St. Patrick's Day Hangover Help

You're supposed to wear green, not turn green. 

But on St. Patrick's Day, when pint after pint is passed your way, and you've made new friends and are singing along to a tune you may not know, it's easy to over imbibe. Just ask Griffins of Kinsale owner Joe Griffin. Griffin, who has seen more than a fair share of hungover patrons belly up to his bar. Griffin opened his pub at 8 a.m. Sunday and is serving traditional Irish breakfast - blood sausages, eggs, roasted potatoes and bacon. The bar will be open until 1 a.m. 

This process of attempting to drink away the hangover, "hair of the dog,'' clearly has its problems: you need to rid your body of the alcohol, so pouring more in only delays the pain. Plus, it's doubtful your boss wants you reeking of Guinness Monday morning.

"Aspirin. Take aspirin before you go to bed,'' one Griffin's patron said, before hoisting his glass.

"Yeah, take two aspirin and call me in the morning,'' Griffin quipped.

Across Mission Street, a sign on the window of Duncan Taylor advertises the cure for hangovers: Irn Bru. The store sells cask furniture, paintings and whiskey cakes and beverages from Scotland. Operations manager Gordon Shand said the drink is wildly popular in his homeland, and likened it to soda pop. 

But is this $2.75 beverage the true cure for hangovers?

"Well, there's a lot of sugar in it, so you'll probably feel good for a little while,'' he said, adding he, personally has never chugged one trying to reverse the effects of a heavy night of drinking.

So what is the cure?

According to a health article in U.S. News, medical professionals made the following hangover help suggestions:

• Drink gobs of water (duh) and have some juice, as vitamin C will help to replenish your energy.

• Stay away from coffee and booze, as they will dehydrate you and elongate the healing process.

• Eat, but don't binge eat. Pretzels and bananas area good options, as they'll replenish the lost salt and potassium, and asparagus spears are filled with amino acids and minerals, which lessen the toxicity of alcohol on liver cells, the article states.

• Exercise - Get your body moving - the alcohol has to be metabolized.

Patch Asks: What's your hangover cure?  

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