
- slice of bread with honey
- large glass of water
in the morning:
- glass of tonic water with LOTS of bitters & twist of lime
- two eggs, over medium, with bacon and toast

this has worked for me for years now!

Posted by: petebeck, Dec 23, 2008 10:49:25 AM

Prairie Oyster -
1/2 shot Worcestershire Sauce
1 shot Tobasco
1 whole Egg
1 shot whiskey
1 dash Pepper

Guaranteed: after drinking one of these, you hangover will no longer be of prime concern.

Posted by: Michael, Dec 23, 2008 10:37:31 AM

Starburst candy. Not just for hangovers, but whenever my stomach is upset, it always helps, for some reason!

A friend swears by spinach pizza with tobasco for hangovers - the grease + iron in spinach + hot sauce flushes out toxins (her reasoning, not mine!).

Posted by: Amanda, Dec 23, 2008 10:17:06 AM

Gatorade! On before you go to bed, and one when you wake up. Combine that with a couple of advil and you should be set.

Posted by: Catherine, Dec 23, 2008 10:09:43 AM

A greasy breakfast at Bob & Edith’s diner in the wee hours before heading home to sleep... Eggs, sausages, home fries and steaming hot coffee always did the trick.

Posted by: Linda Plaisted, Dec 23, 2008 09:59:10 AM

Very well done french fries, lightly salted, and a beer as a lid-lifter. It’s never failed me.

Posted by: Bill Gaspard, Dec 23, 2008 09:38:21 AM

Chew on This: What's Your Favorite Hangover Cure?

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