HT Brunch Game Show: Who Beats a Hangover Best?
Bhavya Kapoor, 25, Fashion stylist
How often do you drink?
Since it is the holiday season, it has been quite often. I get a terrible hangover the next day if I party hard.
How bad are your hangovers?
I get migraines. It ruins two days.
What is your hangover cure?
Having a shot of the liquor I drank last night! I’ve been using this since undergrad when a few friends and I tried it and it worked. So drinking after breakfast has been my favorite for at least six years now. It works for some of my other friends too.
Any other ways you’ve tried to deal with hangovers?
Green juice, headache or antacid and a heavy breakfast guaranteed. They have worked to some extent.
A hangover myth that is false?
Taking PartySmart (an Ayurvedic hangover cure). It has never worked for me.
Akshaya Singh, 21, Law student
How often do you drink?
Rarely… once a month.
How bad are your hangovers?
I wake up thirsty and hungry. I always have a terrible migraine with body aches and nausea.
What is your hangover cure?
To get some ORS with a light non-fatty breakfast. Your body needs to be hydrated and fueled with low-fat, low-sugar foods. My closest friend finds that chewing on a lemon peel when he wakes up, together with a disprin, helps a lot with the nausea.
Any other ways you’ve tried to deal with hangovers?
A drinking bottle of gatorade was a life hack from a college senior. Having it beforehand replenishes your body with electrolytes and helps keep you hydrated. Use low-sugar mixers in drinks. Then there’s the ARMR anti-hangover shot.
A hangover myth that is false?
That hangovers do not get worse with age. They get worse if you mix liquor.
Abhilasha Aviral Gandhi, 25, Lawyer
How often do you drink?
Two or three times a week, at social events. I don’t always get hangovers.
How bad are your hangovers?
I get headaches and nausea ranging from 4 to 6 on a scale of 1 to 10,
What is your hangover cure?
My husband’s smoothie recipe he introduced to me about two years ago. Mix six ice cubes, 1 cup of almond milk, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, a spoonful of coconut oil, oats, protein powder, 1 peeled banana and a pinch of coffee powder. Garnish with chia seeds.
Any other ways you’ve tried to deal with hangovers?
The Himalayan PartySmart pill. It reduces symptoms, sometimes none at all.
A hangover myth that is false?
If one does not mix one’s drinks, there is no hangover. But if you drink too much, you’re sure to wake up with a hangover no matter what you drink.
And the winner is… Akshaja Singh
“Don’t drink more than one cup of coffee”
Hydration is everything, be it plain water, ORS, coconut water or Gatorade, the hangover cure Dr Souradipta Chandra, Head of Operations and Consultant, Internal & Travel Medicine, Helvetia Medical Center, New Delhi, swears by. “Drinking lemon juice helps, as do carbohydrates and a cup of coffee. But don’t drink a lot of it as it will worsen your hangover. PartySmart doesn’t help much, if at all, and drinking a shot of alcohol the morning after can make you throw up, he says.
Different hacks work for different people. “For some, a smoothie will work, for others, cornflakes with honey and milk, or toast with jam and butter. You don’t need a fancy breakfast,” he says, leaving us with a warning: “Never take paracetamol before drinking. Any heavy medication causes gastritis, which causes acidity. Drinking will then lead to serious health problems.”
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From HT brunch on 12 November 2022
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