“A dusty thudding in his head made the scene before him beat like a pulse. His mouth had been used as a latrine by some small creature of the night, and then as its mausoleum. During the night, too, he’d somehow been on a cross-country run and then been expertly beaten up by secret police. He felt bad.”
Kingsley Amis, Lucky Jim
Author of one of the better descriptions of a hangover in literature, Amis captures some core symptoms: headache, nausea, thirst and fatigue. Cognitive and physical impairment can occur the day after heavy drinking in the absence of these symptoms, but these are best labelled residual effects, with the term “hangover” reserved for the physical symptoms listed above.
The suffering minds and bodies of those who experience a hangover between now and the new year will not be concerned with such semantics. Rather they will want to know about the best cure. Later in the recovery phase they may wonder why they are not one of the lucky 23 per cent of drinkers who report never experiencing a below par day following an alcohol-filled night before.
A review of the medical literature by a group of Boston researchers concluded that in addition to the peak blood alcohol levels reached during a drinking session, these characteristics likely played a part in the severity of a hangover: type of beverage(s) consumed; the nature of the drinking occasions; and characteristics of the individual drinker.
Congenial drink
So be careful to choose a “congenial” drink for your night on the town. By this I mean be aware of the role of congeners – substances other than alcohol produced during fermentation. These substances include acetone, acetaldehyde, esters, tannins and aldehydes. They contribute to the unique smell, taste and colour of each type of drink.
Tipples heavy in congeners include red wine, whisk(e)y and brandy. White wine is more “congenial” than red, while rum and gin also have a lower congener concentration. But the lowest of all is vodka – it has almost no colouring and flavouring, making it the theoretically best type of alcohol if your aim is to avoid a severe hangover.
Interestingly, the review authors could find no research that examined the effects of drinking circumstances on hangover incidence. Referring to factors that future research might look at, they listed: “Whether the occasion involved drinking alone or with others; whether a social drinking event was convivial or discordant; food consumption prior to, during, or after drinking; tobacco use while drinking; concomitant medications or illegal drugs; exercise while drinking (eg dancing); and predrinking mood and fatigue status.”
Let’s look at some of the classic hangover cures.
The hair of the dog is well-known – one example is a 50-50 mix of tequila and Tabasco sauce. The principle behind the hair of the dog is simply to postpone the inevitable.
Gut-churning solutions
Russians side-step some neighbouring nations’ gut-churning solutions (German pickled herring anyone?) preferring to sweat it out in the sauna or steam room. This is supposed to flush out the toxins. ( But does this mean Russians are no longer drinking vodka, the most congener “lite” type of alcohol?)
I'm partial to the occasional prawn salad but had never thought of it as a hangover cure until I learned of the Mexican salad vuelva a la vida (return to life). Made with prawns, lime, onions and tomatoes, my source didn't mention whether it was specific to tequila-induced hangovers.
There’s a lot to be said for a good fry up the morning after. Blood sugar levels plummet after a heavy night, so at least this deficit is sorted out while the alcohol leaches from your system.
A foolproof hangover cure? There’s only one and it is distinctly non-festive: avoid alcohol. But that’s no fun, so in a Christmas spirit of hedonism, have one (or two!) for me.