Monday, March 20, 2017

How to Drink – Musings on the Art of Drinking Alcohol by a Retired “Drunkard”

HOW TO DRINK (AND NEVER HAVE A HANGOVER)
Musings on the Art of Drinking Alcohol by a Retired “Drunkard”
By
VIKRAM KARVE 

HANGOVER – MORNING-AFTER THE NIGHT-BEFORE

A Hangover is a terrible experience

You wake up in the morning with a throbbing headache.

You feel a disgusting nausea.

You may even throw-up and vomit.

Your mouth becomes dry due to dehydration.

Your whole body aches.

You feel dizzy.

Sometimes your hands tremble  and you experience the “shakes” (Delirium Tremens or DT).  

You curse yourself for drinking so much at the party the previous night. 

You know that  the more you “enjoy” on the night-before”  the more miserable you feel on the “morning-after”

A hangover is the worst way to ruin your Sunday morning after your weekend partying. 

But  despite this terrible experience  you repeat the same binge-drinking at the next party – and you land up suffering a hangover on the morning-after. 

Drink  Hangover  Drink  Hangover...

It is a vicious cycle – that seems to become the rule with your partying. 

But – how do you stop this vicious circle of drinking and hangover...?

Your friends tell you about so-called “cures” for a hangover – like the “hair of the dog” – and so many other mythical cures.

But soon you realize that nothing works for a terrible hangover.

The only thing you can do is suffer in silence – and “sleep out” the hangover.

There is a saying: 

“Prevention is Better than Cure” 

This applies to hangovers too. 

How do you prevent a hangover...?

The sure-shot way to avoid a hangover is to stop drinking alcohol and become a strict teetotaller.

But obviously – you don’t want to do that.

How can you give up all your enjoyment and your partying – how can you give up your social life...? 

You want to enjoy drinking alcohol – but you also want to ensure that you do not get a hangover the next morning.    

The aim of drinking alcohol is to feel good

If I ask you: “Why do you drink...?”

You will say: I drink because I want to “feel good”....

So  whenever you drink  you must drink enough to raise your spirits and feel good. 

There is no point in drinking for the sake of appearances.

Why drink so little alcohol  that you do not feel anything...?

Yes  you must drink enough to feel good  but you must also make sure you don’t get a hangover next morning. 

Hangover – Prevention is Better than Cure

HOW TO PREVENT A HANGOVER

You want to drink alcohol.

But  you want to avoid a hangover.

So  how do you drink in such a way as to avoid a hangover...?

Is there a way where you can enjoy your drinks  yet prevent a hangover on the “morning after”...?  

Yes  there is a way.

It is simple. 

Just follow these 2 simple steps to prevent a hangover: 

1. DRINK ONE GLASS OF WATER BEFORE YOUR FIRST DRINK

and 

2. DRINK ONE GLASS OF WATER AFTER YOUR LAST DRINK 

Before you have your first drink  have a glass of water. 

The glass of water will help you cool down in case you are physically/mentally stressed. 

Also – the water will re-hydrate you in case you are deydrated.

Then  start drinking.

It is a good idea to have plenty of snacks while drinking – yes – snack heavily while drinking – meat based snacks – barbequed meats – tandoori chicken – kebabs – fish fingers are the best. 

After your drinking session is over  have a nice cool glass of water.

Then  proceed for having your dinner.

Do not drink alcohol during your meal. 

Do not drink alcohol after your meal. 

Yes  you must avoid drinking any type of alcoholic beverages while eating your main meal.

Even wines are best avoided if you want to prevent hangover. 

If you feel thirsty while having your meal  you can always drink water.

After your dinner  make sure you eat dessert or pudding  especially a milk-based dessert like ice cream. 

Then  end your meal with a glass of water.

Never have after-dinner drinks like liqueurs or brandy  if you have had alcoholic drinks before dinner.

In case you are fond of liqueurs  do enjoy them after a relaxed meal which has not been preceded or accompanied by alcohol.  

One more tip. 

During your drinking session  if you ever feel tipsy  all you have to do is to just interrupt your drinking  and have a glass of cold water. 

