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elliotta | 17:24 Thu 06th Nov 2003 | Food & Drink
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what is the best cure for a hangover
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Everyone will have their own opinion on this one and some will even say it depends on the chosen alcohol that has been imbibed but as a general rule most of the hangover troubles stem from dehydration so if you pop a couple of asprins for the pain and then drink loads of fluids, I recommend fresh orange juice for the vitamin C as well, then that should set you back on the road to recovery.....of course some would say that the best method is to avoid trying to sober up in the first place :>)
Yep that time of year is on the way! Best way of course is to knock back as much water as you can before going to bed - we are talking at least pint here. plus trying to mix some water drinking in between drinks and ideally eating soemthing before going on it. However if what you are really after is the emrgency-style hangover cure, I say double bacon sandwich, double neurofen, double bloody mary with extra spice.
Fructose the sugar in fresh fruit is best. At Charing Cross hospital in London in about the late seventies they were having a recurrent problem with vagrants arriving on there doorstep unconscious. To ensure that the victims were not just drunk and might actually be hurt they developed a speedy sobering up technique. The metabolism of alcohol is a two stage process. First alcohol dehydrogenase coverts ethanol to acetaldehyde (which is quite nasty and causes many hangover symptoms) then the same enzyme converts acetaldehyde to acetic acid which is converted to acetyl-CoA and enter the tricarboxylic acid cycle. As a biproduct of it metabolism fructose produces glyceraldehyde which greatly enhances the efficiency of alcohol metabolism. So an IV fructose treatment was tried with stunning results. Within 15 min of admin the patient became sober enough to be roused and within half an hour could be released with their blood stream relatively free of ethanol. This however is not the end of the story. The practice though successful had to be stopped. As the patients left the A&E to wend their merry way home to their boxes etc. by they time they had reached the large steps leading out of the hospital the unmetabolised ethanol present in their adipose and viscera partitioned back into their blood stream. So as they crested the top of the steps the fact they were as plastered as little beetles caused them to lose footing and subsequently be readmitted for multiple injuries due to the fall. Also for a short time fructose tablets were available in English pubs as were what were called drivers meals which were laced with fructose. But these doses had to be enormous as fructose is poorly absorbed in the GI tract that leads to poor water resorbtion (as occurs when you eat fruit e.g. prunes in large quantities) causing fluid bottom syndrome.
ive done the pint of water before bed thing, but unfortunately, when i'm drinking i don't go to bed until 3 drinks too late and the additional fluid tips the balance from sleepy drunk to vomitting drunk. i find the essential hangover accessory to be the chilled carton of ribena. it has to be in a carton, this is very important as it is somehow different from the stuff you dilute. i'm obviously seconding the fluids / vitamins c suggestions, but i'm adding to this the coldness and the fact that the straw delivers the ribena to the back of your throat is important as the tastebuds are vulnerable to shock until atleast lunchtime. doctor treacle says repeat doses of ribena cartons until stomach demands the bacon sandwich (see above) which should be immediately followed by large mug of tea with as many sugars as you can stand and a little nap... works every time :-)
vegetarians should replace the bacon sandwich with hash browns, egg n beans.
oh dear rabealis, you posted at the same time as me so i didnt get to read your's first, i am crying with laughter at the phrase "fluid bottom syndrome". thankyou.
Oh I also forgot to add that hair of the dog works too for a similar reason by shunting the metabolism of the nastier acetaldehydes down the queue allowing them to be excreted by other less toxic pathways. An odd example of this is used for antifreeze poisoning. Ethylene glycol metabolism preduces a toxic metabolite so alcohol is given to shunt it out of that metabolic pathway, it was popular amoung the tramp fraternaties to drink a whole heap of antifreeze and turn up at A&E in the happy knowledge that they would spend the next few days on a drip.
Sleep and a fresh orange ice-lolly (preferably not at the same time).
Milk thistle before and after drinking works a treat. As does staying on clear drinks, staying off (evil) Stella, drinking water between drinks and before bed. I always find a HUGE TUNA BAGUETTE for breakfast does the trick...and a sauna and swim helps - gets rid of the hangover leaving you just lovely and tired.
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I find the best thing for hangovers (and morning sickness) is the largest McDonalds thick shake in whatever is your preferred flavour - mine is strawberry. It's weird, because I never eat burgers or anything else from fast food outlets, but for some reason, the shake always works. Now you are going to ask, how do I get to a McD's if I am hungover and probably still over the limit? You have to have a very understanding and caring husband (or wife)!!!!!
I eat a couple of jelly cubes - if I can remember, and that seems to do the trick. Something about blood sugar levels!
irn bru
they now sell hangover pills in superdrug for a couple of squid take one between each drink ??must try them

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