A little late now, but this (via Matt) agrees with my own college experience. I drank a huge pitcher of water every night that I drank heavily and can’t remember even one time that I woke up with a hangover. I remember getting up to piss a lot, but after a night of drinking that happens anyway.
Another bit of useful know-how that I picked up empirically is that you can fix the spin-dizzy feeling by spinning twice in the reverse direction. My wife, a neuroscientist with experience in balance, scoffed on the grounds that nobody had ever published on that topic. Naturally Dr. Mrs. F. was amused when someone did publish that result something like six months later.
***Update***
I can see how people associated the second part with booze, where in fact I meant the dizzy feeling that you get after actually spinning around a lot. Sober spin-dizzy comes (in part) from the inertia of the fluid in your semicircular canals, which you beat by making the fluid stop faster than it otherwise would. Drunk dizzy happens for more fundamental neurobiological reasons. The only practical way to fight that is to know your personal line between happy times and being nursed by a patient friend.
Pom
Also, condoms are cool.
Ty Lookwell
Dunno. Often after I’ve had a night of heavy drinking – but usually no hangover – I’ve had an incredible craving for cold sour juices – in particular, frozen blueberries dropped in pomegranate juice (the whole thing turns into a delicious slush). Orange juice kind of satisfies (but too sweet and rich), and whole fresh tomatoes (i suppose its the potassium and other electrolytes) does a pretty good job – esp with real hangovers. But nothing satisfies like frozen blueberries in pomegranate juice, and I have no idea why. Very strong high quality green tea is also excellent for some reason, something which is unusually fulfilling. I’d love to know why.
Ripley
Interesting cure for the dreaded spins. In my younger, drunker days I found that lying face down in bed and not moving pretty much took care of it; helped several people I somehow ended up nursing through a bad drunk as well. And never lie on your back – the spins get faster and worse, and the vomiting will come. Just writing about it makes me a bit queasy….
Krista
It worked best if your bed was near enough to a wall that you could reach out and keep your hand pressed to the wall while lying face down.
Not that I’d know.
The water thing definitely helps prevent next-day pain. And if you are going to puke, it’s much better to do it the night before than the next morning.
Ah, the memories…
bago
Puking is all about the bitter taste you get in your mouth about a minute before you hurl. Fun times!
Mr Furious
The water helps immensely. As I understand it, the headache is mostly caused by dehydration, so get out in front!
Mnemosyne
This is the one science-y thing I remember learning in the course of getting my film degree: the reason you get hung over is that alcohol suppresses ADH (anti-diuretic hormone) and so you get dehydrated very quickly. If you replace the fluids lost with water, you avoid the hangover.
TheHatOnMyCat
Drunk is calling your significant other for a ride after a night of hard drinking, and she asks you, "Where are you?" and your answer is "I don’t know," and then you pass out on the phone.
I guarantee you, this pisses them off.
Danil
"Naturally Dr. Mrs. F. was amused when someone did publish that result something like six months later."
Link? Reference? Title? I’d love to review that result.
El Caballo de Sangre
I call bullshit on this. Anybody who claims to have never suffered from a hangover has either never – rpt NEVER – "drank heavily", or there’s something more than a pitcher of water going on. Like a biochemical makeup due to a condition or a (lucky) genetic mutation that makes one immune to hangovers in the 1st place. It may be the definition of "heavily" that’s the problem here. Or "hangover".
OTOH, "can’t remember" makes a nice dodge, doesn’t it?
I mean, sure, the water helps mitigate, I know that from experience – but total avoidance? No fucking way.
Caravelle
On sleeping with the drunk-dizzy feeling : the best thing I’ve found is a friend’s trick of sleeping while touching two walls that are at right angles. This is best if the bed is in a corner, but touching the wall or headboard with my head while putting my hand on the nightstand works too. It doesn’t eliminate the feeling, but it reduces it enough that I can sleep well.
My interpretation is that you need to touch immovable objects to the brain understands it isn’t really moving around, but touching one leaves you "free" to spin on that axis, so you need to touch two. It might be pure placebo effect, but it works on me.
Nylund
Having done this myself, I can say that having an IV cures a hangover quite quickly and often leaves you feeling better than you’ve felt in years.
I’ve also seen it portrayed in Grey’s Anatomy and Scrubs as a hangover cure (by the doctors doing it to themselves when hungover). According to my doctor friends, this is a well-known cure amongst med students who’ve concocted specific IV cocktails for hangovers. Its quite infuriating that its not easy to get this done because it seriously is magically effective.
DecidedFenceSitter
Ayup – one hard drink, one glass of water, one hard drink, one glass of water. Not only does it slow down the consumption of alcohol at a party (where my drink disappears disturbingly fast at times), but it keeps me hydrated.
