10. Drink Lots of Water
You might not be facing a hangover if you'd paid more attention to your best friend, water, the night before and alternated a glass of H20 in between every alcoholic beverage. But you didn't and now you're in massive, stomach-writhing, head-pounding pain. Alcohol dehydrates your body of fluids, so the more water you drink, the more fluids you replace and the better you will feel. While nursing a bottle of water the next morning will certainly help your hangover, this method is best used preventatively. Down a tall glass of water (or several) before falling asleep and wake up feeling at least a bit better.9. Hair of the Dog
Apparently, when reckoning with a dog bite, Scotch-Irish folklore once prescribed rubbing strands of hair from said malevolent beast into the open wound. Doctors may want to point out that this is hardly the way to stave off rabies, but one can't argue with the pleasing, pseudo-symmetry of the procedure. It's a tactic mimicked by many a drinker — had too many brew dogs the night before? Well, wake up and pop another can in the cozy. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, a wise man once said. And while you may not stomach another round of tequila shots or a crate of champagne on Jan. 1 morning, chances are a Bloody Mary won't sound bad. It won't sound bad at all.
8. Gatorade
We definitely don't feel like competing in sports events when we're hung over, but many of us will consume sports drinks in our alcohol-induced states of dehydration. Desperate for electrolytes (though you may not be consciously aware of it at the time) you might turn to the neon-colored Gatorade, whether you like the flavors or not. But another supposedly-super beverage may prove more effective for some: behold, coconut water.
7. Greasy Food
That craving for greasy, salty food always seems like a brilliant idea late at night when slumping back from the bar or in the morning, when morosely staring into the bathroom mirror. Research may not support the utility of piling on carbs and fats on top of all that liquor, but one's gut certainly does. The question begs, then, what to eat? I love a greasy Burger and fries with Sprite!
6.Go For A Run
It seems the conventional "sweat it out" wisdom may not be accurate. It only takes an hour for your body to metabolize an alcoholic beverage, so most of it is long gone before you hit the gym the next day. But exercise can still be helpful. A good, healthy release of endorphins, combined with fresh air, could boost your mood and help your body rid itself of the toxins you shot into it the night before.
5. Take Headache Pills
If you're strictly a headache hangover kind of person, then good for you! But chances are that your hangover includes not only head pain, but also nausea, fatigue, dehydration and maybe even some dizziness. In that case, drugs like acetaminophen and aspirin will not get you very far. Acetaminophen has been known to cause liver damage, which you may already have enough of if you're trying to cure a hangover. And aspirin? Well it could potentially increase the chance of bleeding in your stomach and gastrointestinal tract. So unless you've got just a killer headache, you're probably better off drinking lots of water and getting some rest.
4. Take Your Vitamins
Because alcohol is a diuretic, you lose a lot of vitamins and nutrients during a night on the town. The most important of which are vitamins B and C. Those people that use a vitamin B complex — a pill that includes B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), folic acid, B6 and B12, among others — to combat hangovers swear by their effectiveness. The most heralded is B12 (also called cobalamin), which performs a key role in the functioning of the brain and nervous system. Another option is to take an effervescent vitamin supplement that packs a hangover-fighting punch. Emergen-C is popular in the U.S. and Berocca is a hit internationally. While there isn't much science proving the effectiveness of this method, the extra vitamins shouldn't do you any harm. Fans of this method suggest taking one vitamin complex before drinking and one the next morning with some food.
3. Coffee
Day after day, habit alone leads countless souls to reach for a cup of joe when their bodies are ill-prepared to face the world, hangover or no. Alas, it's not an all-powerful lifesaver. It'll wake you up — at least temporarily — and may even soothe that insufferable headache (if it doesn't give you one). But there's some disagreement over the appropriateness of downing caffeine — an eye-opening stimulant and a diuretic — when you're trying to recover from too much alcohol. Some say coffee could further dehydrate you, while others argue that's an overblown concern. Of course, it's not actually a good idea to mix alcohol and caffeine.
2. Self-Pity
Your head hurts, your stomach is sour, and you feel like a jerk for having had too much to drink last night. You may have said something really stupid to that girl/guy from wherever. You may have danced on the table wearing a Nixon mask. You probably shouldn't have kissed that person the way you did. You woke up in the doghouse. No, literally — you woke up in your neighbor's doghouse. Might as well just own it. You did stupid things, you feel like crap, life isn't fair. Wah-wah! Well, look at that — hangover's disappearing already.
