A Better Morning After

The latest in hangover cures

- Damien Martin

If you woke up with a splitting headache and other ailments on Jan. 1, you’re hardly alone. Millions of us overindulge on New Year’s Eve, and plenty vow to start that dry January perhaps after a little bit of hair of the dog. Humans have been drinking alcohol for thousands of years, and they’ve been trying to cure or prevent their hangovers for just about as long. Owl eggs and raw eels have at various times throughout history been popular go-to remedies. Even as more people, especially young ones, eschew alcohol and hit the mocktails instead, about 60% of Americans drink on a semiregular basis.

Modern Cures

The best way to avoid a hangover, of course, is not to drink. That’s far easier said than done, however. Beyond that, eating and hydrating before you go to bed – and ideally before you start drinking – can help out a great deal.

THC-infused drinks like Cann promise “the buzz without the beer.” They provide “a small amount of high” Cann’s founders say, enough to last through a party but not to have you feeling too out of sorts, and certainly not leaving you feeling the effects the morning after.

Such drinks aren’t available everywhere, and many tipplers prefer their alcoholic drink of choice. As science and technology progress, we’ve moved beyond folk remedies to FDA-approved ones backed by hard data. Products like Morning Recovery and Cheers can be taken before you start drinking and promise to have users feeling less hungover when they wake up. Both tout supporting healthy liver function, helping to metabolize alcohol faster to leave users feeling better in the morning.