Fighting a Hangover When You're Not 21 Anymore

Let's start by saying I don't drink very much. I'm a mom cliche - I drink wine on the hard days, but I would much rather get down on some bourbon and Coke. Last night, I had my 10-year high school reunion. I was majorly on the fence about going in the first place. I actually talk to a few folks from school, whom I wasn't close with at that time, but we've gotten to know each other better through parenthood or other shared interests.

Enter last night's reunion.

I'll go ahead and put this out there - Facebook makes "in person" stuff Awkward. Yes, capital "A" Awkward.

In some ways, you already know details about these people - if they're married, have kids, what they do for a living, what their hobbies are. So, it feels strange asking them, "So...what do you? What's new?" But, you can't just walk up to them and ask about their kids/hobbies/whathaveyou. Like my friend Beth said, "It makes you feel like a stalker."

So, all of this Awkward had me like...

However, I did branch out a little! I hugged people. I did the "social" thing as a semi antisocial person.

Overall, it was fun! I had a great time, caught up with old and "new" people. Not as many as I would have liked, but hey there's Facebook for that, right?

After half a bottle of wine, a Moscow Mule, going to bed at 1, and waking up at 6:30 (damn you, body clock) I'm feeling a little sluggish. Not quite hungover, but not 100% either.

My teenage self (or my completely of-age 21-year-old self, if I'm being PC) would go grab some McDonald's and a Coke to nurse said sluggishness.

My now 28-year-old self doesn't want to have to pull extra gym sessions to burn greasy nonfood.

So, here are my 5 Tips for Nursing a Hangover: 

1. As soon as you wake up, splash your face with cool water. Not  hella cold. Cold with a half turn on the hot knob. Splish splash, dab your face gently with your fingertips, and pat dry with a towel.
2. MOISTURIZE. Alcohol is dehydrating to your body and your skin. Slap some moisturizer on, and hit your eyes with either eye cream or a serum with a roller ball. (I like this one from Garnier.)
3. HYDRATE. Again, alcohol depletes your hydration. Try to drink 24-32oz of water within the first hour of waking up. Doing this also helps give your body energy, even if there's no hangover involved.
4. Eat something green. If eggs are your thing, scramble them with some chopped spinach. Or, you can do like me and go for a liquid morning. I did a strawberry smoothie with a half scoop of Vega Protein and Greens and a half scoop of pristine whey (mixed with 1 tsp coconut oil, 1 c unsweetened almond milk, and 1 c water).
5. Drink something energizing. If you're a tea person, drink tea. If you're a coffee person, drink the coffee. Keep it light - sweetener (no sugar! I'm a strict Truvia user, no chemicals), half and half, and a scoop of collagen powder.