Dangers of Drinking in the Morning

Dangers of Drinking in the Morning

There are two main dangers of drinking in the morning: first, although it prevents heavy drinkers from going into alcohol withdrawals, this is an indication of something more problematic than a hangover; second, drinking in the morning can affect your family and social life and your physical health. So, if you find yourself needing an eye-opener most if not every day, it’s time to reevaluate things.

Drinking in the Morning and Hair of the Dog

The term ‘hair of the dog’ is a shortened version of the phrase: “A hair of the dog that bit you is all that you need” to cure a hangover. This sentiment has been repeated many a time by those giving advice to their remorseful friends wishing to avoid the nasty consequences of heavy drinking the night before: the dreaded hangover. Drinking in the morning, or having an “eye-opener,” is thought to “cure” a hangover however, all it does it delay the inevitable symptoms: pounding headache, light and sound sensitivity, nausea, upset stomach, and so on.

In actuality, the true purpose drinking in the morning is to get you back to where you were five hours ago. Read: intoxicated. After getting about five hours’ sleep, hair of the dog is the virtual time machine that brings you back to last night’s state of drunkenness. And this is an indication of the many dangers of drinking in the morning that are to come.

The Dangers of Drinking in the Morning

One of the dangers of drinking in the morning is that it too easily can become a habit – an indication of a greater problem. If you are going to be driving, then even a small amount of alcohol in the morning can put you over the legal limit when you consider that your blood alcohol content from the night before is still a factor.

Social Dangers of Drinking in the Morning

There are many dangers of drinking in the morning including:

If you feel like you have to drink first thing in the morning in order to face the day, this is most likely an indication psychological dependence on alcohol.

Other dangers of drinking in the morning are that it can easily lead to drinking all day and can make you less productive, which can affect your job.

Drinking in the morning can make you more likely to be involved in accidents – car, work, etc.

Drinking in the morning will usually cause you to blow off your responsibilities.

Health Dangers of Drinking in the Morning

If you are drinking in the morning in order to avoid alcohol withdrawal symptoms, then you are already physically dependent and have possibly crossed over into alcoholism.

If you’re drinking in the morning, you are most likely drinking alone, meaning that you are not drinking alcohol to be sociable but to feel the effects of the alcohol – another indication of burgeoning alcoholism.

Other health dangers of drinking in the morning develop because of drinking alcohol on an empty stomach. This is extremely damaging to your health because it puts you at a greater likelihood of developing alcoholic liver disease and alcoholic dementia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

http://www.silkworth.net/

http://alcoholism.about.com/

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Will urinalyzers cut down on DUI’s?

Will urinalyzers cut down on DUI’s?

We all know how and why breathalyzers work. You blow into a tube and it can accurately detect your blood alcohol content (BAC). If you have ever seen a breathalyzer hopefully it was because you owned one that you used to keep an eye on your own BAC and it wasn’t because you are drunk driving. If it was because you were drunk driving, at least you and the rest of the people on the road are safe. Drunk driving is dangerous and causes thousands of accidents a year. Many people needlessly die due to drunk driving and law enforcement as well as groups such as MADD; have been trying to combat it for years now. Finally there may be an answer to the drunk driving epidemic: urinalyzers.  

Few people actually have the extra cash to spend on a portable breathalyzer and even fewer people who have a portable breathalyzer with them, actually use it. The drunker people get the less responsible, shall we say, they get. This is where the urine-analyzer rightly dubbed the “urinalyzer”) comes in. A urinalyzers is a new device which measures your BAC when you go to the bathroom after a few drinks, a lot of drinks, or you can’t even walk to the bathroom in a straight line amount of drinks. These urinalyzers are the newest thing in nightclub technology created by a marketing agency DDB and Zouk, a popular night club in Singapore.

The urinalyzer is a creative and clever device that is meant to stop drunks before they ever become drivers. Therefore the urinalyzer is meant to stop drunk drivers. So how does a urinalyzer work?

