It's the fit socialite's dilemma: to carpe diem the tequila shots with the fun kids or sip soda water and lime and live to conquer the next day with productivity and fervor.
If we opt out of alcohol, social events can feel more obligatory and even stressful. But booze being a toxin, dehydrater, B vitamin stealer, and a sugar- leaves us wondering when it's worth it.
Ninja trick: supplement
Drink > Supplement / Water > Detox.
Thanks to the genius behind Bulletproof Exec, there are explanations of liver support amino acids and replenishing vitamins that can be taken before, during, and after a night on the town. While it won't leave you feeling AS GOOD as if you had abstained, it will keep you feeling a hell of a lot better than without them.
Because a hangover is essentially dehydration, a depletion of electrolytes and vitamins, and a reaction to toxins, we can easily hedge our hangover bets and smartly supplement.
The routine:
Day of Drinking- Lay off the sugar & Hydrate
Cocktail Choice: Stick to the Distilled Liquors like VODKA > GIN > TEQUILA > WHISKEY & hold the fruity/sugary mixers.
Wine has the sugar and sulfites / tannins that even if you're not allergic to them, will often leave you feeling blah. It doesn't have enough Resveratrol to justify the antioxidant benefit. Beer has the barley & hops that = gluten. Plus it takes way more to get that good buzz going meaning more calories that your body will need to breakdown (= oxidative stress). And then there's the not so fun fallout from riding the blood sugar roller coater.
With Each Cocktail: 1.)Vitamin C 2)Alpha-Lipoic Acid 3) N-Acetyl cysteine 4) Water
This combination of antioxidant amino acids & vitamin C help repair the damaged cells, replace their stolen electron (from the free radical producing alcohol), and protect the liver.
Take each of these 3 with every cocktail, a water in between cocktails. Yes, you are now the girl pulling ziplock baggies of suspect pills out of your purse at the club. Suck it up, they work. (Apparently Prickly Pear is a GAME CHANGER too - though I have yet to experiment.)
Close the night with 3-4 Charcoal Pills to help pull the toxins through and out of your body. Avoid ending the night with sugar or starchy carbs but do eat to "soak up" the excess drinks you snuck in end of night. Drink plenty of water / pedialyte.
The MORNING After: 9.5 ph Alkaline Water with Lemon (Liver cleanser) ... B vitamin replacement (you know I love my Fizz sticks & green leafy veggies) ... Free Range, Organic Eggs with yolk are a great hungover breakfast thanks to their B & D vitamins. Sneak in some spinach, antioxidant onions, & garlic into that omelet for max benefit.
Pop a probiotic to balance your assaulted good tummy bacteria.
If you're rocking coffee (instead of green tea or fizz sticks)- avoid the creamers or sugar and opt for full fat organic grass fed butter & pesticide free, high quality beans- BulletproofExec style.
I also like to drink my Glucosamine/MSM/Chondroitin supplement for my joints as booze always makes me think I'm a superhero in my stilettos to the detriment of my knees & ankles.
Exercise ASAP. Get your buns to that spin class, hike with friends, freezing open ocean swim, or even that long walk to brunch (don't drive). It will take 35 minutes to make you good as new and no matter how little sleep you got, a little cardio- especially in the sunshine- will zap any pending hangover.
If Exercise is not in the cards, get to a steam room & sweat it out. Sweat is a fabulous way to detox. You won't get the endorphin bump to your mood or the pumping of oxygenated blood flow that exercise offers, but sweating is pure magic and a decent substitute. Remember to rehydrate after you sweat. Lots of Water!!
Amino acids can help feed the brain and get you out of the hangover fog. L-Glutamine is brain food and DL-Phenylalanine releases a mild endorphin feeling to get you over the blah mood hump. It's often used to treat depression.
Night After: Get yo sleep on. Party til 6am friday night and pass out at 8p saturday night to get you right back on track feeling productive, clear, and good sunday. Bonus: 20-45 min nap mid day. If you have big plans saturday night, fake it friday night looking fabulous but sticking to 1-2 max. Get to bed early sunday. Zzzzzz Zzzzz
Suggested drinking frequency:
Go big that one night a week (maybe 2 if it's a very special occasion...). Avoid drinking lots 2 nights in a row. I'm sure you can think of other ways to feel buzzed if you're raging. Multiple nights of drinking in quantity leaves us depleted, dehydrated, overwhelms our liver, gets our body used to a blood sugar insulin spiking roller coaster, and messes with our probiotic balance in our gut. All equaling feeling like shit.
Pick the night you're going big and opt out the rest of the week. Our livers are very healing entities but we ask a lot of them and they need time to regenerate. If you sleep enough & eat really clean (read: no sugars or processed foods & tons of green veggies), you'll be able to drink more times throughout the week without as severe consequence.
One vodka soda at dinner is better than starchy carb dessert- in my experience. Every body is different of course. Listen to yours for the best results.
Shopping cart
1.)Vitamin C 2)Alpa Lipoic Acid 3) N-Acytl Cysteine 4)Charcoal - whole foods (not CVS)
5)Alkaline (9.5ph) water w Electrolytes 6) Lemon 7) B vitamin (fizz sticks)
Here are other Great Party Smart Tips from my girl, "fitness to feel good" guru, Caroline Jordan of Caroline Jordan Fitness! She rarely drinks and looks friggin awesome, making me wonder if Sober January should become Sober 1st quarter?
YOU DESERVE TO FEEL GOOD
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GETHSH is a wellness blog dedicated to researching the variables in the formula to feeling good. All suggestions should be reviewed with your licensed practitioner and taken on your own free will.