The Myths First
Greasy food before bed. Hair of the dog. Black coffee. A cold shower. These are the folk remedies that get passed around at 2am and they all share one thing: they don't work particularly well.
Greasy food slows alcohol absorption if eaten before or during drinking — not after. Hair of the dog just delays the hangover. Coffee dehydrates you further. A cold shower wakes you up but does nothing for the underlying biochemistry.
What's Actually Happening
A hangover is the result of several things happening at once. Your liver is processing alcohol into acetaldehyde — a toxic compound — before converting it to harmless acetate. That process takes time. Meanwhile, alcohol is depleting your B vitamins, disrupting your sleep, inflaming your stomach lining and dehydrating you.
No single thing fixes all of that at once. But you can make a meaningful dent in it with the right approach.
What Actually Helps
Water — before bed, not in the morning
Rehydrating before you sleep is significantly more effective than chugging water in the morning. Alcohol is a diuretic and you've been losing fluids all night. A big glass of water before bed gives your body something to work with.
B vitamins
Alcohol depletes B vitamins — B1, B2, B3 and B6 — which are critical for energy metabolism and mental function. Replacing them overnight means less fog in the morning.
DHM
DHM (dihydromyricetin) is the most evidence-backed supplement ingredient for hangover prevention. Take it before bed, not in the morning. It supports alcohol metabolism and has been associated with reduced hangxiety.
Food in the morning
Blood sugar drops overnight after drinking. A proper breakfast — particularly carbohydrates and protein — helps stabilise it. This is real and it makes a difference to energy and mood.
Time
The honest answer: most of a hangover resolves on its own within 12-24 hours. The goal of supplements and hydration is to reduce the severity and speed up recovery — not to magically eliminate it.
Prevention works far better than cure. Taking a supplement like Revive before bed addresses the root causes while they're happening — not after the fact when the damage is already done.