I may not be the smartest kid here at school, but if there is one thing I’ve learned in my few years here, it’s how to drink. I’ve also learned that no hangover compares to a college hangover. But hey, sometimes you just gotta let your hair down for a night and have a good time.
Fear not, I’m here to provide you with some of the best beverages to get you back on your feet and excited to be alive. No more “I’m never drinking again” tweets the morning after. So party hard, party responsibly, and make sure you’re indulging in one of these drinks to get you going again. Cheers, ya booze bags.
Water/Coconut Water
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Shocker, right? Normally when I get home from a night of pounding some brewskis (I got up to 6 one time) I always try and make sure to drink at least one glass of water before bed and even more when I wake up.
By now, I’m sure you’ve realized that alcohol tends to dehydrate your body so do yourself a favor, drink water, and you’ll be avoiding those pounding headaches and rough mornings in no time. Pro Tip: for the morning after, add some ice in that water, because drinking 16 oz of ice water in the morning is said to be as efficient as drinking a cup of coffee.
Fruit Juice
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To be honest, I hate drinking fruit juice the morning after I go out, but that’s probably just because it reminds me of all the Smirnoff ices and Mike’s Hard Lemonades I got wasted off of. However, fruit juice is said to be pretty dope when it comes to dealing with those nasty hangovers.
As your blood alcohol level rises, your blood sugar level is going to plummet, so be wary of that the morning after and make sure you’re consuming those sugars, vitamins, and electrolytes you sacrificed the night before.
Couple of suggestions: first, stick with apple or cranberry juice the morning after, just because the acidity of orange juice is going to be a lot rougher on an upset stomach.
Second, avoid this particular cure like the plague if you indulged in the fun, yet dangerous jungle juice. That stuff will sneak up on you. Trust me, taste aversion is a very real thing, and the last thing you want is to be reminded of all your poor decisions.
Sports Drinks
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Anyone who’s anyone will tell you, these are THE hangover cure. I can almost guarantee you that a majority of the dining halls’ Powerade supply is consumed on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Not only are sports drinks delicious, but drinking them shows off to everyone watching that you must either be a ridiculously good athlete or a savage drinker. STUD.
The best part about sports drinks as a hangover cure is that unless you have a few loose wires, you’re probably not going to chase your liquor with a sports drink, so you can avoid some awful flashbacks. If that isn’t reason enough, sports drinks are also packed full of electrolytes which are a key resource when trying to re-hydrate the body.
If you end up choosing a sports drink, trust me when I say it, Body Armor is the future of sports drinks. Yes, the aftertaste is tough on the palette, but not only is Body Armor packed full of electrolytes, but also contains loads of coconut water. So why not consume two of the best hangover cures instead of just one? Answer: you wouldn’t.
Tea and Honey
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When I read tea was a good hangover cure, I couldn’t help but get a little excited. First off, it’s weird how good of a mood tea can put someone in. Personally, I just feel at peace with the world when I’m indulging in the steamy beverage, and it just seems to give you a great outlook on life. Namaste.
Tea is a solution to a ridiculous amount of health issues already (like these), so why not add hangovers to the list. The hot, soothing beverage is perfect for settling that awful upset stomach in the morning and for preventing nausea. Add honey and you have a truly dynamic one-two punch.
Not only does the honey enhance the flavor of the tea, but it also is bursting with fructose which, similar to fruit juices, helps to replenish the sugars that are lost from the night before, and helps to get rid of that biting headache.
Ginger Ale
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I don’t know about you all, but when I was younger and had an upset stomach, my mother always brought me some ginger ale to get over my “tummy ache.” Now, 12 years later, nothing has changed.
Just like in my elementary school days, I’ll sometimes go too hard the night before and wake up too hungover to function in the mornings. Luckily, ginger ale still has my back for soothing that upset stomach.
Ginger is an anti-inflammatory in the digestive system and will help reduce that bloated feeling in the morning. Although I definitely don’t suggest biting into the spicy root, you can always turn to a can of ginger ale to help.
Hell, maybe even shotgun it to take you back to the glory days just a few hours prior when you probably thought you were the life of the party.
Bloody Mary
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Here’s one that will really get your morning after started off right. I’m not going to go ahead and encourage an alcoholic beverage to quell the hangover, but it’s no secret that a Bloody Mary is a popular choice for a hangover cure, and for two reasons. Alcohol and tomatoes.
Yes, alcohol does take the edge off of a hangover, but the main reason the beverage gets you back on your feet so easily is because of the tomato juice it contains.
Not only are tomatoes high in vitamin C, but they also contain a good amount of glutathione, a substance the body produces to help counteract hangover-inducing toxins. So while it takes a special type of person to want to drink after a night out on the town, if done correctly, it can actually help.
Pedialyte
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Here’s a weird one that I never thought I would try again, but you know what they say, college is all about the experiences. Yes, this is the same beverage that was specifically made for dehydrated babies suffering from vomiting, but you know, that description is synonymous for a hungover college student. A vomiting, dehydrated baby.
When I say packed with electrolytes, I mean absolutely PACKED. It has been described as “10 Gatorades in one bottle,” so you obviously know it’ll get the job done.
This one will stop you from crawling and crying and get you back to your everyday self in no time, even if you do get made fun of for it. So rewind the clocks, swallow your pride, and go out and get the best hangover cure on this list.
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