Hangovers in Asia: Tips to avoid Them

Hangovers can often be a big problem in Asia, often due to the low cost of booze and the sheer amount of fun and naughtiness that countries like Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and others offer. I have combined a list of hangover cures that some people swear at and some people swear by, only some of them I endorse. Some of them focus on prevention and others on damage control.

1) One beer, one water. It seems like a good way to keep hydrated In practice this never works for me as my bladder cannot cope with matching every alcoholic drink with a non-alcoholic equivalent.

2) Beer with ice. This is my favourite way to rehydrate and keep my beer cool at the same time.

3) Stay off the spirits. Spirits in Asia are dangerous. The worst hangovers in my entire life have taken place here after sessions on no name vodka. If you order a spirit in Asia make sure to order it by brand otherwise you get the cheap, nasty stuff. Even if you do order by the brand in some countries like Cambodia and Vietnam there is no telling whether the bottle is genuine or counterfeit.

4) Choose your beer wisely. If you are an established Asian beer drinker like me then you already know which brews are good and which are god-damned terrible. Chang is my alcoholic nemesis while Anchor is my Cheap Charlie’s beer of choice. If I had it my way then I would drink Draft Guinness and John Smiths but they are expensive and really don’t store well in the tropics.

5) Go to bed with water and an aspirin. My mate swears by this but it is no good for me because if I am already hopelessly drunk then a litre of water and a painkiller will most likely make me vomit.

6) Eat something before you pass out. Often harder than it seems if you are in a less developed country. For some reason a lot of Asians like to go to bed really early and then rise with the sun. Because of this it can be hard to find anything decent to eat at 3am. Emergency stashes of food should be kept in your hotel room or apartment at all times. Eating really only works for me before I pass out.

7) The hair that bit the dog. This is not my ideal way of beating a hangover but on occasion it has helped to provide some relief. A glass of beer mid-afternoon has helped delay earth-shattering hangovers before but I have found that it just buys you a bit of time rather than taking care of the problem.

8) English Breakfast in the morning. I think people that eat English breakfasts to cure their hangovers are insane. It just does not work for me. If I did I would vomit. People that can do this are mentals.

9) Coffee. The breakfast of champions. Nothing gets me moving more than a cup of hot, sugary, black coffee in the morning. Sugar and caffeine really do work miracles for me and have helped to bring me back into the world of the living on many an occasion.