Well the idea is the electrolytes should help you retain more water…which should help…and it is relatively neutral vs. the acid you’ll get from something like gatorade.
It could just be water is enough for you…or maybe you needed more water + pedialyte…
But if you’re going with the science that you need to hydrate…then something designed to help you stay hydrated should help.
I love this topic!
So, in the party on spirit, let’s go!
HYDRATION!!! Fluid before, during, immediately after, a little while after, and way after. Start hydrated, hydrate during (I like the one glass water for each glass booze rule,) hydrate when you are getting ready for bed, set you alarm for 3-4 hours later and have your favorite hydration at the bedside for a quick topper, and hydrate upon wakening. (For sleeping, we average an REM cycle per every 90 minutes. If you were way into it, set your alarm for 3, 3.5, and 6 hours after and hydrate like a pro. Gentlemen, we will leave our prostate issues aside for sake of discussion.)
Be mindful of fluid loss. Many people switch from nose-breathing to mouth breathing while asleep after drinking (especially after drinking products of natural fermentation.) This speeds fluid loss like a mutha. Learn the Afrin trick. Warning, it can create Afrin dependence if done too frequently, but if you only do this once or twice a week, you are a winner. Use Afrin when you start the drinking session and again at bedtime. It will encourage nose breathing (your nose i your preferred organ of respiration, doncha know) and make the night and next day much better. Your bed-partner will thank you for his/her/their more restful night, as well, since you will snore less. Remember, no more than twice in a week. (If you are way into it, adding Breathe Rite strips can be a bonus, too!)
“Liver damage” does not cause hangovers, so leave your liver out of this unless it’s a daily habit.
That being said, N-acetyl-cycteine is a good anti-oxidant (and it does raise glutathione levels) and it and L-cysteine may help more quickly diminish acetalhdehyde levels, which do manifest as acute unhappiness after drinking. These supplements are harmless.
Co-Q-10 is also a nice anti-oxidant.
Many people get headaches because they pass out " kalsarikänni" (pants drunk) and don’t sleep with their usual posture and don’t move as much when they sleep when they are shit-faced. This can make for terrible headaches/neck aches. Establish an orthopedically advantageous sleeping situation…as you start to pass out, try to spend your last bit of energy getting into the most comfortable position possible. Maybe buy an orthopedic pillow for pants drunk nights.
As Dirty Harry said, “A man’s gotta know his limitations.” You know when you say, “Wow, that last bottle of Montrachet with the Krug shots that we drank like boilermakers was what did me in?” Well, it wasn’t that. It was the bottle before that or the bottle before that. Pay effing attention. (Gentlemen, as I told my kids: DON’T BE THAT GUY." A little situational awareness is a great asset.)
Buy a BAC meter at Costco (not the kind that talks to your effing iPhone, we don’t want records of this for future legal people to use.) Learn you outer limit for comfort and be disciplined. I use 0.06 as my limit. (I barf at 0.07, so that could be my gauge, but why go there?)
If taking a few Motrin at night night helps, fine. Again, all this ‘GI Bleeding!’ hair pulling is more associated with chronic use, not a one time shot for hangover prevention. (I agree with Tylenol caution because sometimes people get pants drunk and forget what they did and double or triple dose, so stick to the Motrin family.
If you have a BAC meter, plan a decline of 0.01 per hour once you can get away from Charlie Fu, Robert A, and their friends. If you hit the sack at 0.10, plan on ten hours sleep to wake up generally sober when it’s over. (YMMV, of course. When I over-do it, I tend to suddenly wake up when my level clears. I wake up and go, “Hey hey! Sober!” It’s pretty great. Then, I look around to see where I am and who I am with, wave at the nice jail guard, hydrate, and go back to sleep until either my lawyer or my wife find me.)
As Dirty Harry said, “A man’s gotta know his limitations.” There is NO GENERALIZATION to make about thyroid this or effing adrenal that. Everybody’s unique health status can affect their boozing, so learn yours! Everybody has a favorite organ they like to talk about, it probably doesn’t apply to you. Know thyself…then feel free to push it.
Know your other medications, if you are on any. Enough said.
I know it takes up valuable space for wine, but have some food.
If you need to purge, don’t sit around for an hour thinking it over, barf and move on. You’ll tank yourself later. (Hell, after reading Charlie’s tasting notes, his barf is probably with 400 dollars a bottle.) If you do barf, brush your teeth! Acid is bad for your enamel. After your barf, gently hydrate and consider some Mylanta/Bicarb/Maalox to coat and sooth that vengeful tummy.
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Final note: I grew up Catholic and remember Father Tony chatting at the church one time. He said, "If the hours of misery and pain preceded the euphoria, drunkenness would be the eighth sacrament. That was awesome.
If there was anything that really, reliably worked, there wouldn’t be long threads and entire books on the topic.
Lost someone a couple weeks ago and someone else a couple years ago.
To alcohol abuse? I’m sorry for your loss.
Good advice from Anton.
I always drink a minimum of a glass of water for each glass of wine.
An average male can metabolize a glass of wine per hour, up to a limit.
My limit is 4 to 5 glasses a night, depending on when I start. With 4 (one bottle) I usually feel good in the morning and sometimes with 5 I’m sorry I had that last glass.
Do not take Tylenol with alcohol or for your hangover because of its liver toxicity.
If you use ibuprofen or naproxen regularly, take ranitidine (Zantac, acid reducer) 150mg a day to protect your stomach.
I’m not convinced vitamins or anti-oxidants do much to help.
A relatively new, but expensive product called Wine Wands is available to remove the sulfites, histamines and other impurities in wine that may contribute to a headache and hangover.