Do you hide from reality when hungover?
Do you ever just feel like everybody is against you when you are recovering from a drinking binge? A lot of the time I used to feel like this after a heavy session on the beer and god knows what else. Alcohol has the ability to make you think it’s a good idea to drinking absolutely anything after you have had a few too many drinks and let your guard down.
You know the story, you’ve said to yourself, I'm just going to have a couple of drinks, and before you know it, you are getting kicked out of the bar at closing time and you are thinking about where you are going to find the next drink. You end up drinking at home and are still awake at 6 am and can't sleep, or maybe that was just me!?So it’s the morning after, maybe it’s the second night in a row that you have been out drinking, or perhaps the 3rd. You have slipped into a dark place (your bedroom should be pretty dark if you have a massive hangover is my tip) in your mind. You are feeling depressed and scared,
Welcome to your hangover.
It’s the hangover from hell, it's actually much more than a hangover, it’s a hangover that a pizza is not going to fix. This is becoming more serious than a simple night of the beer, it's going to take several days to feel right again. You are going to be lying in bed sweating and maybe even hearing some voices in your head. You have enabled offline mode on Facebook chat (perhaps do this now if you have not done so already) so nobody will know that you have seen their message they have sent to you. Don’t forget Whatsapp as well, they have that sneaky message read notification to senders as well, so best to just read the messages when they come in rather than opening them.I could not deal with anyone when I was in one of these dreadful states of mind, it was a frightening feeling. What did I say to people last night? I will try and relive the night in my head and squirm at things I have said or did, and start to panic that I have deeply offended someone close to me, or even an acquaintance. Weekends are the worst, you have the freedom to drink both Friday and Saturday night, and then Sunday comes along and you start to panic. You can try and put it down to the Sunday night feeling because you have work the next day, but it all down to the drinking sessions and the massive comedown you are having.
1) Ignore those messages
I would advise to not speak to anyone if at all possible. You might end up breaking down on the phone! I know it's good to talk things through, but when you are in a massive hangover from alcohol, you are not thinking straight. You are not thinking straight when you are drunk, that why people get in trouble or eat the wrong types of food when they are drunk, so being hungover will have the same repercussions.
Turning off your phone is probably a good idea in case anybody decides to call you. They are going to know that something is up if you just let it ring out, and you don’t want a house call when you are feeling like this. So make them think you are not at home or out of service on the mobile network.
2) Prepare in advance
If this type of thing happens to you a lot, consider having an emergency kit to deal with hangovers. You will need some supplies in there for the worst case scenario. There are a lot of these kits online, with all kinds of things in them like bubble bath and electrolytes, stomach pain tablets etc. These kits are all good and well, but you probably need to tailor your own kit with some food you like and drinks which are going to make you feel a little better. There is nothing worse than having to go out to the shops if you are hungover, imagine bumping into somebody you know and having to talk to them.
Health advisors are going to suggest non-fizzy drinks to get over a hangover, but I’m not really into just drinking water all the time and I do think that fizzy drinks and energy drinks can help sometimes with a hangover. Going to bed with some water is what id normally do.
3) Don’t smoke
I've given up smoking a long time ago, but if you are a smoker, it's going to make you feel sick if you light up with a hangover. It's just too much of a headrush to have nicotine and it's going to make you feel even dirtier than you already feel with the aftertaste. If you are into smoking something a little stronger as well, then this is another thing to avoid, it could send you over the edge if you decide to get high with a massive hangover, just tough it out without these stimulants when you are already anxious.
4) Exercise your way out of it
It's going to be hard work, but if you could do some exercise to sweat it out of your system then it will work. I remember reading George Orwell's book, Down and Out in London and Paris. In the book, he has a dishwasher and he said that any hangover could be combatted but working in a hot kitchen. Cardio is the best way to sweat though, but being in a hot room would do it as well, such as a sauna. Going to a sauna though is going to mean mixing with people, which is something I would not want to think about if I was hungover.
You know it's not a good idea to get another drink inside yourself, it's just prolonging the inevitable at the end of the day. We have all tried it, and it just makes you feel terrible and is not combatting the problem you have right now. I have done hair of the dog several times and it takes more and more drinks to get you to a level where you feel just normal again, and by this point, you already drunk so back to square one.
6) Don’t try sedatives
If you have access to harder medication such as Valium, please stay away. I've been living in countries before where Xanex and Valium are available over the counter, and I've used them for a hangover. The problem is that these types of medications are habit-forming like alcohol is, so you are going to be craving this as well as the alcohol. The other reason why taking strong drugs like these is that they will make your inhibitions lowered again as the alcohol does, and you are going to feel well again, which could make you want to start drinking again.
7) Go to the cinema
The cinema is great for a hangover, it's nice and dark and you don’t have to go with somebody to watch a film. You could even buy some comfort food in there to make you feel a little better. I suggest having a long walk to the cinema and stopping off to buy some snacks before you buy your ticket. You are going to have to choose your choice of the film carefully though, you don’t want something which is going to make you sad or sick, so nothing emotional or depressing. Try a comedy to try and lift your spirits. You could even go to a drive-in cinema, but these are normal ones that you go to with other people, so if you are feeling self-conscious about doing this, then stick to a conventual cinema.
8) Have a long shower
A hot bath is too much for a hangover, it can increase your sweats or cold sweats, and once you are in a hot bath, then you cant change the temperature. So for this reason, it's best to have a shower, with a shower, you can control the temperature and adjust it to whether you are feeling too hot or too cold at the time. I've often thrown the covers off if I'm getting a cold sweat and jump into a hot shower, or vice versa and jump into a cold shower if I'm having a hot sweat.
9) Try and stay awake for as long as you can.
Most people suggest sleeping it off, but id say do the opposite and stay up until your usual bedtime. If you want to try and get back to normal as quickly as you can, then staying up is the answer. You may have to go to work the next day, but at the least, you want to get back to your normal body clock hours, so make a point of staying awake until your usual bedtime. You might want to go out and about to stay awake, going for a walk is going to keep you awake, so try and do this if you start to feel yourself flagging.
The temptation to go back to bed will be there, but it's just going to make the night-time even harder, you are going to be awake all night trying to get to sleep, so do yourself a favour and force yourself to stay awake.
10) Do some work.
To get through the day, do something meaningful to try and pass the time. I know it’s the last thing that you feel like doing, but if you can at least clean your home, the results will make you feel so much better.
It's also exercise as well, so this is going to lift your mood. I hate to be sat in a messy room at the best of times but sat in filth when I'm hungover just makes me feel more depressed. If you have a job that is creative, then it's probably not a good idea to try and do any other work, but some tasks can be easier than others to do and will make you feel better if you achieve something in your wasted day, believe me.
Conclusion
Having a hangover is going to be rough, there are lots of remedies on the internet like eating a big breakfast or drinking a lot of water, but ultimately, none of these is going to fix the problem. You need to do things that make you feel better for a reason, not just pumping your body full of more things like carbs or caffeine. The only way to end the pain is to sit it out in the best way you can until the feeling passes.