Gear up as we explore hangover cures that could make even The Dude from 'The Big Lebowski' ditch his White Russians for something a tad healthier. Let’s roll into recovery like we’re bowling for zeroes on the hangover scoreboard!

Alcohol 

We all know that alcohol isn't a health tonic, but we still clink glasses for the sake of fun and friendship.

I’m not advocating getting rid of nights out with the wolf pack, but knowing the consequences and how to mitigate them might inspire smarter sipping! 

Before diving into the negatives of boozing let’s start with the glaring positive, having fun and social interaction with friends.

We create memories, (assuming you didn’t black out to a level that would make Zach Galifianakis shake his head), toast to traditions, and celebrate accomplishments. The camaraderie built cannot be denied!

Some of my best memories (and most embarrassing) have been out with the crew enjoying a round of drinks and I’ll do it again.

The mystery we aim to attack today is continuing to enjoy these moments while minimizing the brutal next morning and negative effects on our health.

No, the answer is the not “the hair of the dog”. If you don’t know what this is, trust me, you’ve done it. 🐶 

How does alcohol break down?!?!

Alcohol (ethanol) is broken down by enzymes (primarily ADH) in your liver. These enzymes convert ethanol into acetaldehyde, which is highly toxic.

Other liver enzymes (primarily ALDH) aim to quickly break down acetaldehyde into acetate. This is crucial because acetate is far less harmful than acetaldehyde and can be broken down into water and carbon dioxide, which are easily eliminated from the body.

Glutathione is an antioxidant that plays a crucial role in protecting cells from oxidative stress when ALDH is starting to be overworked.

ALDH is basically Batman. His partner in crime, glutathione, is Robin. While ALDH tackles the heavy lifting of converting toxic acetaldehyde, glutathione swoops in to shield your cells, keeping the streets of Metabolism City safe.

We all know Batman and Robin don’t have real superpowers (besides Bruce Wayne’s checkbook), so they can be overrun with enough bad guys! 🦇 

This should be triggering your light bulb. Overdo the booze, and your liver can’t keep pace, leaving you with a toxic hangover from too much acetaldehyde.

NERD ALERT 🤓: Just one more nerd term, vasopressin. It’s your body’s hydration hero, it flys in to tell the kidneys to keep water where it belongs hydrating the body. But when alcohol crashes the party, this trustworthy hormone gets benched, leaving your kidneys free to flood the pipes; excess urination of needed hydration!

Ways chronic alcohol use effects the body:

• 😴 Sleep: without fail every time I drink my sleep tracker tells me my heart rate was more elevated during the night and to note what I did different that day. You are basically sedated and battling to get into deep and rem sleep leaving you groggy the next morning.

• 🧠 Brain Health: ethanol is a neurotoxin and chronic use over time can shrink parts of the brain. Mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and psychosis can follow.

• 🩻 Liver Health: the liver plays huge role in processing alcohol. Abuse can lead to fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer.

• 🦠 Gut Microbiome: the balance of good vs bad microorganisms is disrupted and the cell lining of the gut is degraded. These changes and damage can lead to impaired digestion, chronic inflammation, and gastrointestinal conditions such as GERD.

• 😬 Weight Gain: extra calories and poor sleep lead to increasing belly size. I have had multiple clients back off of having a drink every night and start losing weight and feeling better.

  Dr. Peter Attia has done a deep dive on alcohol and is a good source to research for more detail!

Best Drink Options

• Distilled Alcohol: the more the better, go for triple or quadruple distilled. It removes impurities, leaving a purer, smoother spirit that’s often easier for the body to metabolize

• Colorless Alcohol: vodka, gin, and white rum are usually better because they have less congeners. These are by-products of fermentation that can be more prevalent in darker spirits.

• Vodka: one of the best distilled options. This is also one of your lowest calorie options. Drink it straight on the rocks, with tonic water, or with water and a couple limes to squeeze in for flavor.

