1. Hangover cures?
Russell Grenning
It painsme to say thisbut,sadly,some people Iknow –naturally,theyare not close personal friends
– do,regrettably,sometimesover-indulge instrongdrink.Iwouldn’tmindtheirbeingalcoholic,if
onlytheywere anonymousatthe same time.
Mind you,I have foundoverthe yearsthat the more I drinkthe more interestingotherpeople
become.Ialsobecome farwittier,evenmore alluringandevenmore charminglysophisticated.My
singingvoice rivalsPavarotti’sand mydancingmakesNureyevlooklike abeginner.
But do I getdrunk?Never!If I accidentallyfalloverIcan lie onthe floorwithoutevenhavingtohang
on whichprovesI’mnotdrunk,doesn’tit?
Of course, thisover-indulgence,thisterribleweakness, thislackof true character and steelyresolve
by some of my acquaintance,inevitablyleadstohangovers.Well,soIhave beentold – not that I
have everfallenfoul of one myself.Ibelieve itisimportanttoknow the limitsof yourdrinking
because otherwiseyoumightnotdrinkenough.
Some have arguedthat the onlytrue hangovercure is to neverstopbeingdrunk.Anacquaintance of
mine once tearfullyadmittedthathe hadsaidno to anotherdrinkthe nightbefore butthatit didn’t
listen.Icouldtell he wasinthe grip of some terrible malaisewhenhe hadtowearsunglassesto
openthe refrigerator.
Now,inthe interestsof all,Ihave consultedrecognisedauthoritiesandcome upwitha listof foods
that can helpcure or, at least,minimisethe cripplingeffectof hangovers.Forastart, youcan forget
the hair of the dog,greasybreakfastsandgallonsof coffee.
Eggs: Theycontainproteinandaminoacidswhichhelpbreakdowntoxinsthatyourbodycannot
cope withon itsown.Theyare alsohighin vitaminBwhichhas beenfoundtoreduce symptoms.
Coconutwater:Alcohol moleculessticktowatersoyour whole body,includingyourbrain,will be
dehydrated.Coconutwaternotonlyreplacesthe body’slostH2Obutit isalsofull of essential
electrolytes yourbodywill be craving.
Ginger:A small amountwill ease ashockeddigestivesystemwhichhelpseaseconstipation,gas,
bloating,indigestionandevenvomiting.
Tomato juice:Withyourbodysufferingthe effectsof processingall of the booze youdrank last
night,itcan’t make all of the essential sugarthatyourbodyand brainneedstofunction.Itnot only
helpswithdehydration,itispackedwiththe natural sugarsyourbodyneeds.
Bananas/Kiwi Fruit:Withalcohol takingwateroutof yourbloodcells,youwill be leftwitha
potassiumdeficiencywhichcausesachy,shakymuscles.Bothare a greatsource of potassium.
Toast/bread:Theycan helpbringyourbloodsugarlevel up,especiallyata time whenyourliverhas
otherthingson itsmind.

2. Chickennoodle soup:Itprovidesafantasticbodyboostwithenergyfromthe noodlesinthe formof
carbs and cystine fromthe chickenwhichhelpsyourpooroldliveroutnoend.Andthere islotsof
sodium.
Oats: TheycontainvitaminB,calcium,magnesiumandiron andcan neutralise acidsinthe bodyand
raise bloodsugarlevels.
Asparagus:Perhapseatitbefore goingona binge as itcontainsenzymesknowntohelpbreakdown
alcohol.
All of that bringsto mindFrankSinatrawho once observed, “Ifeel bad forpeoplewho don’tdrink.
When they wakeup in the morning,that’sasgood asthey are going to feel all day.” It’shard to
disagree withhimwhetheryouare a ravingalcoholicora SalvationArmytemperancepreacher. I
alsorather like Frank’s, “Alcoholmay beman’sworstenemy buttheBible saysloveyourenemy.”
Who wouldhave guessedthatFrankwasso religious?Thisisaman who,whenalive andproduceda
urine sample,ithadan olive init.
Thenagain,there are those whodrinkbecause theyhave asocial conscience.
I’m one of themto be sure and I can do nobetterthan quote AmericancommentatorJackHandey
whohas so wiselysaid,“Sometimeswhen Ireflectbackon all of the beer I drink, I feel ashamed.
Then I lookinto theglass and thinkabouttheworkersin the brewery and all of their hopesand
dreams.If I didn’tdrinkthis beer, they mightbe out of workand their dreamswould be shattered.
Then I say to myself,‘It is better thatI drink thisbeer and let their dreamscometrue than to be
selfish and worry aboutmy liver’.”
In defence of mymodestandmoderate drinkinghabits,Iquote OscarWilde whosaid, “Workis the
curse of the drinking classes.”
Since I am happilyretiredandnotworking,clearlyIam notone of the accursed “drinking classes”,
am I?