Holiday hangover tips

The holidays are an exciting time of year when the temptations of sweet treats and cocktails are seemingly endless. As you make your way from one social engagement to another, festive drinks and other holiday beverages will also make their rounds, increasing your likelihood of ending up with that all-too-familiar head-pounding ache.

Other than refraining from alcohol consumption, there are no true hangover remedies. Nevertheless, there are still ways you can enjoy the festivities without all the next-day pain. If you do not wish to refrain from enjoying holiday cocktails, try a few of these tips to warding off that nasty hangover.

Eat

Consuming alcohol on an empty stomach will definitely increase your changes of waking up with a horrible hangover. There are a few choice foods you can much on before heading out for the night. Eating bread will help absorb some of the alcohol you consume, so fix yourself a quick sandwich before going out. Milk is known to coat the stomach, which can help minimize the amount of alcohol your body absorbs. Some people like to snack on fatty foods before consuming cocktails for this same reason. Oily foods will also provide a lining in the way of a stomach barrier, slowing down the absorption process.

Choose your liquor carefully

Drinking light liquor such as vodka or gin over darker liquors like whiskey or brandy, will also help ease a potential hangover. Lighter liquors contain fewer congeners, the toxic chemical that gives alcohol its distinctive characteristic and a head pounding hangover to those who drink it. Avoid other alcohol choices such as red and white wines, rum, and gin, and stick to less concentrated choices of alcohol.

Anything goes

It is easy to get carried away in the fun of it all, but mixing drinks is the quickest route to a hangover. Avoid sickness by sticking with a chosen alcohol for the entire evening. Make it a vodka or gin night, sip fine wines, or enjoy a few cold beers, just not all at the same time.

Drink water

Alternate your festive cocktails with a glass of water. Matching an alcoholic drink with a glass of water will not only prevent the quick onset of inebriation, it will also keep you hydrated. Consider ordering a bottle of water with each drink so you don’t forget.

If you’re a lightweight drinker, it is possible that even the slightest amount of alcohol consumption will produce a pounding headache. Taking multivitamins, consuming a sports drink or two for their electrolytes, and eating a good breakfast will help ward off any signs of a good time from the night before.