NiteLife

Burning the candle at both ends can be tough on any university student but it is something that has to be done !! Students are easily persuaded by friends and peers to go and hit the town. 2 for the price of 1 deals and free offers in bars easily help students decide whether to stay in and do their work or to hit and town !!

Here are some helpful tips for dealin with uni the next day !

OK so I'm still going to drink...How do I prevent a hangover?

Essentially the key is to reduce irritation to the stomach lining, prevent dehydration, and reduce the total alcohol consumed over a given period.

• Firstly eat a meal before you start drinking. A meal that is digested slowly will protect the stomach from the irritating effects of alcohol. A glass of milk also helps and will slow down the absorption of alcohol.
  


• Drink plenty of water. Whilst you're partying having water or other non-fizzy soft drinks in between each alcohol drink not only reduces dehydration but limits the amount of alcohol you drink. Avoid fizzy drinks because they increase the amount of alcohol getting into the blood stream.
  


• Try not to mix your drinks - because you're only adding to the number of toxins that your body has to deal with. Apart from alcohol , chemicals called congeners are found in all fermented drinks. These chemicals can increase hangover symptoms. The general rule is that darker drinks, such as red wine, whisky and brandy have more congeners than lighter drinks such as white wine, vodka and gin. Remember though that drinks such as vodka have little taste and it is very easy to overdo the alcohol by knocking back vodka mixers that go down as easy as an orange juice.
  


• Pace yourself - If you can pace your drinking, and know when enough is enough, you'll avoid that hangover altogether.
  


• Before you finally go to bed - drinking a pint of water, fruit juice or a sports isotonic drink at the end of the night before you go to sleep can help prevent headaches in the morning. If you can stomach it a light snack such as a piece of toast will help prevent that trembling feeling associated with a low blood sugar.
  

Arghh! It's too late- I've got a hangover...

• Time will eventually cure a hangover, but if you wake up feeling bad there are a few things you can do to help you feel better. Try to drink fluids such as water, fruit juice or ginger tea - be guided by what you fancy - some people find fizzy drinks more gentle on a disgruntled stomach. If you can it tolerate it, breakfast can help by upping your sugar levels and settling your stomach. Vitamin C increases the body's ability to cope with excessive alcohol so a nice orange juice can help. Eggs are rich in cysteine which can help mop up some of the breakdown products of alcohol. Avoid coffee and other caffeinated drinks as they are diuretic, and will aggravate dehydration. Avoid the "hair of the dog" - more alcohol will just delay the inevitable. Simple analgesics can help.

It's not just the hangover...

• Remember that although drinking can help you feel relaxed and reduce your inhibitions - there are consequences of drinking which you may later regret - the hangover, the splitting headache the bad guts the short lived madness and laughter the expense and embarrassment of the night before. Apart from these common effects there is evidence to show that after heavy drinking you are more likely to sustain an injury needing a trip to casualty, more likely to have unplanned unprotected sex, and to be involved in a fight or scuffle.
  If you are with a mate who becomes very drunk stay with them, help them home and be sensible...
  a drunk + black coffee = a wide awake drunk
  a drunk + exercise = a tired drunk
  a drunk + a cold shower = a wet drunk
  

Remember

• Remember you don't need to be drunk to be likeable


• Be clear about your boundaries and stick to your own limit


• Pace yourself - or choose smaller drinks - a half instead of a pint


• Don't drink on an empty stomach


• Skip rounds, or chose an alcohol-free drink during some of them