Alcohol is one of the most commonly consumed beverages in Vietnam and has a significant impact on health. When intoxicated, the body can experience dehydration, headaches, and discomfort. So, what should be eaten to sober up after drinking?
1. How does drunkenness affect health?
Drunkenness is a physiological state caused by consuming a large enough amount of alcohol, leading to a high blood alcohol concentration. Drunk individuals often exhibit symptoms in stages, also known as the aftereffects of drunkenness:
- Initial stage: The intoxicated person experiences psychological excitement, talkativeness, and a cheerful demeanor. Blood alcohol concentration is around 1-2 g/liter.
- Subsequent stage: This is the stage of intoxication, characterized by impaired coordination, unsteady gait, confusion, excessive talking, and incoherent speech. Blood alcohol concentration is above 2 g/liter.
- Later stage: Loss of sensation, deep sleep, and semi-consciousness. Blood alcohol concentration is above 3 g/liter.
If too much alcohol is consumed, the high blood alcohol concentration can lead to coma, hypothermia, consciousness disorders, respiratory failure, and require emergency treatment. In cases where blood alcohol concentration is between 4-5g/liter, it can lead to death. Additionally, when drunk, the body becomes dehydrated due to vomiting, sweating, etc. If the individual is not sobered up, it can lead to severe dehydration and life-threatening conditions. Therefore, to effectively and immediately sober up, after drinking, the individual needs to eat certain foods that help dilute the blood alcohol concentration and replenish water in time.
2. What to eat after getting drunk?
What to eat after getting drunk is a common question for many people, as this is a fairly common situation.
2.1 What to eat when drunk?
Some foods that effectively help to sober up and that drunk people should eat include:
- Porridge: Porridge is one of the easiest foods to prepare. To answer the question of what kind of porridge to eat after drinking, family members should cook thin porridge and feed it to the drunk person while it's still hot to induce sweating and reduce the alcohol concentration in the blood.
- Vegetable soups and hot broths: Types of soup or hot broth such as bean sprout soup, bitter melon stuffed with lean meat, kimchi soup, etc.
- Chicken eggs: Boiled chicken eggs or using eggs to cook porridge is very good for drunk individuals. Because chicken eggs contain the amino acid L-cysteine, which helps eliminate acetaldehyde present in the body. This will help the body lose the feeling of fatigue and discomfort. However, it should be noted not to fry eggs with cheese or meat because the oil will stimulate the digestive system, making the individual feel more tired. To change the taste, it can be prepared with vegetables or onions.
- Chicken noodle soup: Helps to replenish fluids and salts lost due to alcohol, and also provides cysteine to help the liver detoxify alcohol.
- Bananas: Bananas are high in potassium, one of the electrolytes lost when drinking alcohol. Therefore, eating bananas will help provide the body with important electrolytes. People with mild alcohol poisoning can eat 3-5 bananas immediately.
2.2: What to drink when drunk?
In addition to good hangover foods, people who are drunk need to supplement water, vitamins, and minerals through the following drinks and fruits:
- Purified water: Replenishes fluids to prevent dehydration and reduce blood alcohol concentration. You can use filtered water or electrolyte-containing drinks.
- Rice water: Drunk People can drink rice water instead of congee to help with hangovers, as rice water is high in sugar and vitamin B, which help detoxify alcohol. Additionally, adding a little white sugar can improve the effect.
- Watery fruits: Oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, watermelon, etc., all contain a lot of water. Drunk people can eat them directly or squeeze them for juice.
Jicama: Jicama has a cold property, a sweet taste, and is quite effective. - Fresh ginger water: Has a hot property and a spicy taste and is used to keep the body warm, help blood circulate better, and prevent colds. You can slice ginger thinly and then mix it with hot water; add a little honey or sugar to make it easier to drink.
- Sugarcane juice: Sugarcane juice has a good 1 effect on hangovers. Giving a drunk person a glass of sugarcane juice has an immediate effect.
- Mung beans, black beans: You can grind mung beans and black beans and mix them with boiling water or simmer them into porridge to drink.
- Tomatoes: Drinking a glass of ripe tomato juice will help to relieve hangovers quickly and has a high detoxification ability.
Drunkenness is a physiological state when the blood alcohol concentration increases, significantly affecting the health of the patient. In severe cases, it can lead to coma and even death. Therefore, it is necessary to recognize the patient's intoxication level. For mild cases, hangovers can be relieved at home by eating and drinking foods with a cold property that are good for hangovers. For severe cases of drunkenness, the patient should be taken to a medical facility immediately for timely intervention.
To arrange an appointment, please call HOTLINE or make your reservation directly HERE. You may also download the MyVinmec app to schedule appointments faster and manage your reservations more conveniently.