• Tequila: a quality tequila can be a good option, especially if it’s 100% agave because it is relatively clear and easier on the body due to less congeners. Clear (blanco) tequila is considered purer than aged varieties.

• Organic Red Wine: 🍷 organic so you limit exposure to pesticides and synthetic chemicals. While it is a minimal amount, red wine does contain some healthy aspects such as antioxidants and polyphenols and less negative impurities and congeners

Worst Drink Options

• Beer: Basically liquid bread, often high in calories and carbs 🍺 it can lead to weight gain and usually has gluten which some are sensitive to. College age folks are probably still going to hit those keg stands, but as we get older let’s switch over to a more suave, James Bond look with our drinks.

• Sugary Cocktails: margaritas, daiquiris, and pre-mixed beverages contain a lot of added sugars and artificial flavors, spiking your blood sugar and potentially leading to a sugar shock headache

• Dark Liquors: 🥃 this one hurts to say but whiskeys, bourbons, and dark rums contain higher levels of congeners that are linked to more severe headaches

• Cheap, Low-Quality Spirits: Inexpensive “garbage alcohol” is often poorly distilled, resulting in higher impurities and a harsher drinker experience

• Energy Drink Cocktails: 🤯 caffeine, stimulants, and alcohol make for bad combos! Caffeine can counteract alcohol masking effects, raises heart risk with an even more increased heart rate and blood pressure, and you are now getting a double diuretic to dehydrate you even more!

Tips and Tricks

• Water in between each drink: tried and true; alcohol drink and then some H2O: 1 to 1 ratio

• Food strategy:

  1.) Before drinking: try to avoid a huge carb only fest. Get protein & fats as well to find balance to control blood sugar spike from carbs and alcohol

  2.) After drinking: Waffle House!!! I know you aren’t going to listen but you should only eat after drinking if really hungry. A big meal before dinner gives your body more work on top of alcohol to process. A small electrolyte replacement drink is wise, especially w/salt 🧂 and maybe 3-4 oz of chicken if absolutely need something

  3.) Next Morning: hydrate with electrolytes/water and a balanced meal with protein, moderate carbs, and especially healthy fats like eggs 🍳 and avocados 🥑. If you had a lot of carbs the prior day, consider just doing protein and fats for breakfast.

• Poison is in the dose: this is different for everyone, but having an awareness around what puts you over the hangover edge and the ability to stop once you have reached it is crucial

• Stick to one kind of drink: the liver is already working hard to metabolize one type of drink. Start mixing different drinks and its workload becomes more complicated.

• Day Drink: Throw some back at the pool, beach 🏖️ or any daytime activity, allowing ample time to stop and your body to process; or if with dinner, have one glass of wine before dinner at say 6 pm, but not after dinner later in evening

• Energy Drinks: sometimes you need that extra kick with caffeine on those nights you can’t miss out on but try to avoid this combo if able.

💊 Supplements 💊 

Supplements come down to replacing what you are losing.

Alcohol consumption can deplete B vitamins so taking a good B-Vitamin Complex before bed is a good idea.

We all know about the pee party sponsored by alcohol so we should replace the lost electrolytes with water and a supplement. Don’t overdo the water though because you don’t want another pee party!

Some options that may help with breaking down acetaldehyde would be Cysteine and N-Acetyl Cysteine.

ZBiotics

The only thing on the market I’ve ever tried that directly attacks hangovers is ZBiotics.

It is scientifically engineered to break down acetaldehyde!

Jury is out on how proven this is, but I’ve heard great reviews and I can say I’ve used it and definitely noticed a difference.

Check out their website to see if you want to give it run!

Conclusion

Remember, main goal when you go out is to have fun, and if you really want the drink you know isn’t the best option, just do it!

Drink to excess and I’m not sure any of these strategies can save you 🤢 

Life is short and at the end of the day, sometimes we make choices for the sake of a good time and that is just fine!

Cheers! 🍻 

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