The first step in dealing with a hangover is accepting that there is no cure.
There’s a nagging feeling with a hangover that you can ingest something, like a food, a drink or a pill, and it will all go away. It’s frustrating and counter-intuitive but none of these things will work. Your body may be telling you that’s what it wants, but your body is a dumb child right now and doesn’t really know what’s good for it.
Your body is dehydrated and lacking in sugars. The pleasure and chill-out mechanism in your brain, grown accustomed to overstimulation, is shocked by lack of stimulation. Your head is broken clockwork innards and your stomach is angry, almost mournful.
You feel like you need sugar, salt, fat and gallons of water. But sugar, salt fat and water won’t help. You’re tired and shitty. You’ll sit around and watch bad TV. You’ll sleep all afternoon and be awake all night. You will only feel about 50 percent the next morning and you’ll have to do twice as much because you wasted a day.
So that’s the bad news. Here’s the more bad news: the best way to deal with a hangover is to actually do stuff. By doing stuff, you’re going to get your mind off your symptoms, you’ll sweat out the demons and you’ll set yourself for less failure in the coming days.
The movie “The Hangover” is actually a great demonstration of how this principle works. Ed Helms wakes up with the world blurry and angry with him. He’s physically ill and consumed by regret. But then he and his buddies have to go out and do things. By the end of the day, time, adrenaline and caffeine have done their job. His experience wasn’t pleasant but he’s better for it.
So put on some sunglasses and grab a water bottle. Get out. Walk around. Accomplish and/or enjoy things.
Anyway, I have a lot more thoughts on this topic. Look back for more detailed information.
