Contemplating grabbing a little hair of the dog that bit you for your hangover relief? Let me guess, you drank too much last night, you are having a rocky morning and you are thinking you could try drinking a little more to take the edge off, right?
The term “Hair of the Dog” comes from the old saying about “biting the dog that bit you.” In this spirit, some people find that treating their hangover with a little more alcohol helps them get relief from their hangover.
Part of the reason you feel bad after boozing comes from what is in the alcohol you had, while the other part comes from your body’s withdrawal of the alcohol. Luckily, drinking some more in the morning can put off the aches, pains, and queasiness that come from this withdrawal. This is a chance to get rid of the pain and get a little buzz, which is plausible as long as you don’t have a real-life to get back to.
A drink like the famous Bloody Mary is helpful in this situation because vitamins and minerals are in the vegetable juice base. Stocking up on the vitamins and minerals that were lost the night before will help you feel better.
Drinking sugary alcoholic drinks may make you feel better temporarily, but it will probably make for a worse hangover later on that day. The same goes if you try to repeat the night before by drinking just as many drinks. Your hangover may disappear for a while but probably rear its ugly head again later on and have a bigger bite…
Bottom line: although you might gain some temporary relief you are only prolonging the inevitable and this method really is not a cure. It is about as dumb as taking activated charcoal for a hangover.