  • First off, when you enter the nightclub you hand over your car keys in exchange for a special RFID card from the valet.
  • Second, you have a few drinks.
  • Third, you go to relieve yourself and the card will pair with the urine analyzer which then provides instant feedback on a screen above your urinal. 

If you have gone above the limit and don’t listen to the warning that you just got from your urinal, the RFID card will warn the valet pretty much not to let you drive. The valet will then offer you many other ways to get home that don’t involve you getting behind the wheel of a car. They may offer to call you a cab or pitch to you their own drive-home service.

The urinalyzer is a new proactive technology so it has plenty of room to develop and fix any minor inconveniences or problems; the biggest one right now being the fact that women don’t use urinals. It won’t be surprising if eventually the urinalyzer finds its way into the women’s restroom too. But in the meantime the urinalyzer has stopped 573 people over the legal limit; in only two weeks. The sad news about that is only 342 took the valet up on the cab or drive-home service but those numbers could improve and include every person over the limit with police involvement.

Either way it seems more than hopeful that yes, urinalyzers will cut down on DUI’s.

http://www.thefix.com/content/urinalyzers-tag-drunk-clubgoers91941

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

What’s the difference between a hangover and alcohol withdrawal?

What's the Difference Between a Hangover and Alcohol Withdrawal

Nearly everyone who has tried alcohol has experienced headache, nausea, anxiety, fatigue, and dehydration after a long night of drinking; you know it better as a hangover. Not everyone has experienced alcohol withdrawal, even though they may have tried alcohol. And while some of the characteristics of the two are similar; there is a huge different between a hangover and alcohol withdrawal.

So what is the difference between a hangover and alcohol withdrawal? Well, in order to answer that question it is good to look at what both of them are.

What is a hangover?

A hangover is a collection of signs and symptoms linked to a recent bout of heavy drinking. The sufferer typically has a headache, feels sick, dizzy, sleepy, confused and thirsty. Hangovers can occur at any time of day, but are usually more common the morning after a night of heavy drinking. As well as physical symptoms, the person may also experience elevated levels of anxiety, regret, shame, embarrassment, as well as depression. The severity of a hangover is closely linked to how much alcohol was consumed, and whether the sufferer had enough sleep. A hangover is the consequence of consuming too much alcohol which causes urination and the chances of dehydration; an immune system response which can affect appetite, concentration and memory; stomach irritation which can cause nausea and stomach ache; a drop in blood sugar which can result in shakiness, moodiness, tiredness, weakness; dilation of blood vessels which can cause headaches; sleep quality which causes tiredness and fatigue.

What is alcohol withdrawal?

Alcohol withdrawal refers to a group of symptoms that may occur from suddenly stopping the use of alcohol after chronic or prolonged ingestion. Not everyone who stops drinking experiences withdrawal symptoms, but most people who have been drinking for a long period of time, or drinking frequently, or drink heavily when they do drink, will experience some form of alcohol withdrawal symptoms if they stop drinking suddenly. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can include:

  • Anxiety
  • Irritability
  • Rapid emotional changes
  • Depression
  • Fatigue
  • Bad dreams
  • Headache – general, pulsating
  • Sweating, especially the palms of the hands or the face
  • Nausea and Vomiting
  • Loss of appetite
  • Insomnia, sleeping difficulty Paleness
  • Rapid heart rate (palpitations)
  • Eyes, pupils different size (enlarged, dilated pupils)
  • Skin, clammy
  • Abnormal movements
  • Tremor of the hands
  • Involuntary, abnormal movements of the eyelids

Alcohol withdrawal can also result in hallucinations, agitation, fever, convulsions, seizures, black outs, DTs, and in the worst case scenario death.

So what is the difference between a hangover and alcohol withdrawal?

