WINNIPEG — It’s the day before St. Patrick’s Day, meaning many Manitobans are stocking up on their favourite green drink.
While many will celebrate late into Friday evening, some will also be taking to the Internet the next day to search for hangover cures. According to Google trends, Manitobans may be partying the hardest: searches for “hangover cures” are highest in the province, followed by Alberta and Saskatchewan
“Trends are a great way to tell what Canadians are searching for,” Google trends expert Alexandra Hunnings said.
“Manitobans are looking for hangover cures, which could suggest a lot. They could be having too much green beer that night. We have a lot of Irish heritage in the country, Manitobans like to have a good time.”
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Hangovers happen when your liver is overburdened in an effort to clear out the excessive amounts of toxins and chemicals ingested from too much alcohol. Side effects include nausea, pounding headaches, dizziness and irritability.
Hangover cures
If Manitobans are searching for hangover cures, have we discovered a fix? We asked bar patrons at the Kingshead Pub on King Street what their best hangover remedy is.
WATCH: Manitobans talk about their special remedies to help a hangover
Wait it out
The best way to avoid a hangover is not to drink. We all know this. But if you are feeling like you need to nurse your hangover, unfortunately the only solution is to wait it out, according to John McNeill, who is with the Faculty of Pharmaceutical sciences at the University of British Columbia.
“The bad news is there is no way to cure it,” he said.
“The good news is there are ways to make it a little less severe. But the only thing that cures a hangover is time. Probably in about 24 hours you should feel start of feeling okay, but there is no way to speed that up.”
READ MORE: St. Patrick’s Day: Hangover cures that actually work
The type of alcohol you drink also may impact your hangover, according to this study. Alcoholic beverages that contain few congeners, such as vodka, and gin are associated with a lower incidence of hangover than are beverages that contain a number of congeners, such as brandy, whiskey and red wine.
With files from Carmen Chai