|
home | site
map | contact | advertise | login |
| |
 |
|
|
 |
|
ANATOMY OF A HANGOVER |
What the heck is a
hangover anyway?
A hangover, is caused when you drink
beer, wine, or liquor faster than your
liver can remove the alcohol it contains
out of your blood. All that excess
alcohol that is left in your blood
stream hangs around to wreak havoc
throughout your body.
It takes an average person about one
hour to destroy the alcohol that is left
in your body after just one drink. If
you drink more than 1 drink an hour,
you'll start building up excess alcohol
in your blood stream. All this excess
alcohol has time to travel around your
entire body and cause major damage to
every cell it visits.
The alcohol destroys your body's
electrolytes, dehydrates you of precious
bodily fluids, and strips you of all
those precious vitamins and minerals
that you got from eating your Wheaties
for breakfast. Most importantly, alcohol
does a nasty little number on that blob
of cells under your skull called your
BRAIN. Your brain cells take a really
good beating from the alcohol in your
bloodstream. They start collapsing one
at a time until all but a few important
ones (like the ones that keep your heart
beating and your lungs breathing) remain
active.
Alcohol also seems to have a profound
effect on other bodily functions such as
urinating, and it also increases your
urge for food, more drinks, and sex. In
other words, not only does alcohol trash
your body, it also makes you piss like a
race horse, eat like Oprah, drink like a
Kennedy, and stay up all night looking
for a piece of ass.
REMEDIES |
|
 |
BEFORE DRINKING |
An ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Moderation is the key to preventing a
hangover. Although it is less fun, it is
also less painful in the long run. If
moderation isn't in your future, medical
practice suggests that you find ways to
coat your stomach. In general, eating
before drinking will slow down the
absorption of alcohol into your
bloodstream. Eating a meal that is high
in fatty acids and oils is preferable.
The fats create a nice lining in your
stomach which make a tough barrier for
the alcohol to penetrate (pizza,
anyone?) Another trick is a shot of pink
bismuth (Pepto-Bismol®)
about an hour before drinking. This
stuff tastes like liquid chalk but it
does a heck of a job coating your
stomach without all those extra
calories.
|
|
|
DURING DRINKING |
What you drink can
determine how bad your hangover will be
the next day. Alcohol by-products called
cogeners seem to increase the severity
of a hangover. Gin and Vodka have few
cogeners and are least likely to produce
a hangover. Brandy, champagne and
whiskey have high quantities and are
more likely to produce a hangover. Red
wine can also bring on a hangover
because it contains a substance called
tyramine which can also cause severe
headaches. A general rule of thumb is
that lighter, bitter alcohol is "good"
and darker, sweeter alcohol is "bad".
Also keep in mind that cheap liquors
might cause bigger hangovers due to
impurities and poor manufacturing. I
would definitely stay away from
Chernobyl brand Vodka or Chihuahua
Tequila. Also, avoid mixing alcohol with
carbonated drinks. The bubbles speed the
alcohol to your bloodstream accelerating
absorption. If you sip carbonated drinks
through a straw the absorption rate is
even faster.
|
|
|
BEFORE BED |
This is probably one
of the best times to take action against
a hangover. The problem is that most
people are too wasted to do anything at
this point but shove a slice of pizza in
their mouth and pass out. If you have
the ability, take plenty of vitamins and
minerals and drink generous amounts of
water before passing out. DO NOT take
Tylenol or any other products containing
ACETAMINOPHEN when you've been drinking
since this combination has been linked
to causing liver damage. Aspirin is
another bad idea since it is a blood
thinner. To be on the safe side, avoid
any type of pain relievers when you've
been drinking. Save the pain killer for
when you'll really need them...the day
after. Also, try and stay up as long as
possible. Sleeping lowers your
body's metabolism significantly. The
longer you stay up, the faster your body
burns the alcohol. Don't drink coffee or
take No Doze®
to stay awake. Caffeine accelerates
alcohol absorption and also speeds up
dehydration.
|
|
|
AFTER WAKING |
|
If you have taken the
necessary precautions, you have done
about as much as you can to lessen your
hangover. A hangover reaches its peak
intensity about 15 hours after you start
drinking. This is due in part to the
nasty byproducts which your body
metabolized from the alcohol that has
accumulated in your system.
Realistically, you should lie motionless
in a dark room, sip water, take some
pain killers, and rest. CASADRINKA
usually downs a couple of beers, throws
on his sunglasses, gets a big breakfast,
and gets psyched to do it all over
again, but this behavior isn't really
conducive for a long and healthy life.
Oh well. |
|
Recommended Reading Material:
Drink As Much As You Want and Live
Longer:
The intelligent Person's Guide to
Healthy Drinking - By
Fred Beyerlein, R.D.
CASADRINKA Medicine Chest Stock List:
Help your body
fight back! |
|
Multivitamin |
This one is as obvious as your
drinking problem. One a day. |
|
Vitamin C |
500mg 3 times daily. Taking
1500mg at once don't count. |
|
B-Complex Vitamin |
50mg 3 times daily. Split the
doses throughout the day. |
|
Glutathione |
This shit is great. Helps the
body kick alcohol's ass. |
|
Lecithin |
Use with Milk Thistle and
Dandelion to scrub your liver
clean. |
|
Milk Thistle |
Great tongue twister. Say it
quickly over and over again. |
|
Dandelion |
Use the supplement, not the weed
growing in your garden. |
|
Alpha-Lipoic Acid |
Not real acid stupid. This
antioxidant helps dissolve toxic
substances in your liver. |
|
|
|
Copyright
1999-2004 CASADRINKA.COM - Web designed and maintained
by the Cerberus Network
Designed for viewing by people of legal
drinking age. Read the disclaimer, dude. |
|
|