The answer should be quite obvious now. The difference between a hangover and alcohol withdrawal is: A hangover is the result of consuming too much alcohol and alcohol withdrawal is the result of cutting back on alcohol or stopping all together. The two are totally different from one another. Alcohol withdrawal is the result of a physical dependence on the substance and then depriving the body of it and a hangover is merely the body’s reaction to taking in too much alcohol one night. Alcohol withdrawal can result in death. A hangover may make you feel like death, but you won’t die. Many people get hangovers because it is so easy to accidentally take in too much alcohol but many people do not suffer alcohol withdrawal because they have had to build a physical addiction to it and then try to stop drinking first in order to experience it.

 

Source:

http://www.addictscience.com/hangover-withdrawal/

 

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Is “Blowfish” the ultimate hangover cure?

Is blowfish the ultimate hangover pill?

Have a little too much to drink last night? You aren’t alone. “How to cure a hangover” is one of the most Googled phrases of 2012. Recently, some smart product developers have stepped in and created products to meet that demand. Since this past New Years, the market has been flooded with products that are said to either cure or prevent a hangover.

Is “Blowfish” the ultimate hangover cure? What is “Blowfish”?

Blowfish tablets combine aspirin, caffeine and an antacid into an Alka-Seltzer-like effervescent tablet. A two-tablet dose of Blowfish (which is what the makers recommend for a typical hangover) contains 1,000 milligrams of aspirin and 120 milligrams of caffeine, which are equivalent of two extra strength aspirin and three shots of espresso. Blowfish was developed to fight the most common symptoms of a hangover: headache, fatigue, and upset stomach. Many hangover cure seekers wish to get these cures delivered to the office or other places where discretion is important. Responding to this demand, Blowfish Tablets are packaged in plain manila envelopes.

Is “Blowfish” the ultimate hangover cure? How does it work?

Caffeine, aspirin, and antacids have longed been used to treat hangovers. Caffeine has been clinically shown to react against the chemical compounds of ethanol. Alcohol consumption causes a buildup of acetate, which is what produces a headache the next morning. Caffeine has been shown to reduce the amount of acetate in the system. Caffeine can also fight the fatigue that generally accompanies hangovers.

Aspirin is also a common hangover cure. Alcohol is thought to trigger an inflammatory response – a process blocked by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin. The inflammatory response is similar to the body’s defense against flu, and is linked to lethargy.

The chemicals produced by the body to break alcohol down are hard on the stomach. This often causes nausea or sour stomach the morning after. An antacid can help mitigate these effects.

Is “Blowfish” the ultimate hangover cure? Is it effective?

Certainly the combination of aspirin, caffeine and an antacid can help the symptoms of a hangover, but the only real cure for a hangover is time. It’s unclear whether Blowfish, which contains acetylsalicylic acid and citric acid — both of which could diminish some of its stomach-soothing effects — is better than the age-old hangover remedy: aspirin and a cup of coffee.

Unfortunately, science has yet to come up with an “ultimate hangover cure.” The best they can do is to provide some relief by treating the symptoms. There is some action you can take however, to prevent a hangover. These include drinking a lot of water (a full glass for every alcoholic drink). Also, eating a meal before a night of drinking has been shown effective. The food slows the absorption of alcohol into your bloodstream. Finally, you can prevent a hangover by simply not drinking as quickly-no more than one drink an hour. This gives your body the time it needs to fully process the alcohol and prevents the build-up of alcohol metabolites that are responsible for a hangover.

Sources:

http://www.emaxhealth.com/8782/blowfish-hangover-buyer-beware

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2011/12/06/blowfish-for-hangovers-cure-or-red-herring/

http://forhangovers.com/pages/believe

 

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Hangover Remedy: Meditation

Hangover Remedy: Meditation

Meditation has numerous health benefits. It has been conclusively shown to benefit practitioners in many different scientific studies. Neuroscientists have actually shown that the brain waves of meditators are different than those who do not practice meditation. This mental shift has been shown to reduce the negative effects of stress, anxiety and depression. People who meditate also have been shown to have lower blood pressure, less symptoms of chronic pain, and better overall health than those who do not meditate. In a study conducted on college students, meditation was shown to improve academic performance, concentration, reaction time, memory, empathy and self-esteem. In the over 1,000 scientific publications that have studied the effect of meditation to date, meditation has been shown to improve outcome in every health aspect studied.

