Natural Alcohol Detoxes

Reader Contribution by Devin Morrissey

Enjoying a night out is a great way to celebrate. Whether you are out for a birthday, promotion, anniversary, or are simply having a night out with friends, it can be great fun. Not so fun, however, is getting up the next morning. Hangovers are a regrettable side effect of drinking alcohol, but they don’t have to ruin your weekend.

Fortunately, there are plenty of natural alcohol detoxes that you can use to conquer or avoid a hangover, as well as counter other unhealthy side effects that come with drinking. Of course, it is also a good idea to occasionally do a long-term alcohol detox for several weeks to truly let your body recover.

Photo by Pexels

Natural Hangover Remedies

Depending on how crazy your night was, eating might be the last thing you want to do after a night of drinking, and if you are hungry, you might immediately turn to unhealthy “hangover food.” Eating fried food, like hamburgers, tacos, and pizza might satisfy a craving, but it won’t leave your body feeling much better. Plus, a night out is hard enough on your body, especially if you didn’t get enough sleep, so eating a good, hearty, and healthy breakfast can be just what you need.

Get an Active Start

According to Time Magazine, the two best cures for a hangover are water and doing something active. Though lazing about for the rest of the day might be tempting, getting up and starting your day will help you feel better faster. Activities such as taking a shower or even going for a run will get your blood pumping, which helps get any lingering toxins out of your system.

Eat Some Honey

Another natural remedy for your hangover is honey. Honey is an antioxidant and is made up of a natural fructose that helps the body break down alcohol. For that reason, a great breakfast for hangover victims is a piece of toast with bananas, peanut butter, and honey.

Take Your Vitamins

Taking vitamins can help your body recover faster from your drinks. Vitamins B and C will help your body get back to normal, as will supplements of selenium, magnesium, and zinc. Since alcohol makes your body flush out fluids faster, you are not only in danger of being dehydrated, but your body also suffers from a lack of nutrients. Taking vitamins and other supplements will help your body replenish its supplies of essential vitamins.

Give Your Body a Break

Though alcohol is a common a marker of a celebratory evening, it is not the only — nor necessarily the best — one. Along with the sought-after benefits of alcohol, such as lowering your inhibitions, facilitating social interactions, and hopefully making your party happy, it also has negative effects.

Alcohol has negative effects on your stomach, heart, kidneys, immune system, and, of course, your liver. Side effects of alcohol can include dehydration, irregular heartbeats, a reduced efficiency of your immune system, reduced liver function, and more.

Giving your body a break from alcohol for a period of time allows your organs to recover from these lingering effects. Your liver, especially, can benefit from this, as the negative effects of alcohol can last for long periods of time. Detoxing will help your liver bounce back to be able remove toxins from your body better.

Detoxing from alcohol can also help you get a better night’s sleep. According to sleep experts, the impact of drinking alcohol can affect your sleep apnea and even snoring:

“Medical studies indicate that heavy or modest alcohol consumption can cause series of Obstructed Sleep Apnea (OSA) in individuals that don’t even exhibit it. To add to that, if you already have an alcohol related disorder, you are at a higher risk of developing obstructed sleep apnea, more so if you are a snorer.”

Additionally, alcohol consumption can increase snoring, which can get in the way of your partner’s sleeping as well as your own. Overall, detoxing from alcohol will help you sleep better at night.

Balance Is Key

When it comes to alcohol, it can make for a great night out, but it can also be a dangerous substance. Too much alcohol can cause major health issues, up to addiction and even death. When you detox, look out for warning signs that may point to alcoholism.

One easy way to recognize the symptoms of alcoholism so is to follow the CAGE assessment. CAGE is a series of four questions, and if you answer yes to two or more of them, you should take a deeper look into your habits.

  1. C – Cut down: Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking?
  2. A – Annoyance: Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
  3. G – Guilt: Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking?
  4. E – Eye opener: Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?

Of course, many people are able to drink alcohol in healthy amounts. Just as with other pleasures in life, alcohol is fine in moderation. As long as you don’t drink too much on your nights out, take detoxing periods from drinking, and are aware

  • Published on Aug 17, 2018
Tagged with: Reader Contributions
Online Store Logo
Need Help? Call 1-800-456-6018
Free health and natural beauty tips from Mother Earth News!