The obvious advice is "Don't drink". That way there is no hangover.
Failing that:
1. Drink
lots of water. One of the primary causes of the headache in the morning is the dehydration. Ideally, you should drink
at least one glass of water for every once of liquor.
2. I wouldn't worry too much about replacing the electrolytes (if you're fairly young and don't drink excessively often). Make sure you eat healthy otherwise though.
Oh and pop a vitamin pill every so often - chronic alcohol use depletes vitamin reserves and makes absorbing them a lot harder.
3. CAFFEINE. Think about it - if you drink a lot of mixed drinks, all that damned cola/soda has tons of caffeine in it. When you're getting drunk, you're loading your brain with caffeine and then when you stop drinking you are 'starving' it off the caffeine. Hence why that morning cup of joe seems to help. However, the caveat is that the caffeine further dehydrates you - so depending on how drunk I get, I either take that morning coffee or I avoid it.
4. Food - I'm 50/50 on this one. If someone is
really drunk I would avoid giving them any food - simply because it puts them at a greater risk for vomiting. And with drunk folks,
vomiting = aspiration (the more drunk you are, the easier it is to aspirate).
That brings up a HUGE issue of mine:
Please, for the love of all that is good and holy - if you know someone is really hammered, please don't let them go to bed unassisted. Please don't let them pass out. If someone is really really drunk, hard to arouse etc. please bring them to the nearest ER. All of us in the ER will hate you for it - but we'll hate you even more if you let them choke on their own vomit and die.
When you're putting a drunk person to bed, always try to lay them in the "
Recovery Position". Step by step instructions are
here (
CLICK!) This will at least reduce the chance of them drowning in their own vomit.
I'm not kidding - it happens more often that you think....
especially amongst young folks. And believe me, resuscitating a person who has aspirated almost always results in a bleak prognosis (they either die, or end up in a coma on a ventilator).
SO please! Even if you're under age or whatever, the trouble
You Might get into for consuming alcohol is nothing compared to somebody choking on their vomit and dying.
Just a few thoughts from an old man.
cheers,