It should come as no surprise that meditation also helps hangovers, if are able to do it. Here are some deep breathing techniques that can help you when you have a hangover:

Hangover Remedy: Meditation:  Belly Breathing

This is a type of breathing that is often employed in yoga classes. You expand your whole stomach and chest on the inhale and collapse it on the exhale. This breathing technique utilizes the lungs to their full capacity, oxygenates the body, and activates the relaxation response. The best way to know if you are doing it correctly is to lie on your back and rest your hand on your belly. When you inhale, expand your ribs, diaphragm, and belly, feeling your hand rise and fall with each breath. When you exhale, imagine flattening your belly against your spine. Inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth.

Hangover Remedy: Meditation: Nostril Breathing

This breathing technique is great for a hangover. It balances the mind and calms the nervous system. Begin by letting go of all the air in your lungs – exhale using both nostrils. Gently press your thumb against the right nostril – closing it completely, and then inhale slowly through left nostril. Hold your breath for a few seconds. With your right forefinger close your left nostril as you release your thumb from the right nostril. Exhale through the right nostril, while keeping the left one closed. Hold for a few seconds. Inhale through the right nostril, hold; release your forefinger as you close your right nostril with your thumb. Exhale through the left nostril, while you keep the right nostril closed. Hold for a few seconds. Inhale through the left nostril; continue this for about 8 cycles.

Hangover Remedy: Meditation: Natural Breathing

This type of breathing technique is natural and rhythmic. Picture a baby breathing while sleeping and you will get a good idea of the goal of this technique. It has been shown to decrease blood pressure and anxiety.  With this technique, you breathe with your diaphragm. The best way to practice natural breathing is to lay down with your hand on your chest. There should be no movement here, natural breathing should come through your diaphragm. Inhale and exhale through the nose, keeping breaths rhythmic and smooth.

 

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

3 Ways to Cure a Hangover

3 Ways to Cure a Hangover

Hangovers call for a cure. Hangovers are the unpleasant side effect of having too much of a good time the night before. Enter in headache, nausea, possible vomiting, fatigue and severe dehydration and you now need to find a way to feel better. You may or may not know the way to cure a hangover. Luckily for you there are plenty of hangover cures out there to take care of those morning after blues and they actually are fairly simple. Here are 3 ways to cure a hangover:

Ways to cure a hangover: Seltzer Morning Relief

Seltzer morning relief is a special form of Alka-Seltzer made for curing a hangover. Seltzer morning relief promotes itself as fast acting formula that gets rid of the most common symptoms associated with a hangover such as headache and fatigue. This would make sense because the two active ingredients in Seltzer Morning Relief are caffeine and aspirin. These two ingredients actually have been shown to make hangovers worse. But that is not what Seltzer Morning Relief says. Seltzer morning relief also promotes itself as being a maximum strength pain reliever that is gentle on your stomach and will give you a burst of energy to get you up and moving again.

Ways to cure a hangover: Water

Water makes up over half of what your body is made of. And when you drink too much you dehydrate it of essential vitamins, water, and nutrients it needs to keep you feeling well and healthy. Water as a hangover cure is your new best friend. The best way to use water to cure a hangover is to drink a few glasses while you are actually drinking. But don’t worry if you forgot to do that. The next morning when your hangover is hitting you hard just find a clean cup, fill it with some good old H2O and drink half the glass and relax. Drink as much water as you want just make sure to drink it slowly. Eventually with water as a hangover cure you will begin to feel better.

