Are you guys planning to throw a surprise party for someone this holiday, or it just a Christmas party with lots of alcohol? We have put together 10 easy tips to help you avoid the horrors of getting hung over the morning after the party.
Getting a hangover is the most feared outcome of drowning yourself in alcohol a night before, and there are several remedies you can try, from a flat coke to salty food.
However, as the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. The best thing to do is find a way to drink less or avoid drinking at all so you have to deal with a hangover.
Now that you’ve been introduced to what this article is about, we can proceed to discuss 10 ways to avoid a Christmas party hangover.
1. Never Drink On An Empty Stomach
First of the 10 ways to avoid a Christmas party hangover is never to drink on an empty stomach.
If you know you’ll be having a party in the evening, make sure to eat normally throughout that day, and munch on a light meal or a healthy snack before going to the party.
Having food in your stomach will slow down the metabolism rate of whatever alcohol you drink. However, as much as you are advised to eat, do not overfeed so that you don’t get bloated and have your evening ruined.
Also, no matter how much you love bar snacks like peanuts and crisps, avoid the completely as they’ll only make you crave more drinks.
2. Avoid Mixing Your Drinks
It can be tempting to switch from wine to spirits, then guzzle a can of beer, but don’t fall for it (it’s a trap guy!). Drinking mixtures is the fastest way to headache town by the next morning and trust me, that’s a trip you don’t to make.
At the start of the night, you have the liberty of choosing any drink you want, but once you make a choice, make sure you stick to it till the party is over.
3. Opt for Clear-Coloured Drinks only
Clear colored drinks are perfect when it comes to suffering only a minimal effect of hangover.
You can opt for a gin and tonic, or preferably vodka and a mixer such as a cranberry juice or lemonade. Avoid red wine as it is one of the worse ways to get a hangover the morning after. Stay away from dark spirits like rum, brandy, and whiskey.
Clear colored drinks are more likely to pack fewer calories than beer or wine, which means they’ll be saving the extra weight while keeping hangover as far away as possible.
4. Stick To Singles
Watch the size of the bottles or glass you’re ordering. It is very easy to underestimate how much drink you’re taking in.
It might be quite tempting to drink more especially when it’s cheap or when there is more to be won for drinking every measure. Always go for smaller bottles or cups as they will help you measure the right amount to drink.
A small bottle or glass of wine at a pub or bar these days is usually 175ml – and a large size is 250ml, which when measured is equal to a third of a bottle of red wine.
5. Have A Few bottles of Soft Drinks
Order a bottle of a non-alcoholic beverage between each alcoholic drink you take. This works the best if you are drinking vodka or spirits, as you can easily order just the mixer without ordering the spirit, and nobody else will ever know that you ordered one without the other.
6. Offer Your Liver A Helping Hand
During the festive periods, taking a daily dose of Milk thistle – a popular herbal supplement that protects and detoxifies the liver and its vital functions will be of great help.
Especially during a party season when you know lots of alcohol will go into your system, a daily dose will do wonders. You already know that your liver needs all the support you can give it!
7. Check Your Medications
7th on our 10 ways to avoid a Christmas party hangover is checking your medications.
Before going for that Christmas party, it won’t be a bad idea to check the label of any medication you are on, to be sure that it does not react negatively with alcohol.
While many medications are OK to take whilst consuming alcohol, that does not mean that they will not contribute to a more serious hangover the morning after.
So, If you are on any medication that has been confirmed not to mix well with alcohol, think twice and be sure whether or not the alcohol is worth the bad headache the next morning.
8. Don’t Sleep It Off
On the 8th spot is ditching the popular fallacy of sleeping off the alcohol. It’s not a good idea!
If you have managed to overindulge, don’t sleep when you get home. Try to stay up for a while and look for something to keep yourself busy.
Your metabolism slows down when you sleep, which means that your body will take a longer time to dispose of all that excess alcohol. The worse part is – this is exactly how hangovers start.
9. Eat a Snack Before Bed
Always have something to eat before bed if you have had too much to drink. You can try a slice of wholemeal toast and honey if you have that handy.
Honey contains potassium and it is known to help counteract the effects of the alcohol. If you don’t have honey, eat whatever you can find.
10. Prevention Is Always Better Than Cure
You know the saying that when it comes to drinking and almost everything else that could cause you discomfort, prevention is better than cure.
You can pace yourself to remain in a merry mood and just stop immediately you have had enough to drink. Budgeting a specific amount to spend for the night ahead is one of the best ways to ensure you pace yourself – just hold enough cash to cover a reasonable number of alcohol.
Also, do not feel pressured to keep up with your friends, we all have different tolerance levels when it comes to drinking. If you feel that one or two bottles of alcohol leave you feeling tipsy, then you already know you must moderate your drinking accordingly.
We hope you found these 10 ways to avoid a Christmas party hangover valuable. Please leave a comment below if you have questions or would like to share other tips.
We look forward to hearing from you. Enjoy your holiday!