Tips for Preventing a Holiday Hangover

Prevention is always the best medicine. Rather than trying to cure a hangover, it’s better to avoid one if possible. It’s like closing the barn door after the horse has run off. A little preparation before the big event can help you to avoid the headache, nausea, and upset stomach that normally accompanies a hangover.

The holidays are here and that means lots of celebrating with food and alcoholic beverages. From Thanksgiving, to New Year’s, you’ll have plenty of non-stop merriment and lots of champagne and fruity cocktails. If you plan to drink at holiday parties this year, it’s a good idea to plan ahead and try to prevent those holiday hangovers as much as possible.

The main thing is to be prepared ahead of time, and when you do indulge, do it in moderation. It’s not uncommon to get multiple party invitations for the same night. If you’ll be going from one party to the next, pace yourself and only have one drink at each party to avoid being totally drunk before the end of the night and call a taxi, so no one has to drive home.

Before Leaving for the Party:

Eat Something Substantial

Many people respond to alcohol differently. Some will be intoxicated after 3 drinks and for others it may take more to get them to the same level. But drinking alcohol on an empty stomach makes it absorb faster into the bloodstream where it takes effect quicker. The only way to avoid a hangover 100% is not to drink at all, but no one wants to be that person at a party. Eating a full meal slows down the metabolism of alcohol in the stomach. Having something in your stomach also helps avoid upset stomach and nausea later.

Stay Hydrated

Alcohol dehydrates you, so you’ll need to double your fluid intake to combat this. To make sure you’re getting enough liquid, drink one glass of water for each drink you have. This is also a good way to pace yourself and keep track of how much you’ve actually had for the evening. It’s easy to drink more than you thought and have it all catch up with you at once. Dehydration is often the cause of the headache you get the next morning after a night of drinking, so make sure you get plenty of fluids in your system.


Take an Herbal Supplement

Have you heard about ILUNA?

Since you are already preparing in advance, taking a natural supplement made from herbs can help you prevent a hangover when taken before drinking. ILUNA is a natural herbal formula backed by science and contains no chemical additives. It comes with 10 easy-to-use packets you can carry with you whenever you plan to have a drink or two. It is an all natural formula that won’t leave you feeling foggy or tired in the morning.

At the Party:

Choose Your Alcohols

Choose alcohol that is clear like vodka or gin and drink it over ice. Dark-colored alcohols like whisky, brandy, and red wine have compounds known as congeners (naturally occurring chemical compounds from making alcohol)) that tend to cause hangovers more often. Additionally, the ice helps dilute the alcohol a bit so that it takes longer to metabolize. Another consideration is to avoid mixers that are mostly sugar like juice and soda and sip your drink to make it last longer. The reason is that sugar digests pretty quickly and it tastes good, so you’ll drink it faster than something less sweet.

Socialize

If you’re busy greeting everyone, you won’t drink as much. Catch up with an old friend, get something to eat, or take a spin around the dance floor. Do anything that keeps you busy and in motion. The idea is that if you're moving around you won’t have time to overindulge in alcohol. At parties where things can get awkward, people drink too much and keep refilling their glass because they don’t know what else to do. If you are at a gathering where you don’t know many people you can opt to just have a glass of juice or soda over ice and leave as soon as you feel like you stayed long enough to please the host.

After the Party

Stay Awake

When you get home after a long night of parties and celebrating, try not to go straight to bed. It’s tempting to just crawl straight into bed the minute you get home, but the longer you stay awake, the more alcohol will metabolize so you don’t wake up with your head pounding like a bass drum.

Grab Some Food

A great after-party tradition is to grab some take-out food from a local restaurant so you don’t go to bed on an empty stomach. If there are no restaurants open near you, you can also just make a sandwich and a cup of soup, or reheat some leftovers from the fridge. Having something in your stomach will help you sleep better and wake up feeling good.

Drink a Large Glass of Water

Remember that alcohol dehydrates you, so before turning in for the night, drink a large glass of water. An old-fashioned doctor’s remedy was to take two aspirin and a big glass of water before going to sleep after a night of partying. Getting some well needed sleep, and the extra fluids should help you wake up feeling refreshed and not hungover.

Holiday parties are something that everyone looks forward to at the end of the year. You don’t have to turn down invitations just because you don’t want to feel sick the next morning, just take a few precautions and plan ahead to stop a hangover before it starts. Not everyone will serve alcohol at their party so you can pace yourself and drink slowly to make it through the evening.