- What You Need To Know
- Eating a carb-heavy meal will help slow the absorption of alcohol.
- Stay hydrated by drinking a glass of water for every alcoholic drink you consume.
- Carbonated drinks are a recipe for a hangover.
"Just act drunk and no one will question you."
A day of color and social celebration in honor of Ireland's patron saint, Saint Patrick. Right? Well, it should be; however, nowadays it's really just a day of excessive alcohol consumption and misplaced inhibitions. Not surprisingly, most people have no idea who St. Patrick really was or that he was commonly associated with the color blue and not green. Yet somehow green got thrown into the mix and nobody even stopped to wonder why.
In all honesty, however, no one's to blame -- we were all too busy drinking.
Before
Want to avoid a hangover? Then follow the first step on our St. Patrick’s Day prep guide, which is to not drink before the drinking begins. This sounds difficult, but it's really quite simple. While it may take some sneakiness on your part, like drinking rounds of pure club soda and lying about the alcoholic content, it can be done. The key is in the delivery. Just act drunk and no one will question you. If all else fails, cite that you're driving or that you have a huge presentation in the morning and be proud in your soberness. However, be forewarned, while abstinence sounds grand, it isn’t exactly realistic.
2- Eat
The next step in this St. Patrick’s Day prep involves eating alcohol-friendly foods. Most of us know to never drink on an empty stomach, but some are unaware that the types of food you eat before you abuse your insides can be important as well. Eating fatty foods that are full of dense carbs and lots of protein will slow the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. This is why folk remedies such as olive oil and milk are purported to work. While filling up on hangover-fighting foods will mean it'll take longer to feel that oh-so-familiar buzz, it also gives your body more time to process alcoholic byproducts, thus increasing your chances of feeling fine the next morning.
3 - Take a multivitamin
Alcohol depletes your body of the B complex vitamins and vitamin C. In fact, it depletes a handful of other vitamins and further impairs future nutrient absorption. The end result is a wide-reaching depletion of essential vitamins and minerals that can leave you feeling, well, hungover. The easiest solution is to cover an entire array of vitamins and minerals by taking a decent multivitamin. Take one before drinking or just after and you may notice a difference when you wake.
"From a pure cost-benefit perspective, pacing yourself far outweighs the need for speed."
During
With age comes wisdom, and it is perhaps a fault of youth to think that you need to get as drunk as humanly possible in the shortest amount of time. From a pure cost-benefit perspective, pacing yourself far outweighs the need for speed: it will preserve your cash flow, it'll lessen the chances of a hangover and it will increase your chances of chatting up an alcohol-marinated female.
2- Stick to beer (or clean spirits)
The point here is to be consistent with your choice of alcoholic beverage. Mixing will only increase the amount of crap floating around in your bloodstream. Though St. Paddy's is usually a celebration of beer, clear spirits (like vodka) have fewer congeners (impurities developed from the fermentation process) and are thus less likely to mess with your liver. If you can't help yourself, just follow the old adage: Beer before liquor, never sicker; liquor before beer, in the clear.
3- Avoid carbonation
If you do choose to dance with lady liquor, paying attention to your lady's dance partner is a steadfast way to prevent downstream agony. Carbonation in sodas or champagne will increase absorption of alcohol into the blood; in other words, it will get you drunk and sicker a lot quicker. Excess sugar in sodas can also contribute to the morning blues. Your best bet is to mix with a fruit juice or plain old water. Adding a little bar lime mix or just lime on it's own to your vodka water can spice things up a bit if you need flavor.
4- Sip water between drinks
Building on the last point, there is no rule saying that you can't sip a glass of water between alcoholic beverages. The general rule of thumb is to go 1-for-1, but that's probably not realistic. So, whenever possible, just throw back a glass of water. If you must, sneak one in on a solo trip to the bar, or just come up with an excuse like you made out with some girl and she left a bad taste in your mouth.
So, as you run around with a big green clover painted on your bare chest, spilling as much alcohol as you’re drinking, do your best to remember these prep rules and enjoy the celebration, my friends.
Source: askmen.com
