A lot of us are partial to a tipple of two over the festive season, but it seems Manchester is taking the term ‘Merry’ Christmas to a whole new level.
But one thing’s for sure, we probably won’t be feeling too ‘merry’ the morning after.
A banging headache, waves of nausea and the room spinning around you – we’ve all been there the day after a heavy night of drinking, and it shows with the over 168,000 people searching for “hangover cure” every year in the UK alone, but even though pubs and bars around the country currently have their doors closed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, sales of alcohol in supermarkets have jumped by 22%, which suggests that more of us than ever are drinking at home.
To see which places are likely to fair the worst this Christmas, health supplement company YourZooki has taken to Google search data to find out how many people in each UK city were searching for the term “hangover cures” per year, and Manchester has come in at number three on the top 10 list.
With over 3120 annual searches, this is equal to 7.88 Mancunians searching for hangover cures per 1000 of the population.
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Here’s the full top 10 list:
Rank
Location
Overall Annual Searches
Searches per 1,000 of city population
1
Newcastle
1,680
8.73
2
Leeds
3,840
8.43
3
Manchester
3,120
7.88
4
Brighton
1,080
7.77
5
Glasgow
3,840
6.49
6
Belfast
1,680
6.11
7
Edinburgh
2,520
5.14
8
Bristol
3,120
5.05
9
Portsmouth
600
4.32
10
Aberdeen
840
4.27
Well then.
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It certainly sounds like we’re set to feel a little worse for wear over the coming weeks.
To help these the citizens of city hangovers though, YourZooki has also enlisted the help of nutritionist Amanda Callenberg, who has provided her top tips to curing a hangover.
Amanda says: “With Christmas being a time for celebrations and indulgence, many of us consume a bit too much alcohol over the festive period, often leading to unpleasant hangovers with symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, dry mouth, nausea and vomiting – which none of us wants to experience over Christmas time.
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“Although alcohol is perfectly safe to enjoy in moderate amounts, it does contain the toxic chemical ethanol – a diuretic which means it helps our body to get rid of fluids – and when we become severely dehydrated, our bodies can’t remove these toxins, so they stay circulating in our bodies.
“It is this dehydration that causes such classic hangover symptoms.
“The best way to avoid a hangover over the Christmas period is to know your limits and limit how much alcohol you drink in one sitting, however, we all know how hard this can be when there is an unlimited supply of prosecco in the kitchen, so other ways you can lessen, and possibly speed up your hangover recovery are:
Eat a balanced meal before you begin drinking: Include fat, protein, and carbohydrates as food in the stomach slows down the absorption of alcohol – this shouldn’t be hard over Christmas.
Hydrate: Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it causes higher levels of urination leading to dehydration, so you should drink plenty of water, before, during and the day after drinking, to keep yourself well hydrated. Aim to drink a glass of water between drinks and have at least one big glass of water before going to sleep.
Replace lost nutrients: Load up on lots of fresh fruit and vegetables the next day to give yourself a vitamin boost and replace the vital electrolytes and nutrients lost due to excess urination. Supplementing with water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C and the B vitamins may also be helpful to make sure you’re replacing the vitamins lost from increased urinary excretion. Being depleted in Vitamin C can cause tiredness and fatigue, a weakened immune system, and difficulties concentrating.
Have a hearty breakfast the following day: Alcohol can inhibit glucose production causing low levels of blood sugar, so make sure you have a good hearty breakfast the next day, or a snack before bed to maintain your blood sugar levels.”
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Liam Gallagher says he’ll ‘gig in Lidl’ if Co-op Live still isn’t ready – and they sound pretty game for it
Danny Jones
Following the ongoing palaver with Co-op Live, Liam Gallagher has joked that he’d happily play his scheduled gigs in a Lidl if the arena still isn’t ready – at least we think he’s joking…
With Liam Gallagher having been named as one of the first acts booked to play Co-op Live last year, many are now wondering whether the venue will even by June, with the former Oasis frontman set to play four Definitely Maybe 30th-anniversary sets. That being said, he’s come up with a solution if not.
Vintage LG, we’ll give him that.
Obviously a bit of a tongue-in-cheek quip at the venue being sponsored by a supermarket and convenience store chain, it could have been any other competitor that the ever-witty youngest Gallagher brother picked but it somehow made it extra funny that he chose a budget brand like Lidl.
However, with the 51-year-old already having fun with stunts like voicing the tannoys on the Metrolink last year, for instance, we wouldn’t put it past him to take this joke a little further.
Better still, not that we’re getting carried away or anything but Lidl themselves seem pretty keen on the idea too; they even spent the time to build an entire setlist for the fictional show. Fair play.
Can you imagine? Liam Gallagher swapping the occasional tambourine shake for beeps from a barcode scanner as he moves back and forth on the conveyor belt. We know it’s absolute nonsense and we definitely shouldn’t be even remotely considering it… BUT it’s the stuff of dreams and strange things have happened.
A lot of stranger things have happened this week alone. As for the latest with Co-op Live, the Chairman and CEO of key-backers Oak View Group, Tim Leiweke, issued a full statement sharing his “sincere apologies”and insisting that they understand “there is work to be done to rebuild your trust in us.”
With the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, Peter Kay, The Black Keys and more having their gigs pulled by the venue due to numerous issues, including an air conditioning unit falling from the ceiling, fans are understandably fearful that other upcoming events could face delays or general misfortune.
Much like the venue itself, we imagine we’ll be playing catch-up on this whole saga for the foreseeable, but here’s a recap of the story so far:
Featured Images — Lidl GB/Exit Festival (via Flickr)/The Manc Group
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Gavin and Stacey will return with a 2024 Christmas special for its final episode
Danny Jones
After some pretty big rumblings earlier this year, it’s finally been confirmed that Gavin and Stacey will be returning for a Christmas special this year and what will be its last-ever episode.
The beloved British comedy last aired back in 2019 with their previous Christmas special and fans of the show have been crying out for more ever since.
Well, it turns out they’ll be getting just one more go around the block as co-creators James Corden and Ruth Jones revealed that they have now finished writing their third and final Xmas special which will tie a festive bow on the trio of series which started all the way back in 2007.
Sharing a picture of the script on social media, the pair wrote: “Some news… It’s official!!! We have finished writing the last ever episode of Gavin and Stacey. See you on Christmas Day, BBC One. Love Ruth and James”.
However, what was actually going on was a bit of a red herring as she carefully chose to talk down any notions of another series but didn’t categorically dismiss the potential Christmas special.
In fact, she actually went on to add: “All I can say is, if there was something to say on that front, James [Corden] and I would happily announce it, we would.”
And that’s exactly what they’ve done. Well played, Nessa.
As for details surrounding the final chapter in the Gavin and Stacey story, we have very few details at this stage but fans of the iconic show will already be wondering how they might pick up from where certain threads left off.
Production companies Baby Cow, Corden’s Fulwell 73 and Jones’ Tidy Productions are all behind the special and, given the momentous occasion, it will likely have a primetime slot on the TV guide when it finally rolls around this holiday season.
So get your remotes, baubles and bhunas at the ready because Gavin and Stacey is coming back for one last time and it’s sure to be a TV event that people all across the UK will remember for years to come.