I’m, uh… asking for a friend. If he imbibes a bit too much, is there any surefire way to get rid of a hangover? Or do I — I mean, does he just have to suffer?
So you had a few too many last night. I’m sorry, your friend had a few too many. Or a lot too many. Whatever. Anyway, most of us have been there and can sympathize — the pounding headache, the nausea, dizziness, and the general overall lethargy and body ache. Alcohol can be a cruel mistress. So what to do about it when she’s overstayed her welcome?
Time heals all wounds
Until recently, the only real “cure” for a hangover is rest and time. However there’s a new player on the field. Just in time for the holiday overindulgence season, Brenna Haysom and her company Rally Labs, LLC have what they are marketing as a hangover cure — a cocktail called Blowfish. Newly approved by the FDA, it is comprised of 1000mg of aspirin, 120mg of caffeine, and a “stomach-soothing agent.” The tablets are dissolved in a glass of water like Alka-Seltzer and then it’s bottoms-up. They claim this combo knocks out the symptoms of a hangover in just 30 minutes.
Really though, this isn’t doing anything that can’t be done now — you can take 1000mg of aspirin in pill form. You do not want to take aacetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil), as these aren’t good to your liver to begin with — taking them when your liver is already working overtime processing the alcohol in your system is a recipe for liver failure. So good old aspirin, to knock out the headache and body aches. Only problem is, if you’re the kind of person whose stomach doesn’t like aspirin, you’re really not going to like it when your stomach is torn up from boozing it up. Caffeine, of course, can be found in coffee, soda, tea, and so on. And if you have an upset stomach, you can always pop a handful of antacids.
What really helps here is the water you’re drinking it with. Alcohol dehydrates you, so in addition to rehydrating yourself, you’re also helping to flush the unpleasant byproducts of a long night at the bar out of your system.
This isn’t to say that Blowfish isn’t a viable hangover cure, it’s just putting it all in one convenient tablet so you don’t have to go pawing your way through the medicine cabinet this morning.
Other remedies
There are almost as many other “remedies” (and I use the term loosely) for hangovers as there are types of booze. Unfortunately, not many of them really do much. Let’s take a spin through some of the common ones.
Hair of the dog. Okay, really. Stop and think about this for a minute. You feel like hammered feces because you’ve been drinking all night. You really think drinking more is going to make you feel better? It just prolongs your misery — and indicates that you might have a drinking problem.
A big, greasy breakfast. There’s no scientific studies out there that say that tucking into the Heart Attack Slam or whatever they call it at that place that starts with a “D” and ends in “enny’s” offers any actual relief from hangover symptoms. Your best bet is to have food in your stomach while you are drinking.
Burnt toast. The idea behind this one is that the carbon soaks up or filters the alcohol out. Sorry, the carbon on a slice of burned bread isn’t the same thing as activated charcoal — this one doesn’t work.
Sports drinks. The main value here is that they rehydrate you, though the added bonus of replenishing electrolytes doesn’t hurt.
Vitamins B6 and B12. Small doses the next day can speed your recovery, but doctors warn that excessive amounts have been linked to long-term nerve damage.
Of course, you — or your friend — could just try moderation. But what’s the fun in that?
What happens in Vegas
So you had a few too many last night. I’m sorry, your friend had a few too many. Or a lot too many. Whatever. Anyway, most of us have been there and can sympathize — the pounding headache, the nausea, dizziness, and the general overall lethargy and body ache. Alcohol can be a cruel mistress. So what to do about it when she’s overstayed her welcome?
Time heals all wounds
Until recently, the only real “cure” for a hangover is rest and time. However there’s a new player on the field. Just in time for the holiday overindulgence season, Brenna Haysom and her company Rally Labs, LLC have what they are marketing as a hangover cure — a cocktail called Blowfish. Newly approved by the FDA, it is comprised of 1000mg of aspirin, 120mg of caffeine, and a “stomach-soothing agent.” The tablets are dissolved in a glass of water like Alka-Seltzer and then it’s bottoms-up. They claim this combo knocks out the symptoms of a hangover in just 30 minutes.
Really though, this isn’t doing anything that can’t be done now — you can take 1000mg of aspirin in pill form. You do not want to take aacetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil), as these aren’t good to your liver to begin with — taking them when your liver is already working overtime processing the alcohol in your system is a recipe for liver failure. So good old aspirin, to knock out the headache and body aches. Only problem is, if you’re the kind of person whose stomach doesn’t like aspirin, you’re really not going to like it when your stomach is torn up from boozing it up. Caffeine, of course, can be found in coffee, soda, tea, and so on. And if you have an upset stomach, you can always pop a handful of antacids.
What really helps here is the water you’re drinking it with. Alcohol dehydrates you, so in addition to rehydrating yourself, you’re also helping to flush the unpleasant byproducts of a long night at the bar out of your system.
This isn’t to say that Blowfish isn’t a viable hangover cure, it’s just putting it all in one convenient tablet so you don’t have to go pawing your way through the medicine cabinet this morning.
Other remedies
There are almost as many other “remedies” (and I use the term loosely) for hangovers as there are types of booze. Unfortunately, not many of them really do much. Let’s take a spin through some of the common ones.
Of course, you — or your friend — could just try moderation. But what’s the fun in that?
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