I don’t believe the withdrawal reasoning. When I am in withdrawal from another other drug I want to use the drug I am withdrawing from. During a hangover the last thing I want to think about is more alcohol. The smell of an empty bottle lying around could make me queasy or even vomit. Sometimes it’s bad enough where if I just think about the smell or mental image I’ll get nauseous. When I withdraw from MDMA I sure would like another hit…
The dehydration idea makes alot of sense and drinking alot of water before sleeping usually works, but it seems like there is more to it. Sometimes it won’t work at all, even after a few beers. Sometimes after an all nighter and way too much alcohol with no water I am perfectly fine. Also, I have a friend who seems to be totally immune to hangovers, whether she drinks water before bed or not.
Has anyone tried those over the counter hangover prevention pills? One brand is called Chasers but I can’t remember the ingredients. I remember three that sounded natural, something with ‘vegetable’. I tried them when I went to Puerto Rico for a week. We drank from the moment we woke up til we went to bed for about 6 days in a row and taking the recommended dose (2 monster pills which supposedly work for 6 alcoholic drinks) before each session I was fine enough to continue drinking the next morning.
Q: What are Chaser hangover pills made of?
A: Chaser is a patent-pending formula of activated calcium carbonate and vegetable carbon (activated charcoal). Calcium carbonate is the active ingredient in most calcium supplements and antacids. Vegetable carbon has been used for centuries to absorb toxins and is still used in hospitals today. Both ingredients are Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) by the FDA.
Just in case you were questioning their effects: the success story comes from a person who usually reserves the day after drinking for recooperation.
For what it’s worth, by the way, Heinlein once claimed that the eye of newt, tongue of bat, etc. that Shakespeare’s Weird Sisters were brewing was actually a hangover cure. It’d probably work as well as chalk and charcoal.
While I’m not the withdrawal theory apologist, it would seem that withdrawal is not a singular reaction. Herion withdrawal is obviously different from caffeine withdrawal.
Another issue is that we’re probably talking about different hangovers. I have always suspected that champagne is considered as a hangover cause because people drink it on special occasions. More specifically, because people who might not normally drink are drinking for the special occasion.
People who drink every day, might not consider a little nausea and a slight headache to be a hangover. Someone who binge drinks might not think they have a hangover unless the are unable to drink more without puking or eat a standard meal for breakfast.
Another way to say this might be that people develop a tolerence to hangovers in somewhat the same way they might develop a tolerence to alcohol. For some, addressing the dehydration issue is enough to make a hangover endurable. For others, the day after is enough to keep them off the sauce until the next celebration.
Yeah, but if took a few shots right when you woke up, you’d feel great. The nausea would subside, the room would stop spinning, and your heart would quit beating so fast. “More alcohol” is actually sound advice for avoiding hangovers. That’s exactly what chronic alcoholics are doing.
Everyone has their favorites, but I’ve used this one again and again with much success… Of course, I would suggest purchasing these supplies to have on-hand prior to the drinking event is to occur, as to avoid painful trips to the convenience store or even more painful conversations with the check-out clerks…
One 20 oz (or similar, single-serving size) bottle of Gatorade (you can substitute any sports drink, but Gatorade works best for me)
3-4 Advil (or generic brand ) caplets
2 Pepto-Bismol (or generic brand) CAPLETS (not liquid or chewables)
Normally, you feel better within 30-45 minutes. In my experience, you still feel odd after the treatment kicks in, but it’s a feeling of “I know I should be feeling sick right now, but I’m not.” I took a survey of friends who tried it, and they’re convinced that it’s because you’re still exhausted. After the treatment kicks in, I would suggest taking a nap. You should feel absolutely fine when you wake up…
Try it… I’ve tested throughout college and after, and it always works for me!
Forcing oneself to drink lots and lots of water can be a very dangerous thing to do. People - including a few marathon runners who overdid it and recently a stupid fraternity boy going through some kind of initiation - have died from it. It’s called hypotremia.
I used to scoff at the idea that different kinds of alcoholic drinks cause different kinds of hangovers (or are more likely to cause hangovers). I always figured it was just the alcohol poisoning - period - that made one sick. A chemist finally sent me enough written evidence to convince me that additives and impurities in certain types of spirits are to blame for at least part of the next-morning torture.
“Naturally, Cecil will be pleased to receive field reports on any and all of the above. We cannot achieve progress unless we are willing to take the occasional risk.”
OK My people have taken the risks:
Back in da day I was involved in serious, almost scientific, Frat House type experimentation - this is not just a few I am talking about at least 15 drinks to start. We would even log all the food and drink we had consumed the day of the celebration, like for instance Thursday night. There was marathon type drinking going on and this was long before the acetaminophen warnings so that was tested 100s of times.
The hair of the dog is crap. Cecil said just a little. WTF is that gonna do? I understand the anesthetic effect, but just a little is like the BS in the Wild West shows where the doc gives the injured dude a swallow of whiskey before amputating the leg.
I have found that a little does nothing, several drinks still does nothing - don’t even feel it thru the pain, and lots just prolongs the hurt. I have put the hurt on many times testing the hair of the dog and it never works.
Anti acid treatment like an acid blocker works great before drinking of sleeping. Sweet juice like FRESH SQUEEZED orange juice (pasteurized stuff will get acid flowing), or grape and cherry works well to help with the wild swing of blood sugar. For the head naproxin sodium or stronger if available, and of course water and food, before, during, and after. Some claim pot helps big time but it looks like that helps with a return to sleep.
The reason our tests were inclusive is that no matter what, sometimes marathon class drinking would not lead to hangover and it did not seem to matter what was taken or consumed during the day or drinking or in the preventative treatments???
Hyponatremia. I ordinarily wouldn’t correct the typo, but the “Na” there is sodium, as in, hyponatremia means that you have too little sodium in your system (or it’s too diluted). This shouldn’t be a problem if you’re drinking Gatorade or the like, anyway, or if you’re taking food with your water (especially salty foods, which seem to predominate at parties anyway).
