What are the most effective ways to cure a hangover? Explore 16 science-backed methods to get relief from hangover symptoms faster.

Dehydration: The Root of Hangover Misery

Alcohol is a powerful diuretic, meaning it can cause the body to lose significant amounts of fluids. This dehydration leads to many of the unpleasant symptoms associated with a hangover, such as headaches, fatigue, and nausea. To avoid a debilitating hangover, it’s crucial to stay hydrated while drinking alcohol.

7 Surefire Ways to Guarantee a Brutal Hangover

While moderation is key to avoiding a hangover, some people may want to indulge in behaviors that virtually ensure a miserable next day. Here are 7 ways to set yourself up for the worst hangover of your life:

1. Dehydrate: Alcohol can make you urinate up to 4 times as much water as you consume in alcohol. Starting with a dry mouth and allowing your body to become severely dehydrated will exacerbate hangover symptoms.
2. Sleep Very Little: When you deprive your body of rest and recovery time, it becomes less efficient at processing toxins, leading to a more intense hangover.
3. Eat Nothing: Consuming alcohol on an empty stomach allows it to be absorbed quickly, without any buffering from food. This can intensify intoxication and hangover severity.
4. Drink Dark Liquors: Congeners, or byproducts of fermentation, are present in higher concentrations in dark alcohols like red wine, bourbon, and dark rum. These compounds can worsen hangovers.
5. Mix It Up: Consuming a variety of alcoholic beverages, especially when combined with carbonation, can overwhelm the body’s ability to process the different toxins.
6. Get Active on a Sugar High: Engaging in vigorous physical activity, especially while drinking sugary, non-hydrating beverages, can deplete essential B-vitamins and exacerbate dehydration.
7. Keep Drinking: Continuing to consume alcohol after the initial intoxication can prolong and worsen hangover symptoms, even if it temporarily provides temporary relief.

Does IV Hydration Cure Hangovers?

Many people are intrigued by the idea of using intravenous (IV) fluid treatments to quickly “cure” a hangover. However, medical experts agree that this is not an effective solution. Doctors only provide IV fluids to people who are severely dehydrated and unable to rehydrate orally. For most hangovers, drinking fluids is the best way to rehydrate, and the hangover itself does not prevent someone from doing so.

16 Science-Backed Ways to Get Rid of a Hangover Faster

While there is no magic cure for a hangover, there are several evidence-based strategies that can help provide relief and speed up recovery. Here are 16 science-backed methods to get rid of a hangover faster:

1. Stay Hydrated: Drink water, electrolyte-rich beverages, or sports drinks to replace the fluids lost from alcohol consumption.
2. Eat a Balanced Meal: Opt for foods high in complex carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats to help stabilize blood sugar levels.
3. Take a B-Complex Supplement: B-vitamins, especially B1 (thiamine) and B6, can help metabolize alcohol and reduce hangover symptoms.
4. Consume Ginger: Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties that can help alleviate nausea and stomach upset.
5. Try Prickly Pear Extract: Studies suggest that prickly pear supplements may reduce inflammation and hangover severity.
6. Drink Green Tea: The antioxidants in green tea can help reduce oxidative stress caused by alcohol consumption.
7. Get Some Vitamin C: Vitamin C can help support the liver’s detoxification process and reduce hangover symptoms.
8. Take an OTC Pain Reliever: Ibuprofen or aspirin can help relieve headaches, muscle aches, and other physical discomforts.
9. Sip on Coconut Water: Coconut water is rich in electrolytes, which can help replenish what’s lost through alcohol-induced dehydration.
10. Eat Bananas: Bananas are a good source of potassium, which can help restore electrolyte balance.
11. Try Activated Charcoal: Activated charcoal may help absorb toxins and reduce the severity of hangover symptoms.
12. Get Some Exercise: Gentle exercise, such as a light walk, can help increase blood flow and support the body’s detoxification process.
13. Sip on Bone Broth: Bone broth is rich in nutrients and can help replenish the body’s fluid and electrolyte levels.
14. Practice Relaxation Techniques: Stress-reducing activities like meditation, yoga, or deep breathing can help alleviate the psychological symptoms of a hangover.
15. Get Enough Sleep: Allowing your body to rest and recover can be one of the most effective ways to overcome a hangover.
16. Avoid Caffeine and Greasy Foods: These can further upset the stomach and exacerbate hangover symptoms.

The Bottom Line

While there’s no surefire way to completely eliminate a hangover, incorporating a combination of these science-backed strategies can help provide relief and speed up the recovery process. By staying hydrated, nourishing your body, and taking steps to support your liver and overall well-being, you can minimize the impact of a night of overindulgence.

