The Perfect St Patricks Hangover Cure!

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Paddy Day Hangover Cure

Hands up bingo buddies, if you can tell me when St. George's Day is. Not 100 per cent are you? Okay, how about this one - shout out if you know when St Patrick's Day is. I'll be willing to bet you our bingo cash for life promotion that more of you bingo players will know when St Paddy's Day is than our own patron saint's day!

Everybody, from us bingo players to builders, is Irish on the 17th March. A day where every pub and bar across the UK sees their Guinness, Irish whiskey and Baileys sales triples as the majority of punters opt to consume these native beverages as they celebrate the festivities.

It's all good 'craic' until the next morning when all you have is a cracking headache! After all, no nationality tends to party harder than the Irish! But fear not bingo fans, Tea Break, along with our bingo chat masters, are on hand with some tried and tested hangover cures.

Now common sense tells us the best way to avoid a hangover is either not drink or be responsible and only have a couple. However, we all know, common sense tends not to prevail when general merriment is top priority!

"My hangovers are 10 times worse when I've been drinking red wine" says Bingo Chat Master Cleo. "In fact, I even get a mild hangover when I've only had a glass or two, which seems a bit unfair!"

Cleo's right, darkly coloured drinks particularly red wine, do give you more severe hangovers. This is down to the fact (and here comes the science) they contain a toxic chemical called congeners. These nasty blighters are formed during the fermentation process but are responsible for most of the taste, aroma, and color of alcoholic beverages. Darker coloured drinks, like Cleo's red wine, have more of these congeners in them and that's why her hangovers are worse so avoid red wine and other darkly coloured drinks and you'll avoid a severe hangover.

"You all know I love to travel, exploring new lands and trying new things" say bingo chat master Laura. "But out of all the places I've visited, all the cuisines I've tried, I've found nothing out there that sorts out a hangover than a good old traditional fry up! Yes, at first it's a struggle to force it down - in fact I usually feel like I've got a bingo ball stuck in my throat for most of it, it's a real battle to force each mouthful down! But after an hour or so, the food digests and I'm ready to face the world again."

"Oh, I can't handle hangovers" cries bingo chat master Malcolm. "I tend to pull the covers over my head and try and sleep it off. Not even the allure of online bingo can lure me out from under the covers! When I eventually do prise myself out, on goes the kettle and out comes the coffee, hot, strong and steaming."

Malcolm's hangover tactics are actually two of the worst things you can do. While sleeping it off can help the cause by giving your body time to recover, by staying in bed you're not giving your body the nutrients it needs to process the alcohol in your system. And as for coffee, well we know one of the main causes of a hangover is dehydration and we also know that coffee, being jam-packed with caffeine, is also a dehydrator. You do the maths!

Bingo chat masters and resident walking enthusiasts, Rosie and Matilda take a more active approach. "You're going to turn your nose up" Rosie says "but one of the best things I've found to clear a hangover head is go out for a brisk walk. It's so much better than being cooped in a stuffy room. While you're out buy yourself a couple of isotonic sports drinks too. If they are good enough for top bred athletics, then they're good enough for me!"

And Matilda agrees. "I know the thought of being energetic when you're hung over isn't everyone's example of a good idea but it does work. And after the walk, I'll come home and make myself a smoothie - making sure I add in plenty of bananas. Bananas are a great source of potassium and magnesium and by eating them helps relax the pounding blood vessels that cause that hangover headache. Wow - bet my bingo buddies didn't know I was such a banana buff!"

Bingo chat master Stella doesn't like to drink her namesake; she's more of a cocktail kind of girl. A great idea at the time but not so much in the morning! "I have to admit I do make a good cocktail but I'm probably more renowned for my hangover cure cocktails. Seeing as we're all bingo buddies here I'll let in on the ingredients for the best Bloody Mary."

Handful of ice cubes
Vodka
Lemon Juice
Tomato Juice (one of your five a day!)
A couple of dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
A couple of drops of Tabasco (that'll clear the cobwebs)
Bit of Black Pepper (just for a bit of flavour)
A stick of celery (a cocktail has to be garnished after all!)

Littlewoods Bingo and Tea Break would like to wish everyone a very 'merry' St Patrick's Day.

We're not naïve, we know everyone like to have a few drinks every now and then, Paddy's Day being one example but please drink responsibly. These hangover cures are not 100% effective and the best way to avoid a hangover is not to drink.