But in the meantime, let’s get you fixed up with this step-by-step guide to success with hangover remedies that work!

Some Mental Hangover Medicine – Step One – Stop the Self Loathing!

OK, you’re a mess. Hopefully last night was a great time, but maybe it didn’t go as planned. It doesn’t matter – Quit this case of “he hate me’s” and start thinking positively. Last night is done (save for some Facebook detagging you need to do) and we have a problem to solve.

I’ve been there before, I’m here for you, and I’m going to get you through this thing. So let’s go to it.

Hangover Remedies That Work – What You Need NOW

1. Detox – Do you still need to throw up?


We've all been there... and we'll get you through this one

I know it sucks, but if you need to throw up, DO IT NOW. Because we’re going to start drinking and eating all sorts of good, healthy stuff, and if you throw it all up AFTER you take it, I’m going to be mad at you.

If you’re still hammered and your body wants to get rid of some of the poison, splash some cold water on your face, get in front of the toilet, take a nasty too-big-to-swallow chug of water, pull the trigger, and let it rip.

There you go. Feel the endorphins. Sometimes this cures your hangover nausea and can grab some antacid immediately after. You’re going to feel good for a few minutes after it, so let’s get right to work.

2. Painkillers – but NOT Acetaminophen (Tylenol) – USE AT YOUR OWN RISK

I’m not sure where you are on your path to recovery, but there’s a good chance that things are going to get worse before they get better. If that’s the case, let’s at least numb the pain as fast as we can.



Ibuprofen - Better than Tylenol if you can stomach it

I personally prefer ibuprofen. Yeah, it’s not good taking it on an empty stomach, but Tylenol would be even worse as it’s a total wreck for your liver, which is in no shape to detox more crap. Ibuprofen is still a bad idea too, but I’ll take that risk.

On a horrific day, I follow a 4-3-2-1 stepdown process. Meaning, my first dosage of ibuprofen will be 4x200mg pills. Your headache won’t completely disappear, but it will hopefully go “numb”.

Once the pain starts coming back a few hours later, take 3x200mg pills. A few hours later, 2x200mg pills. And at the end of the day, you should be well-situated and only need 1 more 200mg pill to finish it off.

Again, if you can handle the pain, skip the painkillers and save your liver the extra work. You need to be cautious here and consider the use of the other hangover remedies here before getting crazy on painkillers. You know your body more than we do.

3. Hydration and Electrolytes

You are dehydrated. Even more so if you just threw up. With your ibuprofin, you should drink a tall glass of water, 20oz or so, and keep it down. If you cannot keep it down, you should vomit one more time. If you can’t keep it down after that, seek medical attention.

BUT PUT THAT SPORTS DRINK DOWN



Buy Coconut Water for Your Hangovers

Yes, you do need electrolytes. But I have bad news for you – if you are drinking a sports drink like that has high fructose corn syrup in it (new Gatorades have sucrose-dextrose, which still contains fructose in the sucrose), then you are doing more damage to your liver! High loads of fructose are dealt with in the same manner that alcohol is.

Instead, you should be drinking a natural, electrolyte-laden drink – Coconut Water. This is THE hangover drink – It has all five electrolytes found in your blood (as opposed to just two in Gatorade), and far less fructose. On our Coconut Water link we also explain why high fructose corn syrup is so poisonous for your liver, especially at a time like this.

Don’t have coconut water and it’s not sold around you? That’s fine, order some for next time, and go get a sports drink such as Powerade Zero or Gatorade G2.

Having trouble drinking? No appetite to drink? Drink a few squirts of hot sauce. It will boost your metabolism and get you begging for water in no time. Anything that gets you hydrating!

End of story… we get irked when we read about hangover remedies that promote the use of high fructose drinks. Hit the coconut water instead.

Best Hangover Remedy – Stuff You Need to Get

1. Antioxidants – NAC Works Best, Milk Thistle comes next
   

   Buy NAC Now - Take 1 Before and After Drinking with B and C Vitamins

   NAC, or N-Acetyl Cysteine, is the lifeblood of this site. By far, the most underrated hangover tool there is.

   NAC works far better if you take it before and during/after your drinking, but it can still help you now. In short, this amazing antioxidant creates a compound called glutathione that “scrubs” and disposes of the most harmful byproducts of alcohol.

   Read More about NAC or Buy NAC Now.

