Scenario: Still tired from last night’s drinking escapade, John Q. Student rolls out of bed.
It’s only 8 a.m., but he forces his body to stumble to the bathroom. His queasy stomach wants to vomit, but the room’s horrible odor of cleaning agents and pizza on the carpet tells him that at some point in the previous evening, he did.
His head feels like exploding, his limbs don’t want to move, and the world is blurry. John knows if he had drank responsibly, he wouldn’t have a hangover. But now it’s too late. He wants something — anything — to make the hangover go away.
For all the Johns out there, any quick fix to their hangover sounds good. Students may drink coffee, swallow caffeine pills, awaken themselves with cold showers or try to induce vomiting to feel better. Other students drink more alcohol or try concoctions that promise immediate relief.
However, University health educator Ramah Leith said these remedies are not the answers to relieving a hangover.
Alcohol is a depressant with toxic effects, according to the Addiction Science Research and Education Center. When alcohol’s effects wear off, the depressed body suffers a small withdrawal syndrome. Symptoms include headaches, upset stomachs, early morning awakening and dehydration. While the body functions more slowly than usual the morning after, it is working hard to process the alcohol and return to normal.
“A hangover is the number one reason why I don’t drink,” said freshman Colin Storz.
But he offered this advice to students who do choose to drink: “Know some basic rules on how to take care of yourself when you are inebriated.”
Leith also offered suggestions such as sleeping, eating and drinking water.
“Over the counter, there isn’t anything that cures a hangover,” she said. “The only cure for a hangover is time.”