Also food in the stomach to absorb the liquor. Every time I’ve done something stupid it has involved drinking heavily without enough actual food.
harlana pepper
Ugh, I’m glad I don’t puke anymore from drinking. Bleh.
I just eat a cheesburger the next day and I feel groovy.
J.D. Rhoades
The water definitely helps you avoid the headache, and the nausea. But it can’t replace the REM sleep you lose when passed out, so you’re still dog-tired and foggy the next day.
Bill H
I always cured the spinning by "hanging out an anchor." Lying on my back in bed, drape one leg out of the bed from the knee, letting it hang straight down. Spinning stops immediately.
But nothing stopped the hangovers. Haven’t done any of that in 26 years though.
Spokane Moderate
Water alone didn’t consistently do the trick for me. But adding a multivitamin before bed worked like a charm. No idea why.
kommrade reproductive vigor
I just stay the fuck away from tequila and I’m fine the next day.
SGEW
Chimin’ in here: yes, over-hydrating yourself before passing out drunk has always helped me the next day. Sure, you still have a few of the hangover symptoms, but it’s nothing compared to a full on hangover.
My method: one pint of water per measure of alcohol (one pint of beer, one shot, one glass of wine, etc.) while drinking, then drinking as much water as physically possible before hitting the bed. Yes. It’s a lot of water, and the urinatin’ is constant, but brother it works.
Taught to me by my dad at a rather young age*.
Also:
You learned sciencey things in film school?! The only science I was taught while earning my B.F.A. (Film, Generalist) was a little color theory, a twenty minute lecture (promptly forgotten) on light refraction, how silver nitrate works, and the basic primer on electricity (which usually boiled down to: "This one hot! Bad! No touch or super-ouch!").
‘Course, that’s what you get when you go to an art school instead of that whole "college" thing ;).
*Also mentioned in that talk: never drink and drive, always wear a condom, don’t do LSD alone the first time you try it, don’t smoke too much pot during the day, never do cocaine twice in one week, don’t ever try heroin unless you are very, very careful about the dosage and quality, and try to date women who are older than you. All very good advice, but a bit shocking to an eleven year old.
Punchy
Hangover effect due to acetaldehyde buildup (incomplete catabolic oxidation of EtOH), exacerbated by dehydration caused by the inhibititory effect of ethanol on vaspressin release
R-Jud
When I got extremely drunk I would always "force" myself to be sick (if I were cogent enough to remember to do so). Then I would eat some whole wheat toast, have a glass of OJ followed by a glass of water, brush and floss and head to bed. I would always feel like my gas tank had been sugared the next day, but never so wretched that I had to skip work or anything.
Mr Jud didn’t do any of that on NYE, so I made him some soup yesterday. Also works a treat for colds and flu:
Vaguely Asian Chicken Noodle Soup
2 large portions
For the Broth:
1-2 TBSP sesame or peanut oil
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
Several cloves garlic, chopped
At least 1 chili pepper, de-seeded and chopped
2-3 green onions, chopped (green and white parts)
1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 TBSP rice vinegar
2 TBSP soy sauce (more if you want)
1 quart chicken stock
Juice of one lime
Heat the oil and sautee the veggies and ginger for about 5 minutes, or until the onions soften a little. Add the other ingredients, lower the heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Strain the broth into a container or another pot, and discard the veggies and ginger.
If you are really feeling awful you can stop here and just drink the broth. If not:
For the Rest:
2 portions stir-fry type noodles
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 4 thighs)
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 handful fresh bean sprouts to garnish
2 TBSP chopped cilantro plus whole leaves to garnish
Lime wedges to garnish
Bring the broth back to a simmer. Slash the chicken portions several times diagonally, about 1/3 through, and poach them thoroughly in the broth, about 15-20 minutes. Fish them out, slice them up, and set them aside when they’re done. Put the noodles in the broth and cook, adding the chopped cilantro just before they’re finished.
Divide noodle broth into bowls. Divide remaining ingredients and sliced chicken among both bowls (you end up with what looks like a floating salad) to serve.
R-Jud
@SGEW:
I also have a film degree, but you wouldn’t know it to look at my diploma, which just says "Bachelor of Science". My sister (B.S. Biochemistry, doing grad work in same) and brother (B.S. Mechanical Engineering, some grad school, actually works in his field) find this hilarious.
While a freshman I dutifully took math and science courses as electives– I had sweated through some AP courses in high school, and didn’t want to lose the skills. I remember sitting in the photo lab doing calculus homework while waiting for some negatives to dry. A professor spotted me and said, "Are you crazy?" Some other people laughed. Those were the last such electives I ever took. Stupid.
lovethebomb
@Punchy:
acetaldehyde detoxification can be aided by the intake of molybdenum, 500 mcg, upon waking.
