Waking up with a hangover is probably the worst thing in the world. For many of us, living in Scotland, I bet it can be a regular occurrence (even during a global pandemic!). As the weekend ends, for many of us our Sunday’s are spent hating ourselves and swearing we will ‘never’ touch the drink again. However, as the upcoming Friday approaches, so does that ‘FRIDAY FEELING’. Which, at times, can be very difficult to ignore.
Why do we do this to ourselves?
Could it be Peer Pressure from our friends? That constant persuasion to drink on a night out (or even a night in). Do we have to involve alcohol throughout our social plans? No, we don’t have to, but we decide to do it anyway, and let’s be honest, half the time it’s because we want to. The next morning always seems so far away at the time.
Or, could it be because we live in Scotland? Many of us feel we have a reputation to uphold when it comes to drinking alcohol. It has been consistent throughout our culture for as long as we can remember, and despite the occasion, alcohol is mostly always available. Let me show you some quotes from google on ‘Scots and alcohol’:
‘In Scotland, a 7-course meal is a bottle of whiskey and a 6 pack of beer’ *rampantscotland.com
‘Alcohol does not solve any problems, but neither does milk’ *Scottish proverb
Food for thought and perhaps content for another blog?
That Horrendous Hungover Feeling
The stages of a hangover may be common to most, but the severity of yours could vary. This could be anything from feeling sick to having torturous stomach pains or getting the munchies to sleeping all day that you don’t eat at all.
It’s important to know that a hangover takes time to leave the body and the mind. There’s no magical cure you can take to speed up the process. You can try all sorts of things, but the best cure is a combination of rest, fluids and most importantly, time.
Drink some water, get some sleep and wait it out. Get some good/light-hearted movies or series to watch and try to rest – A hangover does not last forever, and it will pass.
Alcohol Harm Reduction
If you do plan on drinking alcohol, here are some harm reduction tips to help keep you a little safer.
Never drink alcohol on an empty stomach. Food helps slow down the rate your body absorbs alcohol.
Try and drink plenty of water or soft drinks in between alcoholic drinks to avoid dehydration. It’s also good to drink water before bed and keep a glass by the bed.
Never mix alcohol with other drugs.
Don’t leave a friend in trouble. Alcohol affects our judgement and might result in a friend ending up in a difficult or dangerous situation.
Make sure you know how you are getting home. Arrange a lift before you go out.
Never leave your drink unattended.
Carry condoms. Sexual health is everybody’s responsibility.
Only time will sober you up. It takes 1 hour for 1 unit to be fully broken down after you stop drinking. If you have drunk a bottle of wine with 12 units in it, it will take 12 hours to fully sober up after you have finished the bottle of wine.
For more information on alcohol, visit the alcohol information section on our website or our other alcohol blogs.
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