by Amanda Mcgoldrick

Created on: November 05, 2008

"I feel horrible last night...I must have gone to bed sober." - The Thin Man, Dashiell Hammett

Ah the hangover-the wide-spread affliction sweeping our college campuses, Super bowl parties and Sunday mornings nationwide. Anyone who has indulged in the sweet sensation of intoxication has surely awoken to wish they hadn't. Blurred memories of saccharine concoctions in a shot glass blended with distant memories of Def Leopard karaoke have brought you to this point; the point at which you swear you'll never touch that poison again. Since we both know that's probably a lie, what can we do to prevent the garage band that now resonates in your temples? The best thing you can do the next time your escapades find you with martini in hand is stay hydrated. Ethanol (alcohol) has a dehydrating effect by causing increased urinationit's essentially a diuretic. (Hence why after you 'break the seal' you can't seem to stop). Since you 're losing so many fluids and not replacing them for hours at a time, your brain becomes extremely dehydrated. So the key here is to drink water before, during and after your cocktail binge. One trick I like is to sip on alcohol-of-choice and soda water with lime. My favorite is Kettle One and soda with a lime and a teensy splash of cranberry for flavor. If that's not your thing, try pounding a glass of H2O every or every other cocktail. Avoiding drinks high in sugar will also help here as then not only the liquor but the sugar is sucking you dry. Margaritas, Daiquiris or anything that comes in a Fishbowl with an over-sized straw are all naughty culprits. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /

>

Another reason your body feels like death run over twice is Ethanol robs your body of B vitamins, which are essential in helping your body cope with stress. B vitamins help your body metabolize toxins, including alcohol. So when you're coming down from your binge and your body reaches out to an empty B vitamin store, it gets mad. Taking a high-potency B-complex supplement (50-75 mg of B-complex) before and after drinking will help. If you're a frequent booze hound consider taking a B-complex daily. Along these lines, I've found Emergen-C to be a great way to not only snag my Bs but my Cs, Zs, and As along with a big glass of water. Vodka-Emergen-C anyone?

OK, so you didn't listen to your gut or you simply got too wasted and drank no liquid other than Jack and Coke and a few Kamikazes all night and now you're ready to

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>