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Hangover Cure

There is no point in me telling you to take it easy and not drink too much over the silly season, for just as you are getting over the Xmas bloat, your liver is reeling back in horror for the New Year's Eve onslaught. So here are a few points to limit the damage and make sure you will start the year with a smile on your face rather than feeling that you have rocks in a woodenhead.

Eat

I know that sound simplistic but if you eat before you drink, this cushions your digestive system against too much alcohol getting in too fast. That means you can drink a bit more before you get ill. (I should not tell you that, you'll take advantage of it, won't you?)

Drink Water Between Alcoholic Drinks

Water actually breaks down alcohol, so if you make sure you have a glass of mineral water between drinks, this will help break it down and give your liver a bit of a rest as well. 

Cheat

Have some long, sexy looking drink, with a parasol in it or something, that actually is just lemon, lime and bitters. Or have your own brew, which you ostentatiously sip. I remember one particular party, I was having tonic water in which I was putting drops of Dandelion tincture from a little bottle I was carrying. Every body, but everybody , wanted to know what it was and could they have some. I made them beg a bit (take advantage of any situation, that's what I always say) then I gave them some. Because the tincture in question was made on Brandy, it tasted quite good and so many people that night got converted to Dandelion tincture and tonic (D.T.&T, how's that for a new drink)

BE CHOOSEY

The problem with a lot of drinks is not so much the alcohol but the preservatives they put in them. Many people are absolutely intolerant to these preservatives and this is in fact what makes them sick, not the alcohol. You should not wake up the next day feeling like you have been thoroughly poisoned if you have had a couple of glasses of wine. The human race has evolved with the brewing of natural fruit, leaf and roots and the body should be able to break down some alcohol, without breaking itself down.

So, you will actually be much better of drinking preservative free drinks than low alcohol ones (unless you have a liver disease in which case you should have none at all). For instance:

Beer : Did you know that many beers are completely chemically ‘brewed'? And they have chemical compounds added them to make you more thirsty? If you drink the ‘boutique' beers, such as Cascade or Hahn (and yes, I am still NOT being paid for this plug), then you are free of the dreaded preservatives and they won't make you sick. Coopers also make a low alcohol brew that is not bad. Check the bottles for preservative contents.

Wine : The same thing applies to wines. Australian wine makers may be proud of their wines but they are chockers with preservatives nonetheless. Even makers of organic wines stick preservatives in them! There are a couple of wineries that don't. One of them is Bottobollard, they make a very respectable red and white. Hardy's also has a Cav Sav and a Chardonnay that are preservative free. Don't think that your expensive imported wine is preservative free; those that have been bottled especially for Australian consumption have had 220 (Sulfur Dioxide) put in them. Some vignerons put less preservatives than others. Unfortunately, you never know until the next day, make a note of the brands that make you sick and never buy them again. The more we demand preservatives free wines the more they will have to make them!

Liqueurs and Funny Coloured Things : Ooooh! I shudder to think of it. These are full of chemicals, the more fancy, the more chemicals. Stay away from them and stay away from cocktails or your liver will punish you big time the next day. And the day after. The classic liqueurs such as Bailey's or Cointreau are chemical free but they are hard on the liver, which is why you should only have small amounts of them.

Spirits: Believe it or but spirits are actually the cleanest things to drink. Well, they are mostly alcohol, and alcohol is a preservative so they don't need extra rubbish in them. So go with the scotch, gin, brandy, vodka, sake and cognac. But of course, don't overdo it, just because your naturopath told you it was ok. And before you get TOO excited, know this: a lot of the cheaper brands of spirits are actually just plain alcohol in which colourings and artificial flavourings have been added to give it the taste and look of the real thing. These will make you sick.

DON'T BE STINGY

When it comes to alcoholic drinks, it really is worth buying the better stuff. The advantages are enormous.

First of all they really taste better.

They don't make you sick.

You need less to feel good.

You become a two-pot screamer (like your favourite naturopath)

Therefore they cost less in the end.

DAMAGE CONTROL

Just in case you pay no attention to the above advice (you wouldn't, would you?) here are a couple of tricks to control the damage. I am not doing this for you, I am doing it for your liver; you know how much I care about people's livers!

If you are really going to go on a bender, it's a good idea to take a couple of tablespoons of olive oil before you leave home. This coats the stomach and stimulates the gall bladder, but mostly it's an old family secret. All right, it does not taste very good, but it tastes better than vomit and will work better than eating greasy food the day after.

Get some St Mary's Thistle in tablet form. There is no point in getting the fluidextract because you won't be able to take it. You will get the tablets from your health food shop or naturopath. They will be called something like: Silybum or Silimarin (there are several brands on the market). Pop two tablets down with water between drinks. You can have as many as ten tablets a night; they are very safe and will protect your liver.

If you wake up the next day with a “Oh my god, the room is spinning around and I just want to DIE! Shoot me NOW!' (Just like I did after my 50 th birthday party), then get some acupuncture. Acupuncture would be just the best thing for a hangover. It's like somebody gets the bits of your body, brain and soul that have been scattered to the four winds and gently puts them together again. You still feel a little delicate, but you're all there and you can function! Give my phone number!

If you still overdo it and you get sick after all these tips: you deserve it! Meanwhile, Happy New Year from this two-pots screamer!

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