Hangover Heaven: Vegas Business Vows To Cure Your Sore Head In Just An Hour - But Will It Encourage Binge Drinking?

Vegas Doctor Vows To Cure Your Hangover In Just An Hour - But Will It Encourage Binge Drinking?

Hangovers can be your very own version of hell. Waves of nausea, crippling dehydration and the nagging suspicion you might have to dash to the bathroom yet again.

We’ve tried the potions, pills and home remedies too (UK saviours seem to be bacon sandwiches and Alka Selzter), we’ve uttered the words “never again” but some of us keep going back there.

And one company has come up with an excellent reason for us to keep on doing that. Should you find yourself with a sore head in Las Vegas, help is at hand in the form of Hangover Heaven.

For introductory prices starting at just $90 (£56), you can hop on the company's bus (which handily stops at all the big hotels and casinos) where you’ll be administered with an IV containing anti-nausea and inflammatory medicines and vitamins. Within an hour you’ll be right as rain, so they say.

Starting this month, the company will launch a VIP service that will see “an actual doctor” attend your hotel room, should you be too wrecked to make your way downstairs to the bus stop.

All the medications and equipment are approved by the FDA – although the website does warn of the possibility of allergic reactions.

So it’s safe and it’s legal. But doesn’t this simply encourage binge drinking?

Huffington Post UK asked Hangover Heaven MD Jason Burke, who says he is the first hangover specialist in the United States.

Dr Burke said: “I contend that people are going to drink to the point they normally would. There is a certain level of inebriation that people like to attain when partying. After a few drinks, people really do not think about hangovers, but more about the level of their intoxication.

"Here in Las Vegas, people usually lose track of time and how much they have had to drink. That is the thing about alcohol, it removes sensibility and reason. People are here to vacation and forget their worries. The purpose of Hangover Heaven is to give people their day of vacation back, rather than languishing in their hotel room because they accidentally drank too much.

"People that I have treated have not ended up becoming binge drinkers. It generally has been the case that they lost track of how much they had to drink during the course of the night and ended up with a hangover.

"The situation that I know happens here frequently is: Somebody comes to Vegas from out of the country. They have been on a plane for 15 hours and are dehydrated when they hit Las Vegas. They get here at 2pm and have a number of drinks at the casino while gambling. They then continue the party at one of the numerous nightclubs here in town, dancing and partying. They turn in around 4am and have been drinking and partying for about 12 to 14 hours straight without drinking much water. They wake up at 11am and feel like they want to curl up and die. Why should they suffer all day?"

A bleary-eyed man named 'Alex' appears in a short film on the firm's website. He recounts having "at least 30 drinks" at his hotel before revealing he woke up with a dustbin next to his bed and a savage hangover.

Describing the treatment, he said: "It’s a cold tingly feeling. I feel great. You feel refreshed you feel crisp. You’re on the ball, you're not sluggish. I feel great.

"My hangover is absolutely gone. I have zero hangover. No more nausea, no headache. I feel refreshed. I’m ready to go back out."

A Hangover Heaven disclaimer states: “Drink in moderation. Alcohol overdose can kill you and Hangover Heaven cannot reverse death. Do not drink more than you should because you think Hangover Heaven can bring you back to life. It cannot. Our buses can work magic, but they cannot bring you back from the dead.”

But before you book that ticket, here are some sage words from our very own NHS: "Hangover cures are generally a myth. There are no cures for a hangover. There are tips for avoiding hangovers and for easing the symptoms if you have one. The best way to avoid a hangover is not to drink. If you decide to drink, do it sensibly and within the recommended limits."

According to figures from the Office of National Statistics, in 2010 there were 8,790 alcohol-related deaths in the UK, 126 more than in 2009 (8,664).

2009 figures from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention list the number of alcoholic liver disease related deaths in the United States as 15,183. There were 24,518 alcohol-induced deaths excluding accidents and homicides.

From pickled herring and tripe soup to acidic plums - take a look at these unusual hangover cures from around the world.

Close

What's Hot