As I was sorting through my emails this morning I came across a little tidbit about ‘the hangover patch‘…
The gist is that this tiny little patch, when placed on your arm or back before a bender, will fill you full of organic vitamin-y goodness and prevent a hangover.
Huh. I call bullshit. Or maybe it’s brilliant? Is this just like the hangover pills they sell at liquor stores? Has anyone ever tried any of this crap?
The patch is made by a Denver company which I find very interesting:
Zaca
191 University Blvd. #503
Denver, CO 80206-4613
Phone Number: 303-800-5992
Anyway – I felt it was my duty to inform you, dear readers, about this product.
If any of you are inclined to try it I would love to hear your feedback.
Here’s a coupon:
PS – Could their marketing be any more cheeseball? From the picture of the happy party-goers on the homepage to the diagrams showing you where to place the patch… ick. It is kind of funny, however, that they offer bulk pricing for special occasions such as bachelorette parties, corporate events and proms.
Ha. Jk about the prom thing.
October 20, 2010 at 9:14 am
I’ll try it!
October 20, 2010 at 9:20 am
Whatever… The best cure is Naproxen and ginger ale at 4:45 in the morning after your pounding headache wakes (waches?) you up along with the joy that is gravelly dry-mouth.
October 20, 2010 at 5:51 pm
I have been using the patch for over a year now. It works! If you ever go to some of the bigger liquor stores http://zacalife.com/locator.html ask the employees about it…They swear by it and I do to!
October 20, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Luke… methinks you work for Zaca…
October 21, 2010 at 7:12 am
All I have to say is this shit WORKS!! No joke, it’s definitely worth a try and for me it works best when left on for at least 8-10 hours. Even putting it on (thats what she said) after you drink/drunk it helps remove those pesky hangover toxins. I usually leave it on until it falls off and for me, since I am a big guy (215lbs!!) i use at least two, sometimes three. try it, you’ll like it.
October 21, 2010 at 8:16 am
Nothing I hate more than those “pesky toxins” Dave…
*sigh*
October 21, 2010 at 9:52 am
You can drink all night and not have to worry about being hung over the next day. The worst thing in the world is ruining a beautiful weekend day feeling like crap on your couch. Wake up and feel great. I recommend Zaca to all my friends. Keep up the good work!!!
October 21, 2010 at 9:55 am
Wow Ryan… you’re right! I can’t bear the thought of ruining a beautiful weekend. YOU keep up the good work you silly goose!!!
*ugh*
October 21, 2010 at 9:59 am
I was very skeptical about Zaca when I first read about it online. I decided I had to try it myself because I get the worst hangovers and everything else I’ve tried has been a bust. In all honesty, it actually works. If you blackout, there really isn’t much you can do to save yourself… but, if you are going out on a work night drinking and socializing with friends, this will prevent the headache, grogginess, and fatigue that usually sets in when my alarm clock goes off at 5:15 am. It is easy to be skeptical about any new product (especially BS hangover remedies), but I would recommend trying it for yourself and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
October 21, 2010 at 10:17 am
You wouldn’t think a little patch could do so much. Every time I use Zaca, I serioiusly feel better in the morning. I feel even better about the fact I didn’t have to take a bunch of liver damaging tylenol or advil to combat my drinking from the night before. It makes me feel good from a holistic perspective to know I have this option when I know I might be drinking more than 2 drinks. Thanks Zaca!
October 21, 2010 at 10:22 am
On a Vegas trip I went completely overboard and brought all the Zaca patches I could. On the flight back I had about half a dozen on, and I didn’t have a hangover the entire trip.
The following weekend I had a birthday party and I had a couple-three drinks. Seriously. I didn’t go crazy because naturally I was partied out. I forgot to patch up, and the next day I was hungover.
Zaca works.
October 21, 2010 at 11:37 am
HEY – Zaca employees — back to work!
