There ain't no cure for hangover
“The physiology of what it does to the body is extremely complex. It causes a degree of destruction. It doesn’t do it in a single way. It interacts with each organ in a very different way. It is not a pure thing at all.”
Tolerance levels
Dr Farren says most people’s tolerance of alcohol goes up when they start drinking, plateaus and then goes down later in life, hence the ravages of time make hangovers worse.
“When your tolerance goes down, it may indicate that your body has enough. When you have a change of tolerance from going up to going down, it may be a tap on the shoulder.”
Dr Declan Bedford, the alcohol specialist in public health medicine for the Irish Medical Organisation, says hangovers do not act as a sufficient deterrent given the evidence. “We have a huge acceptance of drinking large amounts of alcohol. It is seen as a badge of honour and then it becomes acceptable. It has to be a badge of dishonour.”
Dr Bedford says many binge drinkers have developed a tolerance for alcohol which means that they avoid hangovers, but their work performances are still affected. Any cure for hangovers is “after the fact” and the damage is already done.
There is an element of moral hazard about hangovers being entirely self-inflicted.
Although it scarcely seems like a deterrent given the widespread public drunkenness, people would drink with even more impunity if they knew there was no morning after the night before. That is not anything we or society needs.
Bytox patch
Patchy evidence
Ronan McGreevy
At a certain stage in one’s life, hangovers are nature’s way of saying that the party’s over. We find that we love alcohol more than it loves us. That Rubicon was crossed many moons ago for this writer but, for the purposes of research you understand, I decided to try Bytox.
After a night of pre-Christmas convivial drinking, the effects, if any, were marginal. I still felt lousy the next day. Moderation is the only way, having exhausted all the alternatives.
Conor Pope
The makers of this self-styled wonder-cure insist you have to put the patch on 45 minutes before you start drinking. Over the course of an evening, I drank a bottle of wine and lots of water. When I woke up I had no headache and my mouth didn’t feel like a small bird had nested in it overnight.
Was this hangover-free dawn down to the patch or the water? It is hard to say, but my money’s on the latter.
Rachel Collins
As I move through my 30s, hangovers are easier to come by and harder to get rid of.
I tried Bytox during my annual friends’ Christmas lunch, usually a fast-track to a hangover as it starts early, I mix my drinks and I’m late to bed. The only way I survive is to drink gallons of water.
Next day, I was very tired but functioning. No headache or nausea.
I am doubtful this is down to a patch of vitamins. More likely the water and finally getting some sense.
