Cinco de Mayo is today, and in true holiday spirit you should have a fully loaded stock of sombreros, burritos and liquor ready to be indulged at any moment. You may be conflicted on whether to indulge (heavily) today and possibly regret it tomorrow, since Tuesdays are hard enough already without looking and feeling like you got hit by a bus. If that is true, there are ways to prevent the worst. Here are 10 tips on how to enjoy Cinco de Mayo without the Cinco de Hangover.
Side Note: Drink responsibly and know your limits. Remember to consider your weight and emotional status before you try to be “wasted like a white boy.”
Photo Credit: Thy Blackman
1. Shot for Shot
Too much alcohol can lead to dehydration which causes that annoying headache you get the next morning. Drinking water helps deflect hangovers that have you looking like you got hammered the night before. As you take a shot of liquor take a shot (or more) of water. It reduces your risk of a Monday hangover.
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2. Stick to Light Liquor
We know some of our Vixens are dark alcohol drinkers. The rum and whiskey is all some of you ladies drink, but for this day (full of margaritas and mojitos) stick to light. Darker beverages are more likely to contain congeners which aid in hangovers. Try Cruzan or Ciroc.
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3. Eat
This is probably the first rule you learn when you start drinking and probably the one you forget to abide by. Drinking on an empty stomach will absorb your alcohol consumption faster, so the less you eat, the more you have to moderate your drinking so that you can last throughout the Cinco de Mayo festivities. We recommend fatty foods because they stick to your stomach lining and slow the absorption of alcohol into your bloodstream. Leave the fruits and kale at home and grab yourself a salty tortilla and a greasy burrito.
4. Keep it Classy
We love expensive liquor but our pockets don’t. However, it’s a celebration! Break open your piggy banks (or your flirting skills) and invest in a more expensive liquor. The more expensive the bottle, the less congeners are put in them, plus the taste is much better.
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5. Popped a Vitamin, I’m Healthy
Before you begin your day of fun, pop a couple of vitamins, especially C and B, to help prevent a hangover. Drinking takes nutrients out your body, so if you’re planning on indulging, make sure you stack up on the good stuff. This can also be done after the party’s over, in case you forget.
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6. Potassium
Many people use Gatorade after a night of drinking, but try snacking on foods high in potassium like bananas or spinach.
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7. Coconut Water
If you aren’t a fan of water or Gatorade, opt for coconut water. It’s filled with more electrolytes than Gatorade, contains more potassium than a banana and more tasty (depending on who you ask) than regular h20. So before, during, or after you party like a rockstar on Cinco de Mayo, make sure you have coco water on hand to prevent the next morning after defects.
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8. Exercise
For all our exercise junkies, this is a good thing to do once you’ve consumed a lot of alcohol. If you feel like running or doing Zumba (and aren’t out-of-your-mind-wasted), go for it. The cardio will speed up your metabolic rate moving the alcohol out of your system faster.
9. Popped an Aspirin, I’m Better
This is the only time we condone popping any pills. After all your tequila shots and Patrón magaritas don’t take it officially down until you pop an aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen with water. It’ll reduce you waking up with a killer headache tremendously.
Caution: Both aspirin and alcohol are blood thinners, so don’t take any meds until you’re ready to go to bed (hours after drinking). Mixing both is a bad idea.
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10. Breakfast Foods
If you survive the evening without a party thumping around your cranium, you should wake up hungry and thirsty. Whip up some eggs and orange juice for breakfast. Eggs contain a large amount of cysteine which helps detoxify chemicals in your liver, while OJ is high in vitamin C and will increase your body’s energy.
Photo Credit: The Happy Home
11. Sober Sally
The absolute only way to prevent waking up with a hangover is staying sober. Although the results are the most promising, side effects include being annoyed by other intoxicated people or angered from not tasting the delicious drinks and partaking in the full aspects of Cinco de Mayo.