The first important step to avoid a hangover after a holiday feast is to prepare in advance. Dr. Psychiatrist-narcologist Daniil Petrov, chief physician of the Isaev Clinic, in a conversation with socialbites.ca, gave simple advice on how not to ruin your vacation with a hangover.
“Alcohol is a very powerful diuretic. It removes the liquid from the body, and with it all beneficial substances and minerals: potassium, magnesium, chlorine, etc. You can pre-saturate the body with these minerals by taking hepatoprotectors and sorbents, as well as panangin, to start the detoxification process before consumption. These drugs should be taken according to the regimen specified in the instructions 2 days before the start of the celebration, during the celebration and a week after. “This will facilitate poisoning and accelerate the elimination of toxins,” he said.
The second tip is not to drink on an empty stomach.
“You need to start drinking alcohol on a full stomach – food slows down its absorption in the gastrointestinal tract, which means the beginning of poisoning. In addition, thanks to the digestion of food, the metabolism will accelerate, which will prevent severe poisoning,” said Petrov.
You also need to drink alcohol slowly and give your body time to metabolize it.
“Consumption of any dose of alcohol should be separated in time. For example, 50 ml of vodka is almost completely processed within an hour in a healthy body. Therefore, if you take 50 ml per hour, you will not get too drunk,” the doctor explained.
According to the narcologist, there are many stereotypes about what to eat at a banquet and what to eat with alcohol. It’s not all true.
“As a snack, it is better to avoid fried, fatty and spicy foods, which will irritate the gastric mucosa and put additional stress on all organs of the gastrointestinal tract. It is not recommended to consume sweets and desserts together with alcohol, as well as anything fermented: grapes, melons (pumpkin, watermelon, cantaloupe), etc. All the forces of the body will go to process glucose from these products; If the remaining sources are, neutralization of Ethanol may not be sufficient. The result is quite predictable: drunkenness and severe hangover. As a proper snack, the body needs, first of all, fiber, protein and pectin: boiled vegetables (potatoes, for example), salads from them (vinaigrette), baked meat or fish, sauerkraut, as well as citrus fruits and herbs,” Petrov said.
The fifth tip is not to mix strong alcohol, especially carbonated and sweet drinks.
“Everyone has heard that alcoholic beverages cannot be mixed. But not everyone knows that this is connected not with a decrease in temperature (albeit that), but with mixing different types of drinks. For example, when drinking vodka after champagne, bubbles will increase the absorption of strong alcohol and accelerate the onset of intoxication. And the sugar in the wine, even the juice, will start to ferment and make your hangover worse, so you’ll feel worse the next morning than if you drank just one type of strong alcohol,” the doctor emphasized.
The narcologist also recommended moving more.
“It’s not a good idea to sit at your desk all night. There must be some kind of movement between drinks: dance, walk, go out on the balcony. “But not for smoking,” he said.
Seventh tip on this – do not smoke while drinking alcohol.
“Nicotine enhances the effect of alcohol and the general intoxication of the body. We know that a smoker will most likely smoke after one glass, but if it is not possible to eliminate them completely, it is advisable to at least reduce the number of these outlets and cigarettes smoked,” said Petrov.
Finally, if you drink alcohol, don’t forget to drink water.
“Alcohol greatly dehydrates the body, so before, after and while drinking alcoholic beverages, you need to drink more regular, non-carbonated mineral water to replenish the fluid and mineral supply that will be needed in the morning,” he said.
Still, if you had “too much” of alcohol on New Year’s Eve, it is better to refrain from continuing the feast the next day.
“After all, the worst thing you can do in the morning is keep celebrating and get a hangover. Despite the short-term improvement in his condition, this is a direct path to binge drinking and the development of addiction,” Daniil Petrov summarized.
previous doctors removed Myth about the effectiveness of folk remedies for hangover.