What To Do Before, During And After A Night Of Heavy Drinking.

Sundays; the day of rest, read a day of misery.

That phone call jolts you from a near coma; a friend on the other line raving about how yesterday was such fun, she is up ‘removing the lock.’ You can barely hear her over the pounding headache; cut the call short as you rush to the toilet to throw up – this has to be how it feels when you’re run over by a truck, then it backs upon you.

Hangover symptoms

Your whole body is shaking, so perhaps you should eat something; nope, not happening. Sleepy but too miserable you can’t quite fall asleep. You lie there in bed nauseated, shaking, and regretting the day you took that first black ice/ red ice (depending on your age). If you are terribly unlucky, a night of regrettable memories haunt you. 

You can hear people outside your window going about their business, even laughing – the audacity! If only you could trade places.

You down two tabs of  Mara Moja with that cold Fanta orange and spend the whole day trying to nurse your life back, on the couch just staring at the Tv screen, ordering in some greasy food. Drinking gallons of water with the occasional visit to the toilet to throw up.

They call it ‘having to return the happiness you borrowed’- worst feeling ever; wouldn’t wish it on my enemy.

It’s not like you have never been here before, nope! In fact, you were here just last weekend. Oh, the painful shame of realizing that you did again what you promised yourself never to do.

Why we get hangovers

What if I told you that it really doesn’t have to be like this? According to the conversation, hangovers happen as your body tries to protect itself from alcohol’s toxic effects.  

It is Biology, really. As your blood alcohol levels continue to rise, your liver is working to break it down so your kidney can clear it out quickly. The longer alcohol sticks around in your body, the more damage it causes to your organs. 

The body’s responses include:

  1. Changes in hormone levels trying to reduce dehydration and cellular stress, thus hangover anxiety,  irritability and fatigue.
  2. Brain chemicals get altered thus enhancing the feelings of depression and hangover anxiety.
  3. Inflammation increases in your body’s tissues. The healthy bacteria in your digestive system get disrupted, causing a leaky gut, thus, stomach burning sensation and pain.

These reactions and the body’s responses result in a hangover which can last up to 72 hours.

Things to do to avoid getting hungover

Next time you plan for a night of debauchery; here is a checklist to help your body along and to ensure that you can function the day after:

  1. Eat food 40 minutes before drinking- preferably red meat, fatty fish, green vegetables, or fruits such as watermelon, oranges, and avocado.
  2. Pace yourself and sip water or soda in between drinks. Avoid chugging your drinks ‘Joe Muchiri’ style.
  3. Chase your drinks with lime, water, or soda. 
  4. Obey your cravings and take breaks to snack. It is why there are sausage choma & mayai stands – muite msee wa mayai agonge mbili.
  5. Avoid humid areas- take breaks for some air; you might even bump into a peng ting.
  6. Drink a glass of water before bed and another early when you wake up.

Try this and watch how significantly you reduce your regrets, lol. 

Make sure to buy water and a mixer each time you place an order. Did you know that we offer free delivery for all orders above KES 3000? We also have non-alcoholic drinks just if you’re hoping to cut down on or completely omit booze from your lifestyle.

By Joy Kositany: Digital Marketer

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