How to survive a mammoth hangover at work

Right now if wishes were fishes then you’d have a seafood feast on your hands, and maybe you wouldn’t have quaffed those three extra glasses of Pinot Gris last night. Sadly, though, you have made your hungover bed and must now lie – or more accurately try and work – in it. So here are Time Out’s tip’s on making it through the day...

Pre-plan
Lay the groundwork the day before. A few fake coughs – you know, those Nicole-Kidman-in-Moulin-Rouge-delicate-types – and the quiet suggestion that you might be “coming down with something” mean that if you turn up a little dusty the next day you can blame it on the “office bug”.

Drink more (sort of)
Fluids! Fluids! Fluids! The first thing that needs to be addressed with a hangover is re-hydration. Start with water in the morning. From there, you need to stock the office fridge with a bevy of bevvies: Coke, soda water and juice are key. Also schedule in hourly coffee runs if that is what it’s going to take (though this can just re-dehydrate you).

Hair of the dog
It’s a risky strategy – if you don’t already smell like a brewery, having a drink now may be the thing that tips your boss off. But if you are still drunk, this can help delay the hangover a little longer. Kill two birds and drop a shot of gin in your Berocca. Berocca-bombs!

Feed your hangover
Carnivores tend towards a bacon sarnie. The bread helps soak up the fat and salt, as well as some of the leftover booze in your belly. Not one for meat? A cheese toastie will do the same job. And fortunately both are cheap and readily found in work cafeterias and local sandwich bars.

Avoid the clock
Nothing is guaranteed to make a painful day longer than watching the clock: so hide your watch and turn your computer clock back three hours – you’ll be amazed how quickly 5.30pm rolls around. (Yep, we’re out-the-door-at-clock-off types over here.)

Take a long lunch
Have that informal meeting over lunch, preferably at the pub, and suddenly a two-hour chat becomes expenses-covered, hair-of-the-dogging “business relationship maintenance”. Failing that….

Take a break
You probably need sleep more than food, so head for your car, your nearest park or darkest closet and dedicate your lunch hour to a sneaky power nap.

Get mundane
As the terrible twos roll around – that moment at 2pm when it all starts to really hit – assign yourself the mundane tasks that normally you’d be too productive to bother with. Stuffing envelopes or data entry are good ones. Zone out. Or just…

Use some “intern power”
Anything that you can delegate today, do so. Interns are capable of so much more than fetching coffee and photocopying. Get them onto researching that presentation while you “oversee” them.

Deflect attention
Wear headphones all day. Even if nothing is playing people will leave you alone if you wear them. Nothing says unapproachable like a pair of noise-cancelling ear-muffs.

Tough it out
Harden the fuck up. Dig deep for inner fortitude and just demand that your body not be hungover – the meeting/interview/deadline is just too important. We’re not saying it’ll work, but at this point anything is worth a shot.