It is also well known amongst the British gentry that tomato juice and red pepper (tobasco) greatly assists and prevents a hangover. That is why I jolly well drink bullseye or red beer (1 part iced tomato juice, 3 parts beer, w/ splash of tobasco). It is a beer bloody mary w/ out the Worcheshire.
SGEW
Actually, I regret not taking science electives. My knowledge of, say, calculus is non-existent. It’s embarrassing, to be honest. I can spout off about mis-en-scene and Andre Bazin, but I don’t really understand how basic physics work.
Stupid film school.
McFee
I’ve heard the "drink lots of water before bed" theory many a time before. From my perspective, the flaw in the reasoning is that by the time I call it quits I’m not capable of ingesting any more liquid without vomitory disaster.
Jamey the plumber -- an American hero
re: the missus’s "Experience in balance," Tim? As bipedals, can’t we all make that claim? (The balance part, not the part about being your spouse.)
Kirk
Best hangover cure is prevention – don’t get that drunk. It’s worked amazingly well for me for many decades now. (grin)
Punchy tagged most of the hangover issues. However I recall (no cite, sorry) that in addition SOME people have what are for simplicity’s sake what we’d consider minor allergic reactions to some of the components of the drink. gah, wish I had the cite, but IIRC the study was something about comparing hangover intensity and duration between nearly pure alcohol (vodka) and various flavored drinks (to include beer).
Water takes care of the main effect for everyone. Restoring/rebalancing various nutrients and other chemicals takes care of several minor effects for most people. Painkillers neutralize some effects for most people. YMMV.
Mnemosyne
It’s not my fault — they made me do it for my GEs. But I did learn it from one of the few combination gerontology PhD/surfers working in the field, which was always half the fun of summer school.
Tom
Back in my heavier drinking days I used to suffer from the spins far more than my friends, and certainly far more than seemed fair. But I learned a foolproof trick that helped me every time. If you put a glossy magazine on your pillow just under your head, something about the coolness of the paper on your cheek grounds you, and keeps the spins from happening. That helped me get to bed countless times, let me tell you.
Bill Schwieterman
Never forgot one med school lecture on cure for hangovers…given by senior consultant to MASH TV series. Worked passably well.
–glass of milk (for alcoholic gastritis..coat stomach)
–two ibuprofen (for headache pain)
–vitamin B12 or multivitamin (to replenish lost vitamins that occur from metabolism of alcohol)
–carbohydrates of some sort (for hypoglycemia)
–water, for dehydration (from ADH suppression)
Terri
For that vomitous feeling: Angostura bitters and soda water. It helps to restore your Ph and makes your tummy feel better.
Jeremy
I would like to take this time to mention a guy who used to live in my area of Japan. This guy could drink. He’d drink chu-his, which are basically like those smirnoff flavored things, except 5% alc and in 500mL cans. He’d go through several of those and maybe round it off with a bottle of Jin-ro (look it up, it’s hideous). And maybe a few more chu-his before he went to bed. This was nearly nightly and he always, ALWAYS woke up sober. Except for the time he passed out at the top of a concrete staircase and woke up in the ambulance, completely fine (minus the bruises and contusions).
That man was a mystery. We think he just had some awesome karma from saving the world or something.
mannemalon
@ SGEW
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*Also mentioned in that talk: never drink and drive, always wear a condom, don’t do LSD alone the first time you try it, don’t smoke too much pot during the day, never do cocaine twice in one week, don’t ever try heroin unless you are very, very careful about the dosage and quality, and try to date women who are older than you. All very good advice, but a bit shocking to an eleven year old.
_____________________________________________________________________
This is very interesting to me. Because of the diametrically different approach my parents used on me, where talk about sex was never touched directly, and drugs were only bad. Only later did it grow into joking and light-talk with quick references.
I tend to think that your fathers approach is the more effective method. I think there’s a realness factor there that allows you to use what he’s saying as true, real advice – therefore worth living by as a young kid growing up. That’s lost when there are certain areas that aren’t discussed or are glossed over as if they kind of don’t exist, or are strictly negative. You sort of end up navigating through that path yourself.
btw John, the b|ockquote isn’t working properly for me.
Gus
A little late to the party here, but I want to second what Caballo de Sangre said. If you never had a hangover because you drank a pitcher of water before you went to bed, you don’t know what drinking heavily is. I’ve tried it all, and there’s nothing that will help you completely avoid a hangover if you’ve had way too much to drink.