How to get a Hangover

Drink in moderation?
Forget that! Here are 7 surefire ways to have the worst head-splitting hangover of your life.

A perfect blend of sugar and alcohol guarantee a hangover.

1) Dehydrate

Alcohol is a natural diuretic and can make you pee out 4x as much water as you drink in alcohol. By making sure that you start drinking with a dry whistle, your body will dry out faster than a cow skull by a watering hole. As your organs wither, they pull water out of the spongy reservoir in your skull, making your brain shrink and the membrane around it pull tight. Oh, that hurts so bad.
 

2) Sleep very little

When your body is rested and in its prime it processes toxins much more efficiently. Deprive your body of its rejuvenation and hit it with a couple bottles of red wine. You will be wishing you were dead asleep.
 

3) Eat nothing

The quicker you can get that alcohol into your system, with no buffering and obstacles, the worse you will feel. If you hit the daiquiri’s with nothing in your stomach, it might be hard to keep them there. Be sure to especially stay away from high protein and fat foods that are slower to digest and can bring your alcohol assimilation to its knees. It’s essential that you go to bed hungry if you want the worst your drinks can give you. Side note: Stay away from multi-vitamins, especially early in the night. It’s B-vitamin depletion, in particular, that will make you want to crawl into an early grave.
 

4) Drink the dark stuff

Especially red wine, but all dark alcohols (bourbon, dark rum, etc) have especially high concentrations of congeners (or high level alcohols…that is: alcohols with more than 2 carbon atoms). These drinks will hit you much worse in the morning than their chardonnay, vodka, or gin counterparts.
 

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5) Mix it up

As much as your body hates processing congeners, it really gets thrown for a loop if you give it a few to work on. Try mixing scotch, Bordeaux, port, and a dark rum kicker for the ultimate bad belly. You can speed it up with carbonation, so start off with a beer, mountain dew, or some other non-hydrating fizzy liquid. Beer before liquor, never a quicker…hangover.
 

6) Dance the night away on a sugar high

Or do any sort of vigorous physical activity. Get your heart racing and your metabolism up as you pound dark fizzy drink after dark fizzy drink. Your body, craving the water you refuse to give it, will soak up all the poison in one final attempt to keep you from feeling awful. As the beat drops, your body will gobble up its last B-vitamin. Want to make sure? Have a pixie stick. The sugar ups your metabolism to consume even more vitamin B. Don’t give in! Tell the DJ to turn it up.
 

7) Drink the dog hair

Seriously. Keep it going. The more alcohol you give it, the worse it will be. You may prolong it until you are more rested or hydrated if you’re careless, but adding more alcohol to an already compromised body is a great way to kick it when it’s down.

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Does IV Hydration Cure Hangovers?

There has never been a quick fix for a hangover, just like there’s no magic pill for weight loss. But what if there was one? Some people are intrigued by intravenous (IV) treatments that can supposedly “cure” a hangover.

Getting IV fluids to make your headache, fatigue and nausea disappear may sound more appealing than lying in bed until the unpleasant symptoms pass, but medical experts say that there’s no validity to this type of treatment.

Why an IV hangover “cure” seems appealing

In recent years, venues offering the hangover-cure concept have been popping up around the country, with trendy-sounding names like “IV lounge” or “drip bar.” Some companies travel to people’s homes, offices or hotel rooms to provide IVs, which makes the experience seem exclusive and special.

The standard treatment offered for a hangover “cure” is a bag of IV fluids, but the companies offering this service typically have add-ons that can be included in the mix, such as vitamins or electrolytes. Some companies also offer anti-nausea medication or pain medication for an additional fee. Choosing vitamins from a menu may make it feel like you’re giving your insides a spa day of sorts, which may add to the novelty of the experience.

Why an IV hangover “cure” isn’t an effective solution

Doctors don’t provide IV fluids to anyone who might want them; they’re reserved for people in a medical setting who are dehydrated and unable to take fluids by mouth. Whenever possible, drinking is the best way to rehydrate, and having a hangover doesn’t prevent someone from drinking fluids.

For more advanced dehydration, fluid replacement may be necessary and can help you rehydrate faster. If drinking water does not work immediately or isn’t possible due to illness or injury, an intravenous fluid (IV) may be necessary. If you are experiencing long lasting symptoms of dehydration such as vomiting, diarrhea, headache, lethargy, muscle cramps and increased thirst, seek treatment from a medical professional rather than an “IV lounge” or “drip bar”. Many walk-in urgent care locations offer IV-fluids to moderately dehydrated people.

