It's no surprise and no news that booze will give you a nasty headache and a bit of nausea the next morning, or if you're unlucky, on the same night you're drinking.
There are lots of scientific reasons why we get hangovers. The main one is the alcohol itself, ethanol, which annoyingly has a dehydrating effect, causes headaches and tiredness. Now why can't someone fix that...Now, your little liver is trying desperately to break down all that ethanol and produce glucose at the same time, and can't really cope. Glucose is directly responsible for the brains energy, hence the drowsiness and rest of the symptoms.
Another blight on the quest for hangover free drinking are little things called "congeners". These are created during alcohol fermentation and make your hangover lots worse; they are more common in darker drinks, like brandy, dark rum or red wine.
So, anyway, enough of the boffin-speak, onto the more important bit. How to fix a hangover.
There is no surefix for your sorehead, but here are a few things you could try.
The chemical fix
Most chemists stock a product called Resolve. If you can keep it down the morning after, it might just give you the jump-start you need. Or at least see you through til you have your next drink. It's a mixture of paracetamol, antacids and glucose amongst other things. Try it at night before you sleep/pass out.
The vitamin fix
Our upside-down cousins, the Australians, swear by a supplement called Berocca, which contains everything you lose from drinking in exactly the right proportions. Sold as a pick-me up for business meetings, it's a secret hangover cure. But don't worry - you don't have to mail order from Oz, it's now stocked in a high street blue and white chemist near you.