   After NAC is Milk Thistle – we’re specifically interested in its active extract, Silymarin. Silymarin has been used for over 2000 years to treat liver problems, and is still used to treat patients of chronic alcoholic liver disease.

   Hopefully you’re not in chronically bad shape, but we might as well learn from the pro doctors and use it as well.

   Read More about Milk Thistle for Hangovers or Buy Milk Thistle / Silymarin Now

   The bad news is that both of these are most likely not sold at your local store, so you may need to forego it this time, so buy some online now to prevent this from happening again!

2. Vitamins! Especially the Vitamin B Complex
   

   Buy Vitamin B Complex Now - Take 1 Before and After Drinking with NAC and Vitamin C

   B Vitamins are essential to stopping hangovers – you deplete them when you process alcohol and dehydrate yourself, and you need them to move on and create energy.

   You should take a B-Complex that has all of the B Vitamins inside – especially B1 (Thiamine) and B6 (Pyridoxine), as they’re proven to alleviate hangovers the most. Hopefully you have some strong B vitamins around or can get them at the store. If not, a couple multivitamins will work. Take them with fluids and food that we’ll be mentioning later on.

   Read More about Vitamin B for Hangovers or Buy a Vitamin B Complex Now

   After that, we recommend Vitamin C as well. It’s a decent antioxidant, but it’s mostly recommended to use with the NAC hangover medicine mentioned above. You probably have some Vitamin C around and can take it, but don’t expect miracles. If not, a multivitamin or a run to the store will help.

   Read More about Vitamin C for Hangovers or Buy Vitamin C Now

Hangover Relief – Back to the Basics

1. Time for Food – Scrambled Eggs with Veggies and Toast

   If you have a weak stomach, you’ll probably want to take the above pills with food. Either way, you NEED the right food or else your already-low blood sugar will drop into the danger zone. This is especially true if you had a lot of sugary drinks last night (shame on you) and you have a sugar-hangover on top of your alcohol-hangover.

   First, we need some simple glucose – some toast will work, rice is good too. I like both of these better than fruit so as to avoid more fructose, but a banana can be used if you have absolutely no coconut water or other electrolyte-based drinks.

   

   Whole Eggs Provide Choline, Which May Help

   Second, REAL eggs and veggies. Make a little omelet, and use the whole damned egg – none of this eggwhite or eggbeater nonsense. Eggs are one of the finest sources of choline. There are several choline deficiency problems that heavily affect the liver. Simply supplementing with choline or eating eggs solves the problem – so just in case your liver needs choline, now’s your chance.

   Third, the vitamins listed above do not have all of the nutrients, phytonutrients, and antioxidants that are in REAL vegetables. Grab some colorful peppers, onion, salsa, olives, and spinach and make yourself a nice omelet. Put it in your toast and you’ll give yourself more nutrients than most Americans eat all week. Use real butter or olive oil – fake butter and margarine are more poisons for you. You’d be amazed how eating real food can outdo half of the hangover remedies you’ll read about on the web.

   Hot sauce, once again, will force you to drink more water with this.

   As far as the bread goes, I don’t care if you’re on a low-carb diet or are a paleo dieter. You’ve already cheated yourself by drinking ethanol (which is a carbohydrate), so now you need to ween off.

   If you normally drink milk and/or yogurt, have some now too. If you don’t, now is not the time to start playing around with it.

2. The Question of Caffeine

   Many people argue over caffeine during a hangover. They believe that caffeine dehydrates you, or that it will cause other damage while hungover.

   

   A Caffeine Pill Works Best for Me

   My solution: Do whatever you normally do on any other day – except if it has high fructose corn syrup (like soda).

   Right now, you have an alcohol hangover. If you take caffeine every day, then today is not the day to stop! You already have one hangover going on, why start a second one by bringing caffeine withdrawal symptoms?

   That said, for me personally, coffee dries me out and makes my hangovers worse. I normally don’t drink it anyway – I prefer a 200mg caffeine pill which is cheaper and easier. But if coffee doesn’t dry you out, then go for it – behave as normal. Many studies have shown that caffeine itself doesn’t dehydrate you as much as most people think.

   A non-fructose based energy drink can help too, as many of them have some of the antioxidants and vitamins listed above. High fructose based soda drinkers should find some caffeine from something else, like tea.