Rehydrating with IV fluids won’t cure a hangover, because dehydration is only one symptom. An IV treatment – even with added electrolytes or vitamins – can’t address all of the symptoms of hangover, including headache, nausea, trouble concentrating, delayed reaction time or sensitivity to light or loud noises. And IV fluids won’t make your liver work any faster, which is the way that your body breaks down the alcohol in your system so that you can eliminate it from your body.

Additionally, getting your vein punctured for an IV drip isn’t without risks. It involves a needle stick, which may not appeal to the squeamish, especially if the person delivering your hangover “cure” has trouble accessing a vein and has to stick you multiple times. Any time that you receive an injection, there’s a small chance that you could get an infection or blood clot at the site, and you may develop a bruise later in the day.

IV hangover treatments aren’t covered by health insurance, since they aren’t medically necessary or provided in a medical setting. They may cost $100 to $400, which is a steep price tag for a treatment that hasn’t been proven to be effective.

What to do instead of seeking an IV hangover “cure”

If you drank too much and wake up with a hangover, there are ways to feel a bit better while your body recuperates, such as:

• Drinking water, chicken broth or other fluids to rehydrate
• Skipping hair-of-the-dog hangover remedies containing more alcohol
• Resting, if possible
• Taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen for a headache
• Avoiding acetaminophen, because it’s broken down by your liver, which is focused on clearing the alcohol from your system
• Using over-the-counter anti-nausea medication as needed

Next Steps & Resources:

• Meet our source: Cristina Ignacio, M. D.
• To learn more about IV hydration, call 848-308-4911.

The material provided through HealthU is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual care.

How to avoid or get rid of a hangover, hangover relief

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Hangover refers to feeling unwell after taking large doses of alcohol. The severity of the condition, its duration, then, after what amount of drinking it occurs, depends on the individual characteristics of the body, metabolic rate, tolerance to alcohol. A hangover is characterized by nausea and headache, indigestion, and weakness. These symptoms may include sensitivity to light and loud sounds, vomiting, swelling, and other ailments. If severe or atypical symptoms appear (pain in the heart area, the presence of blood in vomit or feces, sharp pains in the stomach, etc.), it is important to seek medical help immediately.

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Hangovers may be associated with the action of toxins formed as a result of the processing of ethyl alcohol. Such an action turns out to be systemic: the load on the liver and the cardiovascular system increases, the body’s water balance is disturbed, and severe intoxication appears. A hangover can also be associated with the development of a withdrawal syndrome, in which a person already has an alcohol dependence, and negative symptoms are caused by a decrease in the concentration of alcohol in the blood.

It is strictly forbidden to alleviate a hangover with a new dose of alcohol. This will only worsen your well-being and increase the load on the body. Feeling better after taking a dose of alcohol is an alarming symptom that indicates developing alcoholism. In any case, it is better to consult a narcologist. If this is not possible, you can alleviate the condition of a hangover yourself by removing one or another of its symptoms.

How to get rid of a hangover?

Detoxification. The first step is to remove toxic substances from the body. To do this, take absorbent preparations and empty the intestines after a while. If a person experiences vomiting, there is no need to restrain them: along with the vomit, alcohol that has not had time to enter the blood will be removed from the stomach. Further, succinic or citric acid is taken for detoxification, it is possible to take Eleutherococcus tincture, etc.

Headache relief. With the symptoms of the central nervous system (headache, hand tremor, reaction to light, etc.), they fight with plenty of drinking and taking analgesics. To relieve a hangover, it is enough to take 1 tablet of aspirin, picamilon, mexidol or pantogam. Aspirin should only be taken if at least 4 hours have passed since drinking alcohol.

Puffiness. To relieve swelling, you need to take a contrast shower. You can restore normal water exchange using plenty of fluids in combination with diuretics.

Smell of fumes. The characteristic smell from the mouth cannot be eliminated until the toxins are removed from the body. It can only be disguised by brushing your teeth or using a mouth freshener.

Vomiting, nausea. Such symptoms indicate that poisonous substances are in the stomach. It is best to wash the stomach: drink a liter of water and provoke vomiting. The procedure can be repeated until the stomach is cleared.

How to avoid a hangover?

The obvious way to avoid a hangover is not to drink alcohol. If this option is not suitable, you should carefully control the dose of alcohol.

If you cannot avoid or get rid of a hangover, cannot control the amount of alcohol you drink, or experience withdrawal symptoms, seek medical help at the NarkoDoc clinic. Our narcologists will help you cope with a hangover, overcome withdrawal symptoms, and get rid of alcohol addiction. In the medical center “NarcoDoc” there are favorable prices for the services of narcologists. We have a hospital, it is possible to call a narcologist at home. If you have any questions or need more information, please contact us for a free consultation.

