13 Ways to Prevent and Cure Your Life-Threatening Hangover

It’s 2 pm. You’ve finally woken up after a crazier night out than usual. The sun is at that angle where it shines right through your window and straight into your face. It’s been over 10 hours since your hazy cab ride home, but you’re still hungover. Your only thoughts are a) Dear Lord, how is this possible, and b) how am I going to survive this day.

Because we’ve been there and we love you, we’ve got your back. Not only are we going to tell you ways to make your hangover more bearable, but we’re also going to fill you in on some ways to nip that hangover in the bud even before you start drinking. We didn’t do it on our own, though—we partnered with our new favorite antioxidant booster Bai5 for some advice. What can we say, we get by with a little help from our friends.

Pre-Boozin’

1. A little caffeine never hurt anyone.

We’ll get into the nitty gritty of Bai5 later on, but one of the most desirable qualities about this delicious drink is its caffeine content. This trendy bev is made from the coffeefruit, which is the outside layer of the coffee bean that’s usually discarded when making your morning coffee. You could opt for a Monster or Red Bull, but Bai5 provides a much classier, chemical-free, and naturally sweetened option to get you appropriately jazzed for your night out.

2. Eat a real meal.

Yeah, you heard us. We get you want to feel skinny in your sexy dress, but eating a balanced meal full of protein and healthy fats instead of a few leafy greens will slow your body’s absorption of alcohol, starting you off on a hangover-free track even before your first sip.

3. Skip the carbs.

We swear we don’t mean to lecture you on what you’re eating, but try and stay away from the carbs if you can. Trust us, we appreciate a good bowl of pasta or slice of pizza, but your liver is already going to be working overtime to break down the alcohol you’ll be consuming. Don’t make it work even harder to make sure your blood glucose levels are on track.

4. Take your vitamins.

Drinking is hard work for your body, so nutrients from vitamins are essential in helping the metabolization process run smoothly. Certain recommended vitamins include Vitamin C, known for its immune-boosting powers, and Vitamin B, because the Vitamin Bs you have right now are about to go straight to your liver.

Boozin’

5. Meet your new favorite mixer

Our buddy Bai5 packs quite a flavor punch despite only having 5 calories and 1 gram of sugar per serving. Well that rocks, now doesn’t it. Bai5 has a strong flavor to mask the taste of alcohol without the added calories from typical mixers, like soda or fruit juices.

Plus the added hydration and antioxidants sets your body into anti-hangover drive even while you’re throwing ’em back. Make sure to check out the Bai website for some of their favorite cocktail recipes.

6. So these things called cogeners…

Cogeners are toxic chemicals produced during the fermentation process that give alcohol its flavor and color. They’re found most often in darker libations like rum and whiskey partly due to a shorter filtration process, so even if you’re really craving that rum and coke, try opting for vodka or gin instead. Clear liquors = less cogeners = less chance for hangover.

7. Carbonated drinks: just don’t do it.

Remember that one New Years where you thought it’d be super classy to only drink champagne all night? Well, you definitely remember the morning after because you probably woke up and wanted to die.

Carbonated beverages, like champagne and soda, can actually cause your stomach to expand, which means—surprise!—that alcohol you’re chugging is getting absorbed at a way faster rate than normal.

So even if you drink the same amount of drinks you usually do but are drinking Sprite instead of OJ, you’re getting more drunk than normal, which could translate into being more hungover than normal, and nobody wants that.

8. Don Draper was doing it wrong.

All the characters in Mad Men look super classy while downing their whiskey with cigarettes in hand, but smoking cigarettes while drinking has actually been proven to make your hangover worse. Just read up on this study if you don’t believe us.

9. You’re in college and poor, but that cheap liquor isn’t doing you any favors.

To put this as simply as possible, the more high-end the liquor, the more time it spent in the filtration process. The more filtered the beverage, the less toxins and cogeners, the happier you. Seriously, we wouldn’t have you spend more money if it wasn’t worth it.

Post-Boozin’

10. Hit up the antioxidants.

Vitamin C pills are a good start, or you can get a healthy dose of antioxidants from our buddy Bai5. Antioxidants are so good for you in general, but especially when you’re hungover because they eliminate free radicals, which are harmful molecules produced as a result of oxidation.

11. Take an Ibuprofen.

This one’s a no-brainer. Even if you’re one of those people that doesn’t like taking pain meds, just swallow your pride and do it. Ibuprofen or Aspirin will combat that headache which, let’s be real, is debatably the most crippling part of any hangover. You won’t regret it.

12. Skip the champy, keep the juice.

You’re really going to hate us for this one, but drinking alcohol, even if it’s in Mimosa or Bloody Mary form, isn’t going to cure your hangover—it’ll just delay it. Opt for OJ straight up, or really any type of juice for that matter. Fructose can help restore your blood sugar back to normal. Hallelujah.

13. Just another reason why eggs are the greatest food there is.

Eggs contain a chemical called cysteine that has been proven to fight through some of those toxins responsible for your splitting headache. You can try and pair it with your choice of greasy, meaty accompaniment, but that might make you queasy so maybe just stick with a plain omelet or eggs over easy.

Make sure to stick with these super easy tips and make sure your Bai5 supply is fully stocked and you’ll be a party pro and the envy of all your friends. No seriously, they’ll be super jealous they’re hungover and you’re not. We call it the Spoon Advantage.

Check out these other articles about hangovers…the more ya know.

• What to eat to prevent a hangover
• Hangover cure 101
• Perfect hangover hash

Thanks to Bai5 for being a proud Spoon sponsor.