Then  once you feel okay  you can resume your drinking. 

If you still experience tipsiness  keep drinking cold water till your drunkenness disappears  and you feel good again. 

Remember:

The aim of drinking alcohol is not to get drunk

The aim of drinking is to feel “Nice.


HOW TO CHOOSE WHICH LIQUOR TO DRINK AT THE TIME OF THE DAY 

A Hangover not only depends on the amount of alcohol you drink – but  even the type of alcohol you drink matters.

Your alcoholic drink must match the “colour” of the day.

Look at the sky on top of you at the time of the day – and choose your booze accordingly.

Yes – you must  DRINK AS PER THE COLOUR OF THE DAY – as we say in the Navy.

In the mornings – it is best to drink light coloured liquor like like Vodka, Gin, White Rum, Coconut Feni etc 

(When we were in the Navy – it was rumored that a redoubtable Sea-Dog even brushed his teeth with Vodka)

As the day progresses  and – the afternoon approaches  drinks like beer and bright cocktails are suitable. 

As the sun goes down – and – the evening approaches – you will relish “Blended Whisky” with plenty of bubbly Soda in the evening  as a “Sundowner” – with the setting sun in the twilight.

As the night darkens – there is nothing to beat dark Rum. 

You can drink your Rum on the rocks – or with water – as Rum-Paani.

Avoid combinations like Rum and Coke. 

If you prefer Whisky – slowly sip neat “Single-Malt Whisky” at room temperature  to get you into a mellow mood.

And – if you like the taste of good Brandy – you may like to savour a drink of neat rich Brandy at night. 

Whenever I indulged in serious drinking – I always drank my whisky or rum with plenty of water  and – I avoided cocktails – unless it was just to taste the cocktail – yes – if you like – do drink cocktails for taste – not for the “feel good” effect of alcohol.

And – yes – I always avoided drinking “down-the-hatch” shots. 

I will advise you to avoid “shots” and binge drinking.

Also  you must never “down-the-hatch” your glass  or gulp your drink in a hurry. 

If you are drinking a rich brandy or single-malt whisky  always drink it neat.

Drink unhurriedly.

Take a small sip  close your eyes  roll the liquor on your tongue in a relaxed manner  till the liquid is absorbed by itself.

Never gulp your drink  or swallow booze “down-the-hatch”.

Savour every sip  till the alcohol is absorbed within you  and you will relish the feeling as the alcohol slowly warms your insides and elevates your spirits

Remember the saying: 

मज़ा लेना है पीने का  तो – कम कम – धीरे धीरे – पी  

(If you want to enjoy drinking  drink small sips  and drink slowly)


HANGOVER-FREE DRINKING

Try this technique the next time you drink:

Have a Glass of Cold Water before your First Peg 

and 

Remember to have a Glass of Cold Water after your Last Drink

This is a sure-fire way to feel good on the night-before” – but avoid a hangover on the “morning after”

Breathtaking in its simplicity  isn’t it...? 

It is my experience that this  one-glass-of-water-before  and  one-glass-of-water-after”  two glasses of water technique works – you can take my word for it.

Try this  and you will never have a hangover again.

So  if you must drink  enjoy the experience and make sure you feel good.

But – make sure that you prevent that excruciating hangover.

Cheers … !!! 

Enjoy your drinking and have hangover-free mornings ... !!! 

VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 
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© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:
1. These are my personal views based on my personal experience. This may or may not work for you. Please do your own due diligence while selecting a hangover prevention technique.
2. All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:
No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)

This is an abridged, upgraded and revised version of my post (Part 5) in my HOW TO DRINK ALCOHOL (ART OF DRINKING) series written be me Vikram Karve 6 years ago in the year 2010 and posted online earlier in my Academic and Creative Writing Journal Blog at urls: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/10/how-to-drink-alcohol-part-5-how-to.html  and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/06/how-not-to-get-drunk-yet-feel-nice.html  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/07/hangover-how-to-drink-alcohol-yet-avoid.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/07/hangover-prevention-is-better-than-cure.html etc

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