Freshers’ flu got you down? You have not yet changed out of last night’s attire; your new flatmates cannot wait to show you a video from last night of you on the dance floor; you have lost your wallet and possibly your dignity. But worst of all you have a hangover to rival that one of your pal Izzy’s who went to Cavos last year and did kamikaze shots off the DJ’s head. Headache, stomach ache, body ache, and…well, you get the idea.
So what is a semi-responsible adult with a hangover to do? Years of personal and observational research has led this humble author to discover a few homemade cures for the moderate to severe self-inflicted illness that occurs so often during the excitement of Welcome Week.
Essentially, you need to fill yourself with water and sugar. I can guarantee that sugar is what you need to feel better – excess alcohol saps your blood sugar and contributes to that dizzy feeling you tend to get the next day. You could fix this with a packet of sour jelly sweets and a few litres of cold water if you’re in no mood to craft a cure or go outdoors – some of my worst mornings were remedied with this method and I stand by it, shamelessly. But for those with more time and discerning taste buds, use the following recipes and recommendations for feeling like a real, live human again when less than a week of university has already tested your physical limits.
Repeat after me: fruit is your friend. Personally, I find the thought of solid food fairly unappealing with a newly minted hangover so instead of popping to your local and buying a bag of apples, I urge you to make yourself my handy get-better-quick smoothie: blend a decent amount of frozen or fresh mango chunks with a big handful of spinach, a splash of fresh orange juice, 1 tsp grated fresh ginger (or 1/2 tsp ground ginger if you do not stock the fresh variety) and a small handful of ice. Drink with gusto and you will actually feel your body regaining life from the inside out.
‘Veg in my smoothie? No thank you.’ I disagree and take slight personal offence, but fine. For those of you who want something a little less green, go for a DIY berry antioxidant elixir. This one is simple: toss a whole load of berries, be it strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or all four, in a blender with plain Greek yoghurt and a bit of fresh orange juice to thin it out. Satisfying in a way that may cause you to perform a loud and melodramatic hand kissing gesture that lets all your flatmates know you are now alive again.
What’s that I hear? You made the grave mistake of not bringing a blender to uni? I have a few unrelated questions for you – how are you going to make frozen margaritas? Or homemade hummus for your frequent dinner guests? No matter, get thee to a juice vendor like Hula in the Grassmarket or Urban Angel in New Town. My personal favourites are ‘Tahiti Kicks’ smoothie at Hula (which is suspiciously similar to my first recipe, do not tell anyone) and the aptly named ‘Recovery Angel’ smoothie from Urban Angel.
If you cannot even stomach a smoothie, make yourself some fresh ginger tea. Just a wee bit of fresh grated ginger and, if you are feeling luxurious, orange or lemon zest in an in-mug tea infuser with boiling water and you are golden. It is a light and healing drink that will calm down even the most distressing of stomach aches.
When you feel up for some real food, start slow with a clementine or some avocado toast for those sweet, sweet nutrients. So go forth, make questionable nighttime decisions and Hive ’til five. Just remember to look after yourself the next day, yeah?
[Image: Mitch Altman]