A hangover-free SXSWi — guaranteed
South By Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) has become a party mecca and it is those brand-sponsored parties, and the networking opportunities, that draw people from all over the world to attend.
But how can you survive the parties and still wake up refreshed and ready to go the next day?
Arriving in Austin
The first stop on your trip is the most important — and it is very easy to navigate. Ask your Lyft driver to stop by the 24 hour Walgreens at 1920 East Riverside Drive on your way to the AirBnB.
Pedialyte
As you walk into the store, go directly to the baby section in the back right of the store. It is a couple aisles from the right. Look for Pedialyte or the Walgreens alternative brand of children’s hydration solution. We have taste-tested the flavors and have narrowed it down to three, although all flavors will have the same desired effect. Buy one bottle per person per two days. Walgreens will run out quick so you may need to run by the HEB grocery store just down the road.
Sub-lingual Vitamin B-12
Next head over to the far left of the store near the pharmacy. You will find a row of vitamins. There is only one thing you need to get: a bottle of quick dissolve vitamin B-12 that has at least 3,000 mcg per tablet.
Do not get vitamin B-12 pills that are meant to be swallowed with water. Be sure to get vitamin B-12 that melt in your mouth.
We have tested a variety of brands and the one that we keep coming back to is made by Finest Nutrition and have 5,000 mcg per tablet. You can also pack these in your bag before you leave for the airport.
Before you go out
Prior to going out to the parties on your first night be sure to give each person in your party a vitamin B-12 quick dissolve tablet.
Note: put the tablet under your tongue 45 to 60 minutes before your first drink.
Ask each person to let it slowly dissolve under their tongue about an hour before the first drink at the first party (or an hour before your first drink at the hotel). We have seen that vitamin B-12 helps our body process alcohol in a way that greatly reduces, and most of the time completely eliminates, hangovers.
The next step is to drink like you normally would. That’s it. Just a tablet under your tongue.
At the party we would recommend drinking some water too, but it is not mandatory for this system to work well.
When you get back to your hotel
Do not eat after your get back to your hotel. It is not going to help much at all except you will feel fat the next day and probably poop three to four times from all of the queso and chips.
The reason is that your body processes alcohol at the same rate no matter what you do. Water can help your body re-hydrate, but time is your only weapon in sobering up.
The next morning
When you wake up the next morning, or if you wake up in the middle of the night, fill a glass half way with Pedialyte and half with water. Drink.
Drink three full glasses of the 50%/50% mixture before you leave the hotel room. Kindly take a good long shower to wash the smell of 6th Street off your body. Yes, your body will smell like alcohol but some good soap, Irish Spring, deodorant, and cologne/perfume will help mask it as it works its way out of your pores.
Rinse and Repeat
That night you will be going out to drink at more parties. Follow the same process as you did the night before, except this night (and all following nights) drink one glass of the 50%/50% mixture before you go out to the parties.
Shots
You will be tempted to do shots this night. Use your own judgment but know that you will have to wait even longer for shots to wear off because they aren’t metered as well as beer, wine, and cocktails. Shots will get you hammered and you will look like an idiot.
Good behavior versus bad behavior
Your good time is as important to us here in Austin as your networking opportunities. Here are a few tidbits I am throwing in at no extra charge that will make your experience a bit nicer.
- There will be famous people walking around. Try not to stare. Don’t go stumbling up to Conan O’Brien when you are half in the bag and ask him to take a duck-faced selfie with you. Don’t!
- There will be a ton of parties. Be sure to bring your business cards. When you hand them to someone, be sure to do something that messes it up so they remember it from the hundreds of others. I like to show them how I bend the corner. They will remember you doing so and your card will stick out.
- Hold your drink in your left hand at all times. It is tough to do initially, but your right hand will stay warm and dry. This is important when being introduced to others as after the sense of sight (seeing you), the sense of touch is their next experience of you as a person. If your hand is wet, cold, and clammy, you will be perceived as less than desirable to them.
- Keep breath mints on you. Alcohol makes your breath stink — especially beer and wine. Keep and use breath mints throughout the night. Offer them to others if you notice an offensive smell coming from their mouth hole.
- Be polite. We live here and love when new people come to town. But we don’t like impolite people. Smile, wave, excuse yourself, open doors for others, and compliment them. You know, the way your mom should have taught you.
Welcome to Austin. You are going to have a great time, and with these tips you will make it through to the end. After you get home be sure to exercise every day for a week and no drinking. Clean out that body and mind.
Please tweet me at @richardbagdonas if this article helped and by all means — enjoy Austin.