3. Take a Shower

   OK, now you’ve got your pain killers, hydration, electrolytes, vitamins, food/glucose, and possibly caffeine in your system. Now is not the time to rest! Your pain killers should be in full effect and you need to digest your food before our next step.

   Time to take a shower. First off, you smell like a brewery. Second off, it feels good. Third, you can drink some water in the shower :)

   Come out a changed person…

4. Exercise – Time to Sweat it Out

   Yes, we just showered, but now you’ll smell good enough to go out in public to the gym or out for a walk or jog.

   If you’re hurting bad, you do not need to lift heavy weights or go and break records. You are in bad shape and you know it – just go for a slow, steady pace and get a sweat going. It is what it is. 30 minutes will do it. By the end, you may start feeling some endorphins, which is great. You’re breaking the hangover.

   Do NOT do this if you haven’t been drinking many fluids.

5. Come Home, Hydrate more, and Take Shower #2

   You probably stink something awful. Take another shower and chug more fluids.

   Right now could be a good time for your next round of painkillers, vitamins, and antioxidants if you’re in bad shape.

6. Finally, Time to Rest
   

   Naptime!

   Go to the bathroom, drink a bit more fluids and electrolytes, get comfortable, and take a rest. By now, your second round of painkillers should help you through your sleep, and the caffeine should be at a point where it doesn’t bother your rest.

   Turn off the TV, go to bed, and nap like a pro. Get some real rest.

7. Wake Up, and Repeat the Process

   .. hopefully you’ll be a lot better when you get up, and will be hungry for more food. You don’t need to exercise again, but the rest of the process can be repeated to a smaller degree. You should be on your way to freedom!

   And now would be a good time to make your phone calls about what happened last night, look at your SMS outbox, and detag those Facebook pictures that your friends have now put up.

There we have it – the step by step guide to our hangover remedies.

But next time, you won’t deal with this because you’ll have read how to prevent a hangover.

We try our best to follow our own sage advice, take the right products, and stop the hangover in its tracks. You do this by giving your body the tools it needs to cope with alcohol and its byproducts. So let’s get started.

How to Prevent a Hangover – Prep Your Body

Most of the problems with hangovers deal with dehydration, loss of electrolytes, and your liver’s inability to keep up with the byproducts of alcohol. We can solve all of these problems.

1. Pre-Hydrate Yourself
   

   Buy Coconut Water for All 5 Electrolytes

   Think about it – right before you start drinking, this is as hydrated as you’re going to be. If you’re not hydrated now, you’re doubly screwed later. So make sure you drink copious amounts of quality fluids before going out, and have a couple rounds of clear urine.

2. …but Make Them Quality Fluids

   The problem is, if you drink a ton of water before going out, you might hydrate yourself, but you’re also going to be urinating out your electrolytes – something you’re going to need later. So when hydrating yourself, get some quality fluids in.

   We are big believers in coconut water – it’s natural, tasty, and has all five of your body’s important electrolytes (your favorite sports drink only has two).

   A couple coconut waters, a couple glasses of water, hit the bathroom, and you’re ready to go.

   But if you don’t have access to coconut water, order some for next time, and this time go with a fructose-free sports drink like G2 or Powerade Zero. As we explain in the coconut water link above, too much fructose destroys your liver in nearly the same way as alcohol does. So stay away from the fruity stuff, non-diet soda, or anything with sucrose or high fructose corn syrup!

3. Prep Your Liver!! Our Secret Weapons

   We’ve discovered four awesome pills that you can and should take before and after drinking with water and electrolytes. THIS STUFF WORKS. Especially the NAC + B Vitamins! Trust me, you’ll thank me later after the discovery of NAC.

   A good trick is to leave your vitamin/antioxidant bottles out with a nice glass of water on the table before leaving so that you won’t forget to take them when stumbling in at the end of the night.

   Stuff You Need to Get

   1. Antioxidants – NAC (our Secret Weapon) and Milk Thistle (Silymarin)
      

      Buy NAC Now - Take 1 Before and After Drinking with B and C Vitamins

      NAC, or N-Acetyl Cysteine, is why we made this site. It’s absolutely mindboggling that no other websites mention it.

      Your liver uses an antioxidant called glutathione to get rid of many by-products of alcohol. The worst byproduct is acetaldehyde. The problem is, our livers aren’t expecting to need a truckload of glutathione to deal with your binge drinking… it’s not exactly how we evolved.

