New Year’s Hangover Remedies

New Year’s Eve is the last night to reflect on the events of the past year, make resolutions to pursue in the next, and most importantly, stay out late a drink a lot.

Yes, it’s true that other nights of the year can get rowdier and crazier, but New Year’s holds a special place in our hearts and minds. Why? It’s an extra excuse to host a wild night, or stay out until the sun comes up.

Photo from Flickr.com, uploaded by e_calamar

New Year’s is a special night. But it doesn’t always feel so great the morning after you’ve been popping bottles of your best champagne into the wee hours of the morning.  No one likes a hangover, especially on New Year’s Day. Plus, we’re supposed to be making resolutions to better ourselves in the New Year: January 1^st is the worst time to have a hangover.

Still, that’s not going to stop you from drinking. So what can you do? How you can make this New Year’s Day hangover-free? Follow this list of hangover cures, and you’ll be much happier, come January 1^st.

Prevention: The best way to cure a hangover is to prevent it in the first place. How do you do it? Drink lots of water. For every drink you have, drink a big glass of water. You’ll notice a huge difference in the morning. If things still get out of hand, make sure you drink plenty of water in the morning. A couple glasses (and a couple aspirin) might just get rid of that pounding headache.

The Hangover Smoothie: Here’s a great hangover remedy from Jonathon Stewart of About.com. His recipe combines all the best hangover-fighting components: vitamins, fruit, water, and of course a side of Ibuprofen. Stewart says to combine the ingredients in a blender and drink away. Pour yourself 100 ml of water to drink with 1000 miligrams of Vitamin C, a b-complex vitamin and a solid dose of Ibuprofein. You’ll be back to tackling those New Year’s resolutions in no time.

• one over-ripe banana
• 5-6 frozen strawberries
• 1/4 cup wild blueberries
• 1/4 cup frozen or fresh pineapple
• about 1 1/2 cups cold vanilla soy milk
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• a dash of salt
• a dash of cayenne

Sleep: Sleep is your best friend when it comes to hangovers. An extreme lack of sleep can feel like a hangover, even without alcohol. So when your head is pounding, you can barely open your eyes, and standing up sends your brain into spinning fits, go back to sleep. A sleepless night can make a hangover even worse.

Food: For most people, the best hangover cure is food. A hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast will help you get back on your feet to start the New Year hangover-free. Bread can help soak up the alcohol and stabilize your blood sugar. Protein in the eggs and bacon will help keep your energy up throughout the day. Add a cup of coffee into the mix for the caffeine wake-up call. As always, keep refilling that water glass.

Hair of the Dog: Most restaurants that serve alcohol and are open for breakfast or bunch have bloody marys on the menu: it’s the hung-over customer drink of choice. It’s personal preference whether or not a little bit of the hair of the dog that bit you (i.e. more alcohol) will help with your hangover. But if your stomach is feeling up to it, try a glass and see what it does for that headache. Otherwise, if food and water alone still isn’t doing it for you, check the menu for other options. A lot of restaurants offer smoothie-like concoctions or egg-based drinks for hangover cures (see Prairie Oysters or Ramos Gin Fizz).

In sum, remember: everything in moderation. And if things still get a little out of hand, there’s always a hangover cure.