Ways to cure a hangover: Sleep

After water; sleep is your second best friend. Because your body has been working so hard to process all the alcohol from the night before and because you have dehydrated yourself of essential nutrients and vitamins to keep you energized you are going to feel fatigued. This is where sleep comes in. Sleeping off a hangover is literally one of the most fool proof and effective ways to deal with a hangover. If you have to work in the morning then maybe use the water and seltzer morning relief but if you have the chance to sleep than take it. Nothing is going to cure a hangover like letting your body rest from the chaos and havoc you put it through the night before. Sleep until you are ready to wake up and keep that handy glass of water nearby and you will be right as rain in just a few hours.

Whatever you are using to cure a hangover just makes sure to let your body rest. Sleep and water are really the only two realistic options for a hangover cure that don’t actually wreak more havoc on your body. So drink up, water we mean and get some sleep!

Sources:

http://hangoverschool.com/water-hangover-cure/

http://www.alka-seltzer.com/asmr/introducing.htm

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

5 Holistic Remedies for Your Hangover

5 Holistic Remedies for Your Hangover

A hangover is your body’s way of letting you know you may have had a little too much fun last night. Unfortunately once you reach the point of a hangover there is no going back no matter how much you wish you could. That extra beer or shot doesn’t seem worth it now but yet here you are. Hangovers feel awful, they are very similar to being sea sick; there is the fatigue, dehydration, pounding headache and in some cases severe nausea. Depending on how hung over you are there may even be some dizziness going on. This is all because your body has been depleted of essential vitamins and it has been wracked with alcohol. Luckily there are some holistic remedies for your hangover that can have you feeling better in no time. Here are 5 holistic remedies for your hangover:

1. Holistic remedies for your hangover: Bananas and Ginger

Bananas are full of potassium, potassium that while you were drinking and using the bathroom was leaving your body rapidly. Eating a banana will replenish your body with the essential vitamin potassium giving you some energy to beat the fatigue. Ginger is an old holistic remedy for hangovers. In fact ginger was used to treat nausea and seasickness for a long time. If you want to conquer your nausea ginger is the best bet.

2. Holistic remedies for your hangover: Honey and Lemons

Honey and lemons with a little bit of hot water can help to replenish lost fluids and sugars due to a long night of drinking. Your body has a hangover because it has lost a lot of its essential sugars and fluids due to drinking. Honey can help because it contains fructose which competes for the metabolism of alcohol. Competition is needed since the rapid change in alcohol levels is what has caused your headache.

3. Holistic remedies for your hangover: Water

Water works well to help with just about anything including a hangover. Drinking water is by far the best cure for a hangover to date. This is because dehydration can wreak havoc on the body and is the reason for most of the symptoms that come along with a hangover. Drinking water, whether it is carbonated, tap water or a filtered bottle of Dasani, is the best holistic hangover remedy there is. Drink more than the average eight glasses a day while recovering from a hangover.

4. Holistic remedies for your hangover: Sports drinks and Juice

Juice especially if it is freshly squeezed orange juice can help to raise blood sugar levels which in turn can help to ease some of the discomfort due to a hangover. If you are nauseous it is probably best to skip the acidic juices though and stick with a sports drink. Sports drinks are easy on the stomach and contain lots of electrolytes to replenish some of the vitamins your body is missing right now. Any sports drink with electrolytes will help with your hangover.

5. Holistic remedies for your hangover: Rice, Toast and Soups

Usually when you have a hangover the last thing you want to do is eat but eating can be a good thing if it is the right kind of food. Food will give you some sustenance for energy. Staying away from solid foods and sticking with clear liquids such as chicken noodle soup is the best bet early into your hangover. Later on if you can handle solid food, move onto something like toast or rice that will be easy on the stomach.

There is not fool proof holistic remedy for your hangover but there are some ways to ease the discomfort by giving your body what it is so dearly missing. A late night of drinking can wreak some havoc on the body so if you find yourself with a hangover do the right thing and just stick with what works and is easy on the body which is mainly a good amount of sleep and some tall glasses of water.

