We do a lot of posts about drinking on Campus Squeeze, but we've never talked much about how to cure the hangover that leaves you incapacitated all day. Most experts agree; "Don't drink" and you won't have a hangover to deal with, but we all know that ain't happening. And while we can't help you deal with the unfuckable hedgehog you woke up next to in the morning, we can at least suggest some ways to get rid of that headache.
6.) Exercise
The last thing you want to do when you're hungover is move for any reason, much less hop on the treadmill and hammer out a few miles, but some research suggests that increased blood flow to the muscles as well as the accompaniment of endorphins could lead to a quick end to your hangover. We're not saying to throw on some ankle weights and run a half-marathon, but it couldn't hurt to take a light jog and get that blood flowing. Make sure to have a bunch of water first!
5.) Drinking A Shit Load Of Water
Since everyone knows that too much delicious, delicious alcohol dehydrates your system, water would be the obvious way to remedy that situation. When you get home after a night of hard drinking, try pounding a few pint glasses full of water. Yeah, it'll be tough, but remember that you're protecting yourself from pain in the morning. You can also substitute sports drinks with the water, or mix the two for a hangover fighting duo hell-bent on hydration.
4.) A Ridiculous Amount Of Oxygen
A significant amount of people have reported negative side effects of general anesthesia after surgery. A 1999 study tested the effects of giving patients a mixture of 80% oxygen and 20% nitrogen and concluded that it certainly helped diminish those negative effects. The theory is the same for a hangover: introducing more oxygen to the body is hypothesized to speed up the break down of toxins in the blood and muscles, thus ending the hangover feeling quicker. But where are you going to get a mixture of 80% oxygen and 20% nitrogen? Steal it! Just kidding, there are much better things to steal. Our guess is that if you have an oxygen bar (remember those?) nearby, you might try checking it out to see if it works...that is, if you can get over all the pretentious hipsters criticizing everything you love.
3.) Smoking Weed
Marijuana is legal in Canada for its recognized medicinal purposes associated with pain relief, its ability to get a cancer patient hungry, and even to alleviate the effects of bi-polar disorder. So why couldn't it be great for a hangover? We're not saying it's going to make the symptoms go away: your body will still be dehydrated and all, but the weed will take away the headache and muscle aches you're feeling, and probably give you an appetite (frozen burritos, anyone?) to get some nutrients back into that body of yours.
2.) Vitamin B12/B6
Experts have been plugging vitamin B12 as a supplement for hangover removal for quite a while now, since when you pee a lot, you lose a substantial amount of B12 in the process. A deficiency of this particular vitamin can lead to depression, memory loss, and fatigue. Doesn't that sound like a hangover? By taking a supplement in pill form, you can keep your B12 level high enough to prevent a lot of the aforementioned problems. If you don't want to take a pill, you can get your B12 from high protein foods like shellfish, canned fish, eggs, milk, and liver.
Vitamin B6 is alleged to have a diuretic effect, which can also act to remove toxins in the blood caused by alcohol.
1.) Greasy Food
The absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream causes hangovers, and slowing that down can help calm the effects of a hangover. Some people think that a healthy portion of greasy food could line your stomach with grease, thus slowing the absorption of alcohol, and alleviating the effects of the hangover. Other people on the "Greasy Food" train suggest that the best time to hit the sloppy foods is the next morning, when your hangover is in full force. Or obviously, when you're super drunk, and you hit up your local drunk food restaurant for a great meal could also help. Go to your local fast food chain, and order up some greasy fries, burgers, tacos, or any combination thereof, cover it nacho cheese, and go to town.
For an incredibly potent hangover remedy, why not try mixing all of these together? Eat a greasy breakfast, sprinkled with marijuana, vitamin B12 and B6 pills, drink a liter of water, run a mile, and throw on an oxygen mask for a while. Couldn't hurt.