It’s the morning after a night or nights, of drinking. Your head is pounding and that bit of sunshine coming through the window seems to be taunting you. Yes, you have a hangover.
According to Dictionary.com, a hangover refers to “the disagreeable physical aftereffects of drunkenness, such as a headache or stomach disorder, usually felt several hours after cessation of drinking.” The discomfort of a hangover may leave you crippled, watching hours of TV and swearing you’ll never drink again.
If you’re in this situation, as many of you may be following a week of Halloween related drinking, you’re in luck. Here at The CU Independent, we have provided some of the best hangover cures to help you get out of bed and on with your day.
(Claudia Rebora/CU Independent)
Coca-Cola and Aspirin or Ibuprofen
Alone, these two work wonders. When combined, they become a all-powerful hangover fighting force. Coca-Cola rehydrates your body, while aspirin or ibuprofen help ease your bodily pains. Ibuprofen is a gentler option for your stomach than aspirin, but Tylenol should be avoided; mixing alcohol with an acetaminophen is toxic to the liver.
Bloody Marys
A Bloody Mary fights your alcohol induced pain – with alcohol. It’s counterintuitive, but it works. This mixture eases the pain for those who do not fear a morning cocktail and want to fight evil with evil. A glass of tomato juice and vodka at breakfast hydrates and brings some nutrients like vitamin C to your dried-out body, and its bite will wake you up without the jittery effects of caffeine.
Food and Relaxation
This one may seem obvious, but it works. Eat some food that will absorb the contents of the night before, like eggs and toast, and let your body re-energize.
“I would say nothing cures an all-day hangover more than going to The Buff and getting a skillet with potatoes, and vegging out on the couch watching a “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” marathon all day,” said Kailyn Emory, a junior integrative physiology major.
Lots of Liquids
Gatorade and chocolate milk work wonders on your hangover — separately though, not mixed together. Drinking chocolate milk brings vitamin D into your system, raises your blood sugar and settles your stomach while rehydrating your body. Chocolate milk is also tasty and, for many people, chocolate seems to fix everything. If you’re not a chocolate milk fan, Gatorade or Pedialyte helps you rehydrate, and supplies your system with vital electrolytes that your body is missing.
“When it comes to rehydrating, I think straws are crucial because you can suck it down so much faster,” said senior Lyndie Raymond, a marketing and studio art major. “That, and cartoons.”
If you don’t have either of these, water helps as well.
Alo Drink
Alo drinks are made out of aloe vera juice that is full of vitamins, minerals and amino acids that are sure to make you feel a lot better. This is integrative physiology sophomore Emily Chatburn’s favorite cure.
“I get Alo Drinks at Safeway, they have Aloe Vera cubes that make me feel refreshed,” Chatburn said.
These are just a few of the best hangover cures and are sure to help ease the pain of consuming mass amounts of alcohol. Now go and kick that haunting hangover in the butt!
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Claudia Rebora at Claudia.rebora@colorado.edu.
1 comment
Coca cola and aspirin!? That’s ridiculous. Solid sugar/caffeine and something that thins your blood is not a good “cure” and will dehydrate just as much as it rehydrates you. The only reasonable “cure” is to rehydrate/eat before you go to bed, and if not, to rehydrate as much as possible in the morning– Pedialyte and gatorade and water and anything you listed above that has legitimate nutrients and/or electrolytes will help.