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how to get rid of a hangover at home?

Contents:

1. Hangover causes
2. How long does a hangover last
3. How to recognize a violation
4. How to get rid of a hangover
   4.1. How to remove a hangover at home
   4.2. How to relieve hangover symptoms with the help of a doctor
5. Prevention
6. Benefits of inpatient treatment

Hangover syndrome — a painful condition that develops in response to severe alcohol intoxication. It is manifested by negative psychophysiological symptoms. Both people who suffer from alcohol addiction and those who rarely take alcohol can face a violation.

How to quickly get rid of a hangover narcologists know. You should not self-medicate. If the drinking ended with complications, it is recommended to urgently call a narcological ambulance to the house or visit the drug center on your own.

Causes of hangovers

Reactions that lead to a painful “waste” are still poorly understood. Most doctors agree that everything is to blame:

• A sharp increase in the concentration of acetaldehyde after drinking. The named substance is a toxic metabolite of ethyl alcohol. It causes nausea, vomiting, headaches.
• Dehydration . When relieving patients of severe hangovers, doctors often reveal dehydration. It is associated with increased work of the kidneys, which are trying to cleanse the body of ethanol and other harmful components. The situation is aggravated by edema, non-compliance with the drinking regimen.
• Lack of glucose in the blood. Glucose acts as a fuel and is the main source of energy for cells. Due to drunkenness, its level may decrease. Metabolic reactions are also often disturbed. Then the component cannot reach some structures of the brain – “glucose starvation” is fixed.
• Isolation of ethanol secondary metabolites. When processing alcohol, not only acetaldehyde is formed, but also other dangerous compounds. They can also cause intoxication.
• Metabolic acidosis . It is an acid imbalance. It is manifested by a low level of pH and the concentration of total bicarbonate in the blood. In alcohol addicts, it occurs due to liver damage from alcohol. The risk of developing acidosis is the reason why even a mild hangover should be treated. The disease is very insidious. It is always difficult to normalize the acid-base balance after binge, so it is wiser not to allow it to be disturbed.

• Problems with the absorption of vitamins and minerals. People who drink are very often found to have beriberi. It is associated with malnutrition and progressive diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. With a shortage of certain substances, the kidneys and liver cannot cope with their natural “filtering” functions.
• Reduced immunity. The immune system cannot function stably when drinking large amounts of alcohol. In case of malfunctions in its work, the body reacts poorly to any irritating factors.

In persons suffering from alcohol dependence, ethanol intoxication exacerbates the secondary desire to drink. Trying to recover from a severe hangover, they get drunk again. For them, drinking is the only effective way to drown out the discomfort. Of course, in no case should you do this, as then the health risks will increase.

How long does a hangover last

People who are looking for how to cure a hangover0029 usually want to know how long it can last. It is impossible to give an exact date – the clinical picture of the complication is always unique. In some people, painful symptoms disappear in a few hours, others suffer for a whole week or longer.

In case of an overdose of ethyl alcohol and prolonged binge drinking, it is pointless to count on a speedy recovery . If the patient wants to recover faster, he needs to enlist medical help. Home treatments are not effective.

How to recognize the violation

“Waste” after ethanol, as a rule, manifests itself on the next day after the feast. A person goes to sleep drunk and wakes up sick. Among the signs indicating severe intoxication:

• Nausea, repeated vomiting. Symptoms are associated with the negative effect of ethyl alcohol on the central nervous system.
• Insomnia, inability to fall asleep quickly, frequent awakenings at night. Sleep turns out to be “superficial”, so in the morning the patient does not feel rested.
• Pain behind the sternum. Usually indicate cardiac problems. It is important to exclude myocardial damage.
• Arterial hypertension. High blood pressure proves the presence of cardiovascular insufficiency. More often the symptom occurs in people prone to hypertension.
• Headaches. They are very strong, pulsating, exhausting. Their appearance can be explained by toxic damage to the nervous system, hypertension, intoxication, dehydration, lack of glucose, vitamin deficiency.
• Vertigo. Demonstrate violations of the vestibular system.

• Involuntary trembling of hands, face, fingers. At the physiological level, it is explained by an imbalance of electrolytes – the level of calcium ions is stable, and sodium and magnesium are not enough.
• Pain in the region of the right hypochondrium. Indicates inflammation of the liver, intestinal damage, venous plethora.
• High body temperature. She is accompanied by chills, increased separation of sticky sweat.
• Increased alarm level. Patients who want to go through a hangover recovery are usually very nervous and worried. At the same time, most of them cannot explain what is the reason for such an unstable emotional state.
• Joint pain. More often they are not associated with an ethanol attack, but with what a person was doing while intoxicated (fights, dancing, long walks, running, etc.).
• Decreased visual acuity, double vision. It happens due to toxic damage to the optic nerve.

