You know the feeling—head pounding, stomach twisting, confused looks around the room. That’s right, the “oh my god what the hell did I drink last night” line of internal questioning begins when you wake up to a full-blown hangover. You swear you didn’t drink that much, and maybe you didn’t.
Maybe you just drank the wrong stuff.
Here’s what to drink and what not to drink when you want to avoid those splitting headaches the morning after.
Ever heard of things called congeners? Me neither. But, these particles hide in the alcohol that has the darkest, richest colors like red wine or bourbon. They are picked up during the aging process, but can also be color or flavor enhancers that are added to the drinks. The best way to avoid hangovers is to avoid these dark alcohols like whiskey, rum, and dark wines.
And don’t even dare try to mix them.
Surprisingly enough, grain alcohol is one of the least likely alcohols to give you a hangover. Clear liquids contain the least congeners, especially vodka and gin. Trust me, your vodka hangovers are not from the alcohol themselves, but from the 20 shots you took last night.
Even Tequila…
Although not nearly as full as congeners as the darkest alcohols, gold tequila still has a reputation of leaving you lying on the bathroom floor at 3 am. So be aware that even though tequila, white wine, and champagne aren’t as bad as those congener filled drinks, copious amounts of any will give you a hangover.
The best advice that anyone can give: don’t mix alcohol, and don’t drink a lot. A hangover will happen regardless of what type of alcohol you drink, whether you drink too much or mix too much. So don’t start off with red wine, move to tequila, and finish the night off with whiskey. You’ll regret it the next morning, and even Advil won’t be able to help you.