Hacking the hangover

How to avoid a brutal morning after

BEFORE YOU DRINK

Get enough rest // Playing catch-up + managing toxins = excessive strain on the body

• Drinking when sleep-deprived forces the body to simultaneously play catch-up and manage toxins.)

Relax // High stress = greater chance of overindulgence

• Quality time with friends/stimulating conversation = lower chance you’ll drown yourself in alcohol to escape a hollow social situation
• Be safe and support your friends in making safe choices
• Use Lyft, Uber or Tulsa’s new service, The LOOP

Eat well // Adding drinks to a body deprived of essential nutrients (and an empty stomach) is a surefire way to find yourself hurting.

WHILE YOU DRINK

Stay hydrated // Follow each drink with a pint glass of high-quality water to counter alcohol’s diuretic effect and replenish the cells 
>>THE HACK: Spring water, mineral-enhanced water, Raw coconut water, filtered tap water (last resort)

Bring a snack // Keeping the system occupied with a bit of solid food helps reduce alcohol-induced stomach irritation and curbs your drunken search for Whataburger’s Honey Butter Chicken Biscuits.
>>THE HACK: A trail mix of cashews, pumpkin seeds and dried blueberries

Know your drinks // Clearer alcohols contain fewer fermentation toxins.

• Darker liquors typically have more additives, sugar, and flavorings (often artifical, especially with cheaper brands). 
• Darker alcohols typically are aged, with more toxic fermentation wastes (potentially harmful chemicals such as methanol, esters, tannins, acetone and others that accrue in alcohol).
• Beer is generally high in fermentation waste and additives and low in beneficial cultures. Some are better than others; mass-produced, inexpensive beer contains a plethora of additives and GMO ingredients.

>>Best bet: Vodka, gin (avoid the cheap stuff)
>>Middle ground: dry cider, dry white wine, dry champagne
>>Drink sparingly: Tequila, whiskey, red wine, beer 

THE MORNING AFTER

Re-hydrate // Drink 32 ounces of spring water with a natural mineral content.

• Mountain Valley Spring Water is naturally alkaline and sourced nearby in Arkansas.

Lift your mood // Box breathing calms the central nervous system and helps clear your mind

• 4 count inhale, 4 count hold, 4 count exhale, 4 count hold, repeat

Eat something // Local eggs, leafy greens or any of the hangover hack snacks listed below 

Go outside // Vitamin D is healing, and fresh air wakes you up and calms your nerves.

Get moving // Try yoga, hiking, walking, running, skipping or crawling.

• Barefoot, outdoor movement grounds you to the earth’s frequency and helps the body regenerate.
• Hot yoga, or any form of sweating, helps you purge toxins through your biggest elimination organ: the skin.

HANGOVER HACK SNACKS

• Vitamin C (protects the liver and helps detoxify free radicals): Dark leafy greens, kiwi, grapefruit, lime, wild berries, yellow bell pepper
• Magnesium (catalyzes important biochemical reactions in the body; most of us are already deficient in this micronutrient): Dark chocolate, avocados, fish, mollusks, cashews, black coffee, lamb quarters, pumpkin seeds, escargot
• Electrolytes (ions that activate thought and motion): Coconut water, spring water (check for naturally occurring trace mineral content), trace mineral droplets (available at natural grocery stores; add to water)
• Cysteine (essential amino acid that helps with the absorption of b-vitamins): Wild pheasant, organic turkey, chicken liver
• B vitamins: Liver, fish, mollusks, local eggs, grass-fed dairy, lentils

BEER LOVERS

• Look for unpasteurized beers (easiest to find in carefully crafted home brews), dry-hopped ales (fresher, more bioactive hop content) or beers brewed with herbs and spices such as sage, thistle, rosemary, thyme, juniper, mint and cardamom.
• Choose beers from small craft breweries, which typically use quality ingredients and few additives. 
• Available in Oklahoma: Prairie Artisan Ales, Rogue, Boulevard Smokestack Series, Brew Dog, Evil Twin, Marshall, COOP Ale Works and Stillwater Artisanal
• Local low alcohol beers have fresh ingredients and low fermentation wastes. Get 64 ounces for about $15 from COOP Ale Works, Prairie Artisan Ales and Marshall Brewing Company.

For more from Zac, read his story on proper posture.