The best ways to recover from a hangover

The days before and after Thanksgiving are known as HUGE drinking holidays. In fact, the Wednesday before Turkey Day is known as Drinksgiving or Blackout Wednesday. After Friday, the holiday season begins with parties, brunches and happy hours and maybe drinks with dinner, all of which result in at least one hangover.

Alcohol triggers an inflammatory response from the immune system. In turn, the immune system can trigger certain agents that often cause physical symptoms, including headaches, difficulty concentrating, memory problems and nausea. It’s not a pretty picture, but here are the best ways to recover from a hangover.

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To recover from a hangover, there are two tracks – before and after. Assuming you’re going to be drinking a lot, there are two things you need to keep in mind. Drink plenty of fluids, such as water, while taking it to avoid dehydration. Next, take a pain reliever—but not Tylenol. Aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin, other brands), and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

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Also, avoid dark-colored alcohol. Data has shown that clear spirits like vodka and gin are less likely to cause a hangover than dark spirits like whiskey, red wine and tequila. The main form of alcohol in alcoholic beverages is ethanol, but the darker spirits contain chemically related compounds (congeners), including methanol. The same enzymes process ethanol and methanol, but methanol metabolites are particularly toxic and therefore can cause a worse hangover.

But if you still wake up with a hangover, there is hope and here are possible remedies.

People forget to eat while drinking, which causes blood sugar levels to drop. Toast and juice are one way to gently bring levels back to normal. There should be a big brunch or brunch afterwards.

Consider a gummy bear. A dose of around 10 mg will not only get you out of the aching headspace, it will also start to combat your inflammation when you get physically high. Use something non-aggressive such as tincture (glycerin), candy, or drink. Anything baked or food-like can be simply overwhelming in terms of taste.

Enjoy lemonade, coffee or tea. Caffeine may not have any particular anti-hangover effects, but as a stimulant it could help with the drowsiness. Try it and go back to bed and get some sleep.

Add some vitamin B or zinc. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine examined diets for 24 hours before and after excessive alcohol consumption. It was a small study and the results were based on participants saying what they ate. However, they found that people whose food and drink consumption contained greater amounts of zinc and B vitamins had less severe hangovers.

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Since hangovers are most painful when the last bit of alcohol is leaving your system, you might consider the age-old remedy “hair of the dog” and treat yourself to a Bloody Mary.