Sources:

http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/natural-medicine/home-remedies/home-remedies-for-hangovers4.htm

http://www.feminiya.com/5-home-remedies-to-cure-the-hangover-blues

http://www.cure-hangovers.com/home-remedies-for-hangovers.html

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

Hangover Movie: Dude, Where’s My Car

Dude Wheres My Car

“The Hangover” movie series has reigned supreme the last couple years as the ultimate going out, getting wasted and can’t remember what happened movies. The story and plot lines in these movies are not unique in themeselves and have been rehashed over and over again.

A few years ago another hangover movie – Dude, Where’s My Car was another hangover cult classic.

‘Dude, Where’s My car’ premiered in 2000 and was an instant classic for teenagers everywhere who were into the party scene. Probably similar to the same older generation that now enjoys the Hangover movies. The entire plot of dude where’s my car is going to seem very familiar to the hangover movies too that are so popular today.

“Two potheads wake up from a night of partying and can’t remember where they parked their car.” Just like in The Hangover when a group of guys awaken from a hard night of partying and can’t remember what happened.

If you assumed that the rest of this movie plot includes antics and interesting characters on the journey to finding their car again – then you would be right! The main characters are two “potheads” (played by Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott) whom are trying to find their car. This hangover movie begins with a…wait for it… HANGOVER after having a wild party the night before. Ashton and Sean wake up to find the house trashed and people sleeping on the lawn. The unfortunate thing is that they are not in their house they are in their girlfriend’s house which if I may add happens to be hot twins.

Hard night of partying. Check.

Can’t remember what happened. Check.

Hot girls. Check.

Do you see the pattern here?

This movie includes dogs getting stoned, a sexy scene including Kristy Swanson who plays “Christie Boner” and even aliens.

Ashton who plays Jesse and Sean who plays Chester pretty much are idiots and all they know is Jesse’s car is gone and they encounter a transsexual stripper who wants his/her suitcase of stolen money, a group of alien-seeking nerds and an angry street gang. Their girlfriends Wilma and Wanda are upset (for lack of a curse word) that they trashed their house. Mind you the whole time they must find a “continuum transfuctioner” (a mystical device that could either save or destroy the world) while trying to not be duped by a group of jumpsuit-wearing, sexy-as-hell, aliens posing as humans want it.

Sound ridiculous enough? Well it gets more ridiculous.

This movie glorifies smoking pot and getting wasted. In fact I can remember watching this movie as teenager and thinking how badass it all was and how hot Ashton Kutcher was. Truth is eventually you grow up and you realize life is not in the slightest bit like the ridiculous comedic hangover movies they shove in our faces. While this movie is certainly hilarious it’s definitely not productive or filled with tons of brain enhancing or memory boosting scenes.

This hangover movies is slapstick stupid comedy at it its best.

Don’t drink and drive my friends!

 

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

5 Signs Your “Party-Animal” Friend Might Be an Alcoholic

Party Animal Personality

5 Signs Your “Party-Animal” Friend Might Be an Alcoholic

There is a group of you. Maybe it is a group of three, possibly four. You all work different jobs, maybe two of you work the same job and you enjoy going out for drinks on the weekend. And you all love having a good time, I mean that is what life is about right? Fun with friends? But there is that one person, that one friend in your group on the weekends that you would consider the “party-animal” and their drinking is turning into a head tilting, embarrassing mess. You and your friends have begun having conversations with each other about the “party-animal” friend’s drinking and you begin to wondering if they might be an alcoholic. They quite possibly could be but you don’t know what an alcoholic is. You know the homeless drunk that you see when walking down the street but that isn’t your “party-animal” friend. Maybe your friend just needs to grow up? Or maybe it something more serious? Well, here are some signs that may help you to figure out what is really going on with your friend.

