As I promised in my previous post on the subject (https://icaro.med.br/ressaca-como-evitar-atenuar-eou-melhorar-mais-rapido/), I'm going to talk briefly about some of the myths surrounding hangovers.
1 - Hangovers are not always due to large absolute doses of alcohol; sometimes they are due to a dose that is too high for one person and may not be considerable for another. Women, for example, tend to have less “resistance” to alcohol and suffer more from undesirable effects.
2 - A hangover isn't just abstinence: it's much more about dehydration, malnutrition and alcohol intoxication than abstinence from alcohol itself.
3 - “Fighting back” a hangover with small doses of “weaker” alcoholic drinks is to postpone a small part of the problem (withdrawal), but while you suffer for everything else, and further damage something that is already badly damaged (in this case, your body). Never make this mistake.
4 - Waiting until you're hungry to eat when you're hungover is absurd! If part of the hangover is malnutrition, the less and worse you eat, the longer you'll stay hungover. Eat, yes, but small quantities of light food, at short intervals, as your body recovers.
5 - Black coffee can help combat hangovers (except in people who are hypersensitive to caffeine or who are experiencing significant gastrointestinal symptoms), but only if it is combined with a good diet and adequate fluid intake.
6 - If you drink moderately and eat properly, great: less or no hangover. But if you abuse both alcohol and food, your hangover will probably be accompanied by a good number of gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting, gas, diarrhea...).
7 - Don't think that because you've eaten before drinking, most of the alcohol you've had won't be absorbed. Most of it will, just more slowly. So be careful if you stop drinking only when you can't stand it any longer. As I said earlier, even more alcohol is in your intestines and will be absorbed, which will probably push you over the edge.
8 - Drink plenty of water, yes, when you're hungover, but never all at once or in large quantities at a time. Remember that your gastrointestinal tract is “irritated” by alcohol and may not react very well to one-off overloads (of any kind).
9 - Light food helps after drinking, but a slightly heavier diet helps a lot more before.
10 - Glucose “in the vein” may help in more extreme cases, but oral glucose overdoses in those who have already crossed the line (in relation to excessive alcohol intake) can facilitate nausea and vomiting (not to mention that intestinal absorption may already be very impaired).
Finally, remember: few of us drink just to “enjoy the drink”; and if most of us drink to feel better (in some way), wouldn't it be wiser to “take a break” when you've reached the stage you want? After all, if you carry on drinking once you're as good as you want to be, you're sure to go off the deep end and experience the undesirable (but so frequent) side of alcohol. Is it worth it?
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