Are you considering alkaline water to get rid of a hangover or avoid one altogether? This exact thought crossed my mind after I had started drinking alkaline water to combat a nasty case of heartburn.
In this article, I share the methods I use to avoid a hangover with my friend alkaline water. By the time I hit 30, the burgeoning strength of my hangovers rolled over to the next decade with me.
I had to start thinking about the next day before I began a night out with friends. In my twenties, I never thought about the next day. Just a few hours of sleep, and I was ready to go.
Well, as I’m sure you already know, the older we get the worse our hangovers get. Since you might be suffering from a hangover right now, I don’t want to bore you with what you already know.
Let’s check out how to get rid of a hangover with alkaline water first.
How to Get Rid of a Hangover with Alkaline Water
Mineral-rich alkaline water does a great job of hydrating our bodies and balancing our acid-base levels, as discovered in one study.
How does this help you? Dehydration and electrolyte imbalance both play a role in delivering that wicked hangover the day after a night out.
By drinking water with electrolytes and an alkaline pH, you speed up the process of giving back your body what was taken away.
Does this mean you should start chugging alkaline water? No.
Here are the steps I follow to drink alkaline water to get rid of a hangover:
- First, I brush my teeth to make sure there’s nothing lingering from last night in my mouth.
- Wait 15-30 minutes
- Slowly drink a full glass of alkaline water
- Wait 30 minutes to 1 hour
- Eat a meal that involves bread, avocado, and butter preferably (avoid acidic foods)
- Wait 30 minutes to 1 hour
- Sip down as many glasses of alkaline water as I can after my stomach’s already been soothed by the food
- By my next meal, I’m usually feeling a lot better.
How to Drink Alkaline Water to Avoid a Hangover
While knowing how to get rid of a hangover is all well and good, I prefer to avoid a hangover altogether.
Alkaline water does a great of fighting the demon that is ethanol and balancing the acidic pH of the beer I drink.
Here are the steps I (try) to follow:
- Drink at least two full glasses of alkaline water before I start drinking
- Drink a full glass of alkaline water between every couple of beers
- Drink as much alkaline water as I can after I finish drinking and before bed
I also try to fit a nice big meal in there toward the end of the binge, but that doesn’t always happen.
Now that you know when and how to drink alkaline water for hangovers, let’s check out the best brands since not all alkaline water is created equal.
Best Alkaline Water Brands for Hangovers
When it comes to alkaline water and hangovers, my first choice is alkaline ionized water.
My love affair with alkaline water started with ionized water, and we’ve been going steady ever since.
Since there aren’t many bottled water companies selling ionized water, here are the brands I recommend. Your best bet is to stock a case as an emergency hangover stash (you’ll thank me later).
- Essentia Water
- Triumph
- AquaHydrate
- Villager Goods
- TEN
- Alkaline 88
What makes these brands the best for hangovers?
These brands all have extra electrolytes, and most of them are ionized water.
Ionized water is the same stuff we can make at home with a water ionizer, except you don’t have to buy an ionizer when you go with the bottled brands.
Why not Fiji water or other artesian water brands?
I’ve tried Fiji water for a hangover, and it didn’t work nearly as well as the ionized water works for me.
You may be different; I’m just here to tell you what works for me.
My Top Secret Hangover Cure
Since you made it this far and took the time to visit my wonderful site, I’m going to let you in on a little secret.
There’s a ritual I began following to avoid hangovers a couple of years ago, and it works well when combined with the alkaline water plan above.
What’s my secret? Activated charcoal.
This stuff combined with alkaline water can sometimes help me avoid a hangover altogether even after heavier drinking nights.
How to use it? The best time to take activated charcoal is away from food and before you go to sleep.
Follow the directions on the label. I prefer the capsules since they’re less messy than the powder.
I pop a few of these with a full glass of alkaline water before bed, and there’s a good chance I’ll wake up feeling right as rain.
Isn’t it wonderful? The tricks we learn as we get older while gravity drags us closer to our inevitable graves.
The best part about this hangover cure is it’s cheap, all-natural, and effective.
The thought is that the activated charcoal absorbs all the excess alcohol in the digestive tract and brings it outside the following day (hopefully).
The Added Benefits
I began drinking alkaline water to reverse a nasty case of heartburn.
Alcohol is good at aggravating acid reflux, which can lead to a painful bout of heartburn.
Since alkaline water does a great job of relieving reflux and heartburn, it also does a great job of keeping alcohol-induced heartburn at bay.
It’s a win-win for this guy, who knows what the acid fire of reflux feels like when it wakes me up from a peaceful nap to turn my life into a waking nightmare.
Better hydration also wards off those headaches we all know come attached to hangovers in a package deal that nobody would want to buy.
Are alcoholic beverages acidic?
In case you were wondering if alcoholic beverages are acidic, I’m here to tell you that they are.
Here’s a breakdown of the types of alcoholic beverages and their corresponding pH levels:
- Wine – 3 to 3.6
- Beer – Around 4
- Whiskey – 3.7 to 4.8 depending on the type
- Gin – Around 4.3
- Rum – 4 to 5
- Vodka – 4 up to in the 8 range (Premium vodka can have a higher pH. For example, Titomirov Vodka has a pH of 8.2 and is made with naturally alkaline water from the Carpathian Mountains.)
The bottom line is premium vodka is the best type of alcohol to drink to avoid a hangover in the first place.
The problem is a lot of us prefer those devilish acidic alcoholic beverages over vodka.
Final Thoughts
Please keep in mind, I’m not a doctor and no information here should be construed as medical advice, nor is it intended to replace sound medical advice.
In other words, this is what I do to avoid hangovers with alkaline water. If you drink too much, you might need a doctor, not alkaline water.
However, alkaline water has been a game-changer for me in the hangover department.
I drink it every day throughout the day because it makes me feel like a rockstar (well maybe not that cool), and it gives me a lot more energy.
Also, don’t forget about the activated charcoal and alkaline water combo for hangovers.
That combo has saved me from the pain of a hangover on more than one occasion and will continue to do so in the future.
You could also always just cheat and start drinking again, hair of the dog, you know?
Unfortunately, the party can’t go on forever, so the hair of the dog isn’t always an option.