My job is to “explore foreign drinking cultures while partaking in the local libations”. Therefore, it goes without saying that one of the hazards of “exploring” too deeply, is the dreaded hangover. But in contrast to the veritable plethora of incredible customs and traditions that I’ve found surrounding the making and consuming of various alcoholic concoctions, I’ve found very few remedies to make a night of over-working any less painful the next morning.
The two ways to avoid a hangover are to NOT DRINK or NOT STOP DRINKING. But, as those are not desirable for most of us, here are my thoughts on a few remedies.
Food is often thrown around as a sure cure. Putting ourselves into a self-induced food coma can sometimes take some of the pain away. This is one that I lived by, and one of the reasons I was tipping the scale at a not-so-svelte 210 pounds by season three. At that point, I’d take any excuse to pull into a Krispy Kreme, even if the “Hot Doughnuts” sign wasn’t illuminated. Food does do the trick sometimes. But there are others that I’ve found more effective.
Overall, if I had to rate food and it’s efficiency at curbing a hangover’s symptoms, I’d give it two out of three sheets. 2/3
“Hair-of-the-dog” is often thrown around as a way to get back to normal. But, unless “normal” for you is buzzed, it’s not always an option. And if my stomach has gotten involved in my hangover, the alcohol may come up as quickly as it went down. For this reason, I give it one out of three sheets. 1/3
Spicy food is popular in many countries, including Mexico, South Korea and Thailand, as a means of sweating out what you drank the previous night. But, as one of the primary symptoms of (and causes of) a hangover is dehydration, sweating it out may actually make things worse. However, if you combine spicy food with plenty of liquids, it can actually do the trick. Two out of three sheets .2/3
Fire-cupping was certainly an interesting experience, but I found it about as effective of treating my hangover as sitting in a chair. In Hong Kong, a man put suction cups on my back to get my blood moving.
The result: I still felt like ass, but now I looked like I was attacked by an octopus. If I had to rate its effectiveness from one sheet to three sheets, I’d give it a zero. 0/3
Jumping into freezing water, in my case 34 degrees, is a great way to get rid of your hangover—if you don’t go into shock. It’s kind of like having a blister on your foot, and having your “friend” decide to punch you in the stomach. You don’t really feel the blister because you just got hit in the gut. When I jumped into the icy fjord in Denmark, the pain of being engulfed in ice-cold water made my hangover an after-thought. When survival is your body’s primary objective, a hangover is not a issue. By the time I ran (naked) to the sauna, I was feeling great! As far as curing a hangover, I’d have to give it three out of three sheets. 3/3
In Queenstown, New Zealand, they are nuts about their extreme sports. It’s the birthplace of bungee jumping and the canyon swing. I opted for the canyon swing. I thought it sounded easier. I like swings. I used to have on in my back yard. But my swing wasn’t like this. When I stepped onto that platform, and looked over the edge, my testicles shriveled up into a vagina. Staring down more than 300 feet to the river below, there was no way that I could have jumped off that thing. If, while watching the show, it looks like I jumped, great. I didn’t. I fell. My endorphin, adrenaline and anything else that the body kicks out to prepare you for a crash landing pumped so hard that my hangover was gone. I was just happy to be alive. I give it a solid four out of three sheets. 4/3
Ted’s Tea Shack in Jamaica get the highest marks (key word being “high”). There, in Ted’s 200 square foot house, he whipped me up a pot of pot (tea). It was four buds of marijuana, pot, ganja, reefer, bud, Buddha, green, stink weed, wacky tobaccy—)OK, you get the point) boiled in water and honey. I drank a full cup, and has a piece of his “special” cake. After about 30 minutes, I felt better. Ted laughed and said “No, mon. You won’t be feeling that for 20 more minutes.”
He was right. In 20 minutes, I couldn’t feel my legs, let along a hangover. I was supposed to shoot another scene that day. There was no chance of that happening… I’m certainly not advocating the use of drugs to cure a hangover, although it’s not like aspirin and booze aren’t drugs. Sure, it cured my hangover—but I couldn’t function for two days. However, purely based on its ability to rid me of my hangover, I give it ten out of three sheets. 10/3