      Once you run out of glutathione, your liver can’t dispose of the acetaldehyde (which is 30x more toxic than alcohol itself), and you start feeling like rubbish.

      The solution? Tell your body to make more glutathione! And you do that by supplementing with NAC before and after drinking.

      More NAC = More Glutathione = Less Acetaldehyde = Less Hangover… proven.

      Read More about NAC or Buy NAC Now.

      After NAC is Milk Thistle – specifically its extract, Silymarin, which has been used for two millennium to treat liver problems. It is still used today to treat chronic alcoholic disease, which means it can help our “acute” alcoholic diseases too.

      Read More about Milk Thistle for Hangovers or Buy Milk Thistle / Silymarin Now

      Unfortunately you probably won’t find these at your local grocery store, so order them online (they’re cheap!) and get ready for next time.

   2. Vitamin B Complex and Vitamin C
      

      Buy Vitamin B Complex Now - Take 1 Before and After Drinking with NAC and Vitamin C

      You probably already know that B Vitamins are essential for creating energy and stopping hangovers – and it’s proven by studies too. It’s loaded in every damned energy drink for a reason.

      There’s not just one B Vitamin to worry about, so take a B-Complex with every B Vitamin. Most important, though, are B1 (Thiamine) and B6 (Pyridoxine) – these have the most studies behind them. Multivitamins will work in a pinch, but we like the high-potency stuff found below.

      Take one complex both before and after drinking, with plenty of good fluids.

      Read More about Vitamin B for Hangovers or Buy a Vitamin B Complex Now

      Next up is Vitamin C. Its effects as an antioxidant are always disputed, but the best study shows that its synergistic with the NAC – so take it! Anything to get NAC converted to glutathione is worth it, and its cheap anyway. You probably have Vitamin C around as it is.

      Read More about Vitamin C for Hangovers or Buy Vitamin C Now

   That’s Too Many Pills – What Else Can Be Done?

   3. Those pills are great because you’ll get over a year’s supply for $40 or so. But if you don’t want to deal with all of that, try a Hangover Patch. They’re expensive and contain the same ingredients… and they work like crazy!

4. Hangover Food: Eat Before Drinking – But Eat RIGHT

   I’m going to differ with most people here, so give it a shot and see if it works for you.

   Yes, you need to eat before drinking – drinking on an empty stomach is asking for overintoxication.

   

   Like it or not.. Ethanol IS a Carb

   But you need to realize that alcohol is a carbohydrate. It contains carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Carbohydrate.

   All night long, you are going to be spiking your insulin by drinking a bunch of carbs – so now is not the time to further exacerbate the spike-and-crash that will send you into a lethargic tailspin!

   So I propose a higher-fat meal – but with healthy, natural fats. Fatty foods will “stick” to the stomach lining longer (fats digest slower), which will also slow the absorption of alcohol into your bloodstream. That might make it take you a bit longer to get drunk, but it also gives your system more time to process the nasty byproducts of alcohol, helping you out in the long run. A Mediterranean folk tactic is to take a spoonful of olive oil before drinking alcohol. Give it a shot.

   

   Add Some Meat, Eggs or Bacon Here for Saturated Fats!

   So fill up on healthy natural stuff – veggies, meat, eggs, chicken, avocado, pork, and maybe fish if you find one that doesn’t give you bad breath. Sure, there’s some carbs in the veggies and avocados, but nothing close to the amount in pizza.

   Right now is a great time for saturated fats and cholesterol. Despite whatever you heard on Oprah, they are absolutely critical to the function of your brain and organs – namely the liver. They are finally becoming accepted once again in our awful Western Diets.

   Nothing beats a quality steak salad or chicken salad before drinking (with olive oil in the dressing!) Add some bacon. Or have some bacon and eggs (and eat the whole damned egg), which gives your liver a great dose of choline – something it needs anyway.

   Saturated fat is not deadly. If you believe this, you have been duped and I can send you the REAL studies. But even if it were, you still need to protect your liver and brain because you’re about to go do something even more deadly – binge drink.

5. Painkillers After Drinking?
   

   Ibuprofen - Better than Tylenol if you can stomach it

   If your stomach can handle ibuprofen, it might not be a bad idea to take 400mg of it before bed along with your four other pills above.

