Last night, I left a friend’s birthday at a responsible time: 1:30am (okay, I’m trying to sound cool, that’s very late… I’m typically in bed by 11pm) and tried to hail a cab home in this lovely city. I forgot that finding a cab on a cold Vancouver night is like expecting Ryan Gosling to NOT be a total dreamboat (impossible).
I walked in the rain for ages flailing my arms around at cabs. At 3am I used the last two percent of my phone battery to call my (speaking of DREAMBOATS !) partner and he picked me up using our carshare. The experience robbed me of sleep, but I can thankfully report one thing: no hangover whatsoever today.
For someone with a sensitive stomach and a past with heaps of horrible hangovers, I can tell you that I am finally a responsible enough person to prevent the dreaded aftermath of drinking.
First, eat a proper meal before drinking begins.
In an ideal world, this would be something like a burrito bowl. Burrito bowls have everything: protein, produce, whole grains, and healthy fat. I make a huge portion and save some for later when I come home. Do this and you will be SO proud of yourself.
Next, stick to one type of liquor all night.
I know that’s sometimes hard to do, but I’m telling you… if you want to avoid hangovers, it’s the first step. I have a drink recipe for you that you are going to find UNIQUE and EXCITING (am I being sarcastic? Will you ever know? Yes, you will immediately).
It’s basically Vodka-water with lime (but use gin if you want):
1/2 a cup of ice
1 cup water OR sparkling water (it’s exciting to have options)
and – now it gets real riveting; look how many options there are:
grapefruit slices AND/OR orange slices AND/OR lime slices AND/OR lemon slices.
I put all of that together and drop the wedges right in after squeezing out the juices… and honestly, it tastes just fine. Good, even.
Everyone knows that the lighter the liquor, the less likely a hangover is. The vodka (or gin) in this drink and the lack of sugar/presence of water will lessen your chances of dreaded sugar-induced headaches and dehydration symptoms.
Skip the late-night fast food.
Miss the trip to your local McD’s. Focus on protein, not grease, to help ease your stomach. I usually opt for bean dip, hummus, or guacamole with corn tortilla chips; popcorn; or good ol’ PB&J.
Morning after things:
- The next day should obviously involve lots of water (I know, a brand-new, hot tip) and something to aid digestion like ginger kombucha or probiotic yogurt.
- Go for a walk at some point. Fresh air will bring you back into the real world (and get you out of your head if you’re having the next-day scaries).
- Lastly, be kind to your body and give it what it wants: brunch.
When you have earned your lack of hangover, I promise you will feel like a real adult… no matter how many hours you spent trying to hail a damn cab in this city.