While I sat on the patio at Winks Eatery with a few friends, a warm jacket and a pitcher of beer, I couldn't help but notice the increase of students that joined us in the drinking spirit on such a chilly night. The place was extremely busy and alcohol consumption was high on most people's priority. This got me thinking- how many of these poor souls are going to wake up with sore heads and nauseous stomachs? Remembering the resilience of my own youth, I realized that most of the crowd would probably just sleep in a bit and be ready to go for another round the following night. However, I thought I may share some preventative and alleviating hangover tips for the less fortunate like myself.

Give your drink some company
It is so important to have substantial food in your tummy when you decide to add some booze in there. Not just any greasy fast food either, but something wholesome and starchy to help slow some of the alcohol absorption and provide you with energy and stability during the night. Because you've decelerated the absorption process, you've also helped to make the noticeable effects of the drink more gradual so you're not that person that passes out early.

Taking turns with H2O
They say it's good to have a glass of water in between drinks, but most people don't usually stick to that rule. I do suggest having water on the side, though, just to sip on every once and a while so you don't dehydrate. Alcohol is a very effective diuretic, which means it causes your body to expel more water than you put in. That's why you have to go to the bathroom more frequently and sometimes get the alcohol sweats. Dehydration plays a huge part in the dreaded feeling you get in the morning, like someone is hammering away at the inside of your skull.

Watch what you drink
Lots of beers and mixed drinks have artificial flavours, colours and preservative chemicals that can affect your body in a negative way. The best thing is to make sure you know what you are drinking and what ingredients were used to make it. For beer drinkers, try Steamwhistle Pilsner or Mill Street Organic. Steamwhistle only uses four ingredients in their beer: water, barley, hops and yeast. The beer tastes great and the company is very eco-friendly. Both breweries are fairly local, too, residing in Toronto, Ontario.


If beer isn't your fancy, try to stick with juice or ginger ale as mixers instead of anything artificially flavored. I know Cranberry is a big favourite, but keep in mind that any juice they spray out of that pop-gun is probably not real.

Sleep in a bed
I know this is a given, but I'm sure at one point you've woken up in a strange place that isn't your bed, which can lead to some really uncomfortable moments. Sleep is really important to help repair the damage you've done to your body after ingesting all those toxins, so try to get as much rest as possible.

Re-nourish
When you finally wake up from your slumber, you have to replace all those nourishments that are robbed from your body by alcohol. A Tylenol may aid the symptoms, but you will continue to feel like crap until your body gets back to its normal functioning. Drink fluids with some sugar, as your blood glucose level will probably be lacking by then. Lots of people drink sport-drinks as a cure for this, but a more natural solution is coconut water. You can find it in cans at the grocery store in the health food isle. It's not that expensive and doesn't have all the chemicals and colouring most sport drinks have. Plus, it's delicious!