   Stay away from Acetaminophen (Tylenol) though! This is already bad on your liver, which clearly has other things to do tonight.

   Sidenote: Our favorite antioxidant, NAC, is used by doctors to detoxify people who overdose on acetaminophen. I’m telling you, that stuff is awesome.

How to Prevent a Hangover – The Mental Game

You’re hydrated, you’ve got a strong electrolyte balance, and you’re amped up on antioxidants and vitamins. You’ve probably had an energy drink (hopefully sugar-free), and your fist pump is feeling good tonight. So let’s move on to the next section:

1. Don’t be a Douchebag
   

   Jaegabombs... Please Don't Shower in that Shit

   I’m not going to tell you to “drink less” like every other website out there. We’re not going to do that and we know it.

   But I am going to tell you to not drink more. As in, don’t be a jackass and drink a pint of vodka straight. Don’t try to prove your male bravado by lining up 8 shots of whiskey at the bar. It’s not going to get you laid.

   You are allowed to nicely say no to a shot that you know won’t go well. Instead, turn the tables and offer to buy two drinks of something you know you can handle.

   And that shot at last hour? Skip it. Even if you have a girl or guy ready in your arms, they don’t need it and don’t want it – just take them home and you’ll perform better to boot.

   In short, just because you’ve taken the advice in the top section doesn’t mean you’re Superman now. If you’re a jackass, you WILL get a miserable hangover, and you will deserve it. I don’t care if you have NAC and vitamins intravenously pumped into your system all night. If you drink a handle of bourbon, you sir, are fucked.

2. Know Your Drinking Strengths

   Easy advice – Drink whatever makes you have less hangovers. I find that when I drink only beer, preferably ambers, I still get drunk but it slows me down enough to handle and prevent hangover.

   You’ll often read that dark liquors give the worst hangovers. While this is true in general, but you know your body more than some website does.

   For whatever reason, Crown Royal does great by me too. So stick with something you enjoy that doesn’t wreck you – and stick with it. Mixing will amplify the problem, as explained below…

Avoid Hangover – Drink “Right”

1. But There IS Something to be Said about Dark Liquor
   

   Mixing Too Many Darks Amplifies the Pain

   The fact is that dark liquors do have more toxins called congeners. There’s also more acetone and the nasty acetaldehyde we talked about.

   The same amount of bourbon does give the average Joe a worse hangover than the same amount of vodka. It’s proven by an intense 2000 study titled “The Alcohol Hangover” – read it sometime. [1]

   “33% of patients who consumed 1.5 g/kg of body weight of bourbon (which has high congeners) but only 3% of those who consumed the same dose of vodka (which has low congeners) experienced severe hangover”
   – The Alcohol Hangover, a 2000 Study

   But most importantly, don’t mix different dark drinks. This will amplify the congeners against each other, as each dark liquor will bring it’s own thug. Stick to just one, or preferably none.

2. Stay away from Sugary and Fruity Drinks
   

   Prevent Hangovers by Avoiding Sugary Drinks

   Especially for guys. Don’t be a lame-ass ordering colorful drinks with umbrellas. Drink beer and whatever man drink doesn’t make you want to kill yourself the next day.

   As for fruity drinks… they contain loads of fructose, which will not only make you gain weight, but they will put extra stress on your liquor as mentioned in the coconut water section.

   This doubly includes anything with soda in it, as it’s loaded with deadly high-fructose corn syrup… the absolute last thing your liver wants to deal with.

   All other sugar drinks will spike your insulin all night long, and you’re going to wake up with a sugar hangover on top of your alcohol hangover. This is solved by having some bread in the morning, which we discuss in our hangover remedies post.

3. Stop the Energy Drinks Earlier than Later

   You don’t need a Red Bull at 1AM (hopefully you’re making them sugar-free red bulls too). You know your caffeine limits more than I do, but find a good caffeine cut-off time so that you can get some decent sleep. 3 hours before close would be smart.

How to Prevent a Hangover – Coming Home

Just don’t forget to take your NAC, B Vitamins, Vitamin C, Milk Thistle, and fluids! Try to rest up. And first thing in the morning, take them again, along with your ibuprofen and quality food.

Hopefully this has helped you out. Feel free to contact us with your feedback!

[1] http://www.annals.org/content/132/11/897.full