5 min
Hangover Myths – 5 Myths About Hangovers We Need To Bust
5 Myths About Hangovers We Need To Bust
Have you been reaching out for coffee to beat those hangovers? You’re making it worse!
We’ve all been there, we’ve all experienced those hangovers that feel like the world hates us and like we’re never going to get better. And we’ll do almost anything to make it go away, even if it’s for a little bit.
The result?
We end up trying all sorts of hangover remedies in the hopes of getting better.
But do they really work?
The long list of tips and recipes for hangover cures seems never-ending! However, we find that most home remedies just treat the symptoms of a hangover and don’t do much to prevent them. Temporary relief is not ideal when you have a bad hangover, so we’re here to share some facts and bust some popular hangover myths to help you deal with hangovers better!
Before we begin, there is one crucial fact to remember. Ideally, to prevent any damage from being done, your body should be equipped to metabolise or break-down alcohol so you can avoid the hangover entirely and wake up feeling fresh.
Here’s a list of fun drinking games that are fuss-free, easy to play in groups and can easily be played anywhere.
Hangover Myth #1 - Coffee Fixes Everything
We’d love to tell you that the hot cup of coffee you instinctively reach for in the morning for a caffeine pick-me-up, will help you fix your hangover, but unfortunately, it may actually make it worse!
- Alcohol consumption makes your stomach acidic which could make you feel nauseous. Adding coffee to the mix is like adding fuel to the fire because caffeine is extremely acidic and will further damage your stomach lining.
- Alcohol and caffeine are diuretics which may make you want to use the washroom more. This will further dehydrate you.
- Coffee also constricts your blood vessels which will only make your hangovers worse.
Alternatively, you could replace your caffeine shots and rehydrate your body with a Morning Fresh POP by your bedside. It contains the same amount of electrolytes as one fresh coconut water and is easy to carry in your pocket. Make it your last drink of the night and wake up feeling hydrated and fresh.
Hangover Myth #2 - Stay Drunk
Oh, we wish this hangover myth was true. Having a bloody mary or screwdriver first thing in the morning as an anti-hangover drink is not curing your hangover; it is merely delaying it. Your liver’s worked over-time, all night to digest the alcohol in your system, bringing your blood alcohol count (BAC) down, if you continue to drink more alcohol, your BAC spikes and your liver starts to work over-time again, except this time it’s considerably more dehydrated and tired from the night you’ve had! Do yourself a favour and give your liver the love and break it needs and suggest sticking to hydrating the morning after.
Hangover Myth #3 - Beer first, then booze
The popular saying “Liquor before beer, in the clear. Beer before liquor, never sicker” has been debunked as a myth!
The myth claims that if you have liquor first and then switch to beer for the night, you won’t get a hangover. But if you have beer first and then switch to liquor, you’re going to have a bad hangover.
The basis of this saying was simply because beer is considered a much lighter drink and has low alcohol content so it might be safer to drink for the majority of the night. Therefore, the general consensus was that even if you start with one glass of liquor and switch to beer, you will be fine.
Why is this a myth?
- 12 ounces of beer contains 5% ABV (Alcohol by Volume) whereas 1.5 ounces of liquor contains 40% ABV. However, your liver processes alcohol for what it is, regardless of whether you are having beer or darker spirits. What causes the hangover is when your liver is not able to process the alcohol properly because of the quantity of drinks and not their order.
- Some beers even contain 20% to 45% ABV so they are not always lighter than spirits.
- Drinking liquor, whether it is before or after beers, will make you feel intoxicated faster because of their high ABV.
Also, this study proves that the order of the drinks made no difference in the intensity of the hangover. Which means that having liquor before beer is not going to make you avoid the hangover.
Hangover Myth #4 - Add Pain Meds To The Mix
This hangover cure myth can be risky! As easy as it may seem, you should never mix any medication with alcohol, let alone pain medication.
- Pain medication typically contains caffeine, paracetamol and/or aspirin, which puts an enormous amount of strain on your liver and can have adverse long-term effects.
- The effects of OTC pain medications usually wear-off after 4-5 hours, which means this is just temporary relief.
- Let’s also acknowledge that medication can affect other parts of our body too. Think about taking pain meds on an already nauseous stomach?
Hangover Myth #5 - Throw Up and Move On
This is one of the most harmful hangover cure myths. Forcefully throwing up has harmful effects on the natural system of your body that can also end up in long-term ailments. You might think that throwing up will just get all the alcohol out of your body, but you’re actually making it worse. Your body is continuously digesting the alcohol through your natural fluids. When you throw up, you are also expelling your natural fluids from your body which will further dehydrate you, making your hangovers worse.
Now that we’ve addressed these common hangover myths, our best advice? Avoid hangovers entirely, by drinking responsibly, staying hydrated and making a Morning Fresh your last drink of the night. Packed with all the essential vitamins, electrolytes and antioxidants you need to protect your liver. Just make one bottle your last drink of the night and you can thank us the morning after!
