I'm not a shill, so if I endorse a product it's because I've personally tried it and know that it works. In fact, when I see a claim that seems too good to be true I love nothing more then trying to bust it wide open as a fraud.
Over the last few months I've been using a daily multivitamin called Drinkwel that claims to prevent hangovers. More specifically, its "For healthy people who drink, by healthy people who drink."
A supplement that prevents hangovers after a long night of beer chugging?!? @!#% YES! But first a story.
I've been a gym rat for... let's see, I started working out when I was 17, I'm 43 now. Subtract, carry the 1... WTF?! Over a quarter century?! Oh shit that can't be right, can it? Geezus, I'm getting old.
(sigh)
Anywho, I consider myself a member of their target audience. Aside from two bum knees and cranky back I'm a relatively healthy person who likes to get his drink on. I work out four or five times a week. Usually. I drink two whey protein shakes and down a handful of vitamins every day. Hell, I've even tried a few supplements that, while not illegal, would have gotten me suspended in any professional sport. So I'm not afraid to try something new... as long as it helps.
On the flip side I'm also the kind of guy who can can drink some beer. A Boston bartender once told me that she'd never seen anyone put away as many pints of Guinness, combined with a parking lot of Irish Car Bombs, in one sitting - and still seem completely sober ("seem" being the key word there). I've shock and awed the gang down at Edelweiss a few times, drained a number of taps at Indigo's on any given Sunday, and I was recently heralded as someone who could probably take down the never-before-completed "Gauntlet" of beers on tap at Avery Brewing Company.
I first discovered this "Holy Grail" while reading UpaDowna, a local Colorado Springs blog "where booze hounds and gear sluts come together in celebration of the great outdoors and tasty beer." Read all about this kick ass group of beer drinking outdoorsy types in my Examiner article, "Up a mountain... down a beer", and add them to your list of must reads.
Whatever the case may be I typed up an Email to the guys at Drinkwel, hit "send," and hoped they would reply. To my surprise and delight they not only replied, but sent me samples!
So what is Drinkwel? The following strand of technobabble is paraphrased from the website: Drinkwel is a 30-ingredient multivitamin that helps replenish nutrients and supports healthy liver function by aiding your bod in expelling alcohol induced toxins. It contains a mash tun of "good stuff" like antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and a proprietary "Superfruits & Botanicals Blend."
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over? If you're like me you just asked: What the hell is a "Superfruits & Botanical Blend"? Ya... not a clue, but if fruits are good for you, how great must "superfruits?!" be, right? These caped fruit-saders help neutralize things called "free radicals," while the botanicals like milk thistle and artichoke leaf support liver health. So what if "Milk Thistle & Artichoke Leaf" sounds like a bad "B" version imitation of Batman & Robin, and "free radicals" sound like an evil villain group... in actuality they are part and parcel of making Drinkwel so effective. Along with the aforementioned "good stuff" there's also amino acids to help process all the toxins created by the alcohol, Vitamin B-Complex to aid metabolism and maintain energy (healthier then slugging a Red Bull), and Vitamin C to keep your immune system humming along like a perfectly tuned '57 Chevy.
Each $40 bottle contains 90 capsules, which will last you about month depending on how much you drink. You take three capsules daily, plus an additional three after drinking and before going to bed. Seems like a lot, but it's the same principle as multivitamins. Once you stop that regiment the vitamins eventually leave your system. If you take a daily multivitamin you know what I'm talking about when I say you only notice when you STOP taking it. Same thing applies here.
Obviously something this complex couldn't possibly be created by the likes of Bob and Doug McKenzie. The Drinkwel folks knew this and instead hired two Brainiacs too do all the science gobbledygook. Dr. Karen Vieira has a Ph.D in Biomedical Science and Dr. James Pendleton is a licensed Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine. Yep, sounds like something straight out of Star Trek to me too, but they're smarter then all of us reading this blog - combined. Times twenty.
You may be sitting there rhetorically asking: "Can't I just take a handful of milk thistle, alphabet vitamins, aspirin, and chug some Gatorade?" Well, you could, but you're going to spend more then $40 a month doing it, and it's going to take a helluva lot longer - and more pills - then tossing down three pills from one bottle. Plus, it probably won't work nearly as well. I know because I've tried it. For many years I took a cocktail consisting of milk thistle, B-12, aspirin and "Gatorade" thinking that's as good as it got. It did nothing compared to Drinkwel. "What about other hangover 'cures?'" I've taken a few of those in the past. Heck, I've even written about and supported them here on this site. One worked great (but it's expensive, especially if you drink a lot), while the other worked only marginally well (it always left me with a raging headache).
During the testing phase I've put Drinkwel to the torture test in a myriad of environments and situations - from brewery openings where the beer flows freely, to watching a dozen NFL games each and every Saturation Sunday, to the recent nail-biting MLB playoffs (GO GIANTS!!!!), to the absolute craziness that is the Great American Beer Festival. Whatever I threw at it - or rather threw down my gullet, Drinkwel sopped up and let me go about my business the next day. And for me... we have a winnah!
Like all things though results will vary and you'll need to try it to see if it works for you. I liken this to workouts... one regiment may work great for several people, but will never work for all people. That's why there are choices and options on the market. But with Drinkwel you literally have nothing to lose. If you buy it and you're not 100% satisfied - you can return it for a full refund (including shipping).
Aaaaaalriiiiiiighty then... that last bit made me sound like that annoying ShamWow guy! So with that, I'm outta here!
Zivjeli!