October 21, 2010 at 1:31 pm
WOW mamamonroe! I love your negative responses. I’ve never tried this “hangover patch” but after all this talk I just ordered a pack.
Also, If it is Zaca employees posting…………Great job! This is the most traffic this blog has had since birth!
October 21, 2010 at 1:32 pm
So, all joking aside. I am a real scientist. Spent a lot of time with cell function. The only real pesky toxin in booze is the ethanol. Hangovers are mostly caused by the action of ethanol on the compound vasopressin. Vasopressin controls the ability for water to be reabsorbed into the blood. So when you drink a shitload, you do two things. You throw off your osmotic balance with all of the liquid you consume and that liquid is a vehicle for a compound that prevents you from managing that imbalance. You end up pissing a ton and not absorbing the water in the booze thus becoming totally dehydrated. Vasopressin also works to modify constriction of blood vessels throughout the body, including the ones in your brain. Loss of dilation control can cause those migraine like headaches that we nurse on Sunday mornings.
Considering this, there seems to be no reason that this patch or any other product sold over the counter at a liquor store has any real effect. I do believe in the power of persuasion and the ability of the mind to control pain. If you believe that this stuff works then you can probably make the pain less through suggestion. Though I’d bet that you were probably not as drunk as you thought you were. In my mind you could probably benefit more affordably by believing that a strip of clear tape cures hangovers.
October 21, 2010 at 1:35 pm
Hubs– you sound smart. Let’s get a drink or 4. I’ll bring the scotch tape.
October 21, 2010 at 1:54 pm
lol no I don’t work for zaca. Snarkiness aside, you should try it before you rag on it.
October 21, 2010 at 1:55 pm
I tend to think of myself as a social Professional, not a person who is constantly drinking to get drunk, but one who must endure countless happy hours with clients. I heard about the Zaca Hangover Patch, and tried it. Put it to the test in fact, 6 drinks and a bottle of Riesling that night and it worked. The next day i was up at 9am, taking in a client call on a “disaster”, then garage sale-ing, grocery shopping, cleaning, keeping up with my 4 year old. I’ve tried the patch 6 times, each time whether it was 1-10 drinks, i felt fantastic the next day. I’ve told my friends, they know how much i drink so they tried it, they all have told me it works. I believe there are elements of our body that are lost when we start to drink one, after another. I don’t know how it does it, but this patch DOES work. One patch costs 3 bux, they come in a box, i picked it up for 6 bux… it’s less than a Coors light at places, and i swear by it. What do you have to lose, but tomorrow???? I don’t drink without it.
October 21, 2010 at 2:03 pm
You are so right innocent readers that have happened to stumble upon our little blog! I totally trust your honest and unbiased opinions! You are obviously in no way trying to promote the hangover patch but rather just simply trying to tell me how awesome it is! I’m going to go out and get the patches right away!
October 21, 2010 at 2:14 pm
I know none of you actually work for Zaca, but if you know someone who does work for Zaca, send them my way. I can recommend a great social media strategist for them, they need one.
October 21, 2010 at 4:41 pm
zaca is FOR REAL! I cant imagine a night of injesting beverages without it! It is meant for Wine drinkers, occasional drinkers, wedding-only drinkers, binge drinkers, microbrew drinkers, watered-down head pounding domestic beer drinkers, golfing drinkers, sweet or fruity cocktail drinkers, hard alcohol drinkers, bottle service drinkers, weekday drinkers, Great American Beer Fest drinkers, midafternoon manicure & martini drinkers, sunday morning football tailgating drinkers, etc., etc….nuff said! ps all of these testimonials are from users of the product, not employees. I know cuz I am the only employee besides the 2 co-founders:)
October 21, 2010 at 5:44 pm
LOL! The only hangover cure I know is a large fry and large Coke. But this was a good read, nonetheless.
A friend swears by Vitamin Water. He buys the one that claims to be a hangover cure. I haven’t tried it. I’m pretty sure plain old water would