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If you wake up with a hangover despite your best efforts, you’ve got options. Bacon sandwiches, sleep, and electrolytes are always a safe bet, but personally, back when I was still drinking way too much, I swore by Alka-Seltzer. The baking soda helps with nausea, the aspirin helps with headaches, and you can pop the tablets in any beverage. (For a real pick-me-up, take a few big swigs from a bottle of Gatorade, then toss in your Alka-Seltzer. You’re welcome.)
However, be careful when mixing booze with over-the-counter pain medications like aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen. Using too much of any of these can cause or worsen ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding, especially acetaminophen (aka Tylenol). As you can imagine, soothing the after-effects of frequent binge drinking with high doses of OTC pain meds isn’t a great idea. If you drink so much that you can’t make it through the next morning without popping Advil like it’s candy, it’s time to cut back.