For many, drinking causes exacerbation of existing chronic diseases . Then the poisoning proceeds very hard. It is important not to delay getting medical help.

How to get rid of a hangover

The method of treating a hangover syndrome is always selected on an individual basis. Therapeutic tactics depends on the severity of the patient’s condition. Mild cases can be treated at home. But, if the drinking lasted several days in a row, you should register in a drug treatment hospital.

How to get rid of a hangover at home

Home therapy consists of:

• Elimination of dehydration. For this purpose, the poisoned person needs to drink a lot. Suitable juices, herbal teas, ordinary drinking water without gas.
• Good rest. It is important to observe the daily routine, sleep at least 8-10 hours a day.
• Taking a contrast shower . However, this procedure is not suitable for people with diseases of the cardiovascular system.
• Inducing vomiting. If several hours have passed after the feast, it is recommended to provoke vomiting. To do this, you need to drink at least one liter of water at a time, and then gently press your fingers on the root of the tongue.
• Taking absorbents. Preparations of this group are in any home first aid kit. Their most popular representative is activated carbon.
• The use of drugs for the symptomatic treatment of emerging ailments. These can be analgesics, antispasmodics, antiemetics, antipyretics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, hepatoprotectors, etc.
• Maintaining a sparing diet. During the recovery period, you need to eat a balanced diet, do not eat anything spicy, fatty and smoked. It is good if the basis of the diet is vegetables, fruits, boiled meat, cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, broths.

It should be understood that the recommendations listed will only be effective for non-severe poisoning . If intoxication is very strong, droppers and physiotherapy cannot be dispensed with. People with diabetes, the elderly, pregnant and lactating women, patients who have a history of stroke or heart attack should not be treated at home.

How to relieve hangover symptoms with the help of a doctor

Doctors use infusion therapy in the treatment of ethanol intoxication. There are different versions of it:

• Standard . It is offered to patients who are faced with the complications of drunken excess for the first time. Does not include strong drugs. Every day, the patient is injected with a drip of about one liter of detoxification solution. It is possible to stabilize the condition in two to three days.
• Double . It is indicated for drinking binges lasting more than three days. Allows the use of potent drugs, antiarrhythmics, hepatoprotectors, nootropics, psychotropic, sedatives. Positive dynamics is fixed after the first cleansing session, but they need to be continued for several days.
• Reinforced . Provides a deep cleansing of the body of toxins and alcohol. The detox carried out according to this scheme takes about one week. The patient is prescribed droppers and effective physiotherapy.

The choice of infusion therapy for the client is always selected personally by narcologists. It is important for the patient to listen to medical prescriptions and follow them exactly.

Prevention

In order not to have to think about how to recover from ethanol intoxication, it is better to prevent its development. Observance of simple rules will help here:

1. On the day of the feast, eat high-calorie and fatty foods.
2. No smoking during and after the event.
3. One day before drinking alcohol, start taking B vitamins.
4. A couple of hours before the holiday, drink any safe absorbent.
5. Have a snack. Drink enough water. Don’t overeat.
6. Do not mix different spirits.
7. Refuse to drink alcohol of dubious quality.
8. If nausea occurs, induce vomiting and stop drinking alcohol.
9. Do not drink gasy drinks. Mineral water is not suitable for drinking. It is permissible to take it only the next day after drinking.
10. Try not to exceed your legal dose of alcohol.
11. Do not drink when stressed, exhausted, depressed. Do not drink alcohol on days of exacerbation of chronic diseases.

Benefits of inpatient treatment

Getting the help of an experienced addiction specialist is the only solution for severe hangovers. It is even better if the patient agrees to go to the drug clinic. Then he will be under constant medical supervision. If suddenly his condition begins to deteriorate sharply, doctors will be there and have time to prevent the development of life-threatening complications.

If the poisoned person suffers from alcoholism, a psychologist will talk to him . It is likely that after such communication, the patient will decide to encode. This is known to be the only cure for alcohol addiction.

It is noteworthy that in private drug treatment clinics, all services are provided strictly anonymously . Patients are not registered with drug addiction, so they can safely call a specialist to their home or come to consultations on their own.

References:

1. From alcohol haze to a clear head: Hangover: how to avoid it and how to cure: / David Outerbridge; Translation from English. V. Genkin; [Post. M. M. Gurvich]. – M. : Text, 1996.