If you’re going to drink alcohol, these five tips may help you avoid overdoing it —
Drink more … water
For every alcoholic drink you have, your body can expel up to four times as much liquid. The diuretic effect of alcohol and the dehydration it causes contribute to the discomfort of a hangover. Pace yourself and don’t overindulge.
Staying hydrated can reduce the negative effects of alcohol. Alcohol dehydrates you, so when you wake up with a headache and a generally sick feeling, dehydration is usually the cause. Replacing lost fluids with water combats dehydration and keeps you from drinking more alcohol in the meantime.
On the rocks
Ordering drinks that are on the rocks brings the benefit of the drink being diluted as the ice melts. Taking your time with a drink also pays off. Your body absorbs alcohol quicker than you metabolise it. The faster you drink, the more time the toxins in the alcohol spend in your body affecting your brain and other tissues.
No to the bubbles
Researchers at the University of Manchester found the fizzy mixers increase the rate of alcohol absorption in the blood. The theory is that the gas in the bubbles is what speeds up the process. Instead, mix your spirits with fruit juice or water.
Pay now or pay later
Researchers have found a link between drinking alcoholic beverages and congeners, the chemicals that contribute to taste, smell and colour of alcohol.
In that study, people drank either bourbon or vodka with the same alcohol content. The next day, both groups reported hangovers, but the bourbon drinkers reported feeling much worse than the vodka group. The researchers attribute the difference to congeners — bourbon has 37 times as many congeners as vodka.
In general, clear or light spirits contain fewer congeners then darker drinks, but that’s not a hard and fast rule. This next tip may hurt your purse, but try expensive alcohol tends to contain higher levels of congeners than pricier versions, experts say.
Keep mouth busy
Having a conversation is an easy way to pace your drinking. If you’re chatting, you’re not guzzling, so you’re slowing down the rate the alcohol hits your blood.
One of the best ways to occupy your mouth and reduce the odds you’ll have a hangover is to eat something. Eating slows down the absorption of alcohol so you have more time to metabolise what you’re drinking. — Agencies