5 signs that your “party-animal” friend might be an alcoholic:

  1. Pay attention to your friend’s tolerance for alcohol. An increased tolerance for alcohol is a big indicator that your party animal friend might be an alcoholic. Overtime their system doesn’t respond to the same amount you would probably drink while out. As a result of this they drink more and more frequently.
  2. Look at how your friend considers drinking as a part of their daily routine. An alcoholic person often sets up a schedule for their alcohol. For instance if they visit a bar or liquor store daily after work your party animal friend may be an alcoholic. You will also notice that your friend makes excuses just to go get a drink.
  3. Passing out or blackouts are severe indicators that your party animal friend might be an alcoholic. Passing or blacking out can happen to anyone and everyone but it is unlikely and is unusual if it happens more than once. Someone who blacks out or passes out from drinking too much could very well be an alcoholic or be on their way to being an alcoholic.
  4. Bring up your party animal friend’s drinking to them and see what happens. Usually someone who might be an alcoholic responds very negatively and defensively. They will constantly deny or lie about the issue and never face the facts about their drinking.
  5. Keep track of how often your party animal friend becomes drunk whenever alcohol is available. Ordering “doubles” of drinks, gulping, or becoming quickly intoxicated are all indications that your party animal friend might be an alcoholic.

Everyone has that one friend that likes to get a little bit out of control and they are fun to be around and they are our friends. But if you think your party animal friend might be an alcoholic it is best if you care about them and talk to them about cutting back or quitting all together.

Sources:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2046129_recognize-signs-alcoholism.html

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.

5 Hangover Myths

5 hangover myths

As long as there has been alcohol, there have been hangovers. And as long as there have been hangovers, there have been theories about preventing them and curing them. Unfortunately, these traditional ideas about hangovers often do not work. Here are the 5 most common hangover myths:

1. Drinking more alcohol will get rid of a hangover:

The hangover myth that the best cure for a hangover is “The hair of the dog that bit you”, i.e. more alcohol, has been around for a long time.  This is also the worst thing you can do unless you don’t have anything productive to do for the rest of the day. Drinking more alcohol won’t cure your hangover in the long run-it just gets you drunk again. Your hangover will most likely be worse when you finally feel it because you’re just adding fuel to the fire.

2. Taking aspirin while you drink can prevent a hangover:

Many people subscribe to this hangover myth. Unfortunately, it does not work and can be very dangerous. First of all, the effects of aspirin or any other over the counter painkiller will wear off by the time you start developing hangover symptoms. In addition, aspirin increases acid concentration in the stomach and does nothing to help eliminate alcohol from the body. Aspirin actually increases blood alcohol levels when taken before drinking, so your hangover will likely be worse.

3.   Liquor before beer, you’re in the clear. Beer before liquor, never sicker:

Almost everyone has heard this hangover myth. Basically, the rumor is that if you drink liquor, then beer, you won’t be sick the next day. However, if chase beer with liquor, you will get sick. This hangover is in fact, not true. Whether you get a hangover from alcohol consumption is based on your Blood Alcohol Content and has nothing to do with the type of alcoholic beverage you consume.   There is nothing about the chemistry of these drinks that influences whether or not you will get sick the next time. What tends to happen is that once you start drinking beer your reluctance to drink more disappears and when you move on to the ‘hard stuff’ you are likely to drink faster.

4. Drinking coffee will sober you up quickly:

There are no shortcuts to sobriety. The body processes alcohol at the rate of 0.15 percent of blood alcohol content per hour. This is true regardless of age, weight, gender, or race. Another hangover myth is that drinking coffee is a good cure for a hangover. While it might wake you up, but the dehydration of a hangover will only be made worse by coffee.

5. Eating before bed will absorb the alcohol in your stomach and prevent a hangover:

This hangover myth does not actually work. Food has to be in your stomach before you drink to help a hangover. If you eat before you drink, alcohol is delivered to your bloodstream more slowly, giving it less of a chance to reach high levels.

If you need help with your addiction give us a call now at 1-800-984-4003.