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Whoever said
Hangovers are Fun was Lying!!
A hangover is something that anyone who drinks alcohol will
have experienced at some point in time.
After spending a night drinking, you may wake up in the
morning with your head feeling heavy and your stomach in
knots.
At that moment, you probably decided that you would never
drink again, to prevent yourself from feeling like this ever
again. No matter how hard you may have tried though, chances
are that it happened again.
Even though we all know that alcohol can lead to hangovers,
what many people don't know is that a hangover can be caused
by a combination of two factors.
Alcohol has to be metabolized by the liver. This requires the
liver to draw on the body’s stores of water, energy, vitamins
and minerals. This may eventuate in the drinker waking in the
morning feeling like they have no energy, feeling lethargic,
and wanting to sleep, as well as having an irritated stomach,
caused by the reactive properties of the alcohol on the
stomach's lining.
The other main contributing factor to a hangover, and this is
a killer, is a little thing called “Fusel Oil.”
Fusel oil is produced as a byproduct of alcohol production. It
makes the drinker feel nauseous while causing vomiting and
stomach pains. It occurs in beer, wine, port and any other non
distilled drink. Fusel oil also occurs in spirits, but
distillers will often try to remove it from the drink, by
carefully monitoring the distillation temperature and only
collecting the alcohol, the fusel oil can be removed. By
removing fusel oil from spirit, the spirit's value increases.
Hence, top shelf liquor tends to cost more, as it tastes
better and contains less fusel oil than 'run of the mill'
liquor.
Alcohol does have some positive effects on the body, but in
excessive quantities, it can be deadly. Some doctors actually
recommend it, while others discourage its use.
Even though drinking can be fun, moderation is the key.
The easiest way to avoid hangovers is to drink in moderation.
Whisky, bourbon, and wine can result in a much harder hangover
than vodka or beer. This is because vodka is usually produced
through advanced distillation methods, while beer tends to
contain lower alcohol volumes.
It has been proven that the headaches associated with
hangovers stem from dehydration. With alcohol being a
diuretic, it will make you urinate quite often, as well as
causing your body to react in a way similar to if you slowly
poisoned it, causing your organs to work harder, and require
more water to function.
Therefore, if you drink alcohol or beer on a daily basis, your
body will remain dehydrated. When you wake up in the morning
with a bad headache and turn to coffee, which is also a
diuretic, the process of dehydration actually gets worse.
You’ll also need to do something with the alcohol that has
been left in your body. Even though a hangover can make you
want to stay in bed, the secret to getting yourself back on
track is movement. To rid your body of the alcohol, you’ll
need to sweat. Sweating removes the toxins from the body, and
helps you to feel better.
Exercise or have sex to get rid of a hangover, as the exercise
will help your body to process the poisons.
Although a hangover can be a bugbear, it can be prevented.
The first rule of drinking any type of alcoholic beverage is
to never drink on an empty stomach.
Eat a good meal before you start drinking. You will find that
the food can help you digest the alcohol slower.
When the alcohol is in your stomach, eat foods that are high
in fat, such as cheese, or fried food. You can also sip some
olive oil or drink some water, although this may make you feel
sicker.
The secret to making sure that you don’t get a hangover when
drinking is to drink in moderation and never let yourself get
too drunk.
If you have to mix beer with other drinks like cocktails and
spirits, remember this rhyme. It will remind you what to drink
early in the night, and what to drink later. The rhyme goes;
“Liquor before beer, never fear. Beer before Liquor, never
sicker.”
What this means is that, early in the night, the body is fresh
and tolerant, and will handle spirits. But after a night of
drinking, the body must resort to drinks containing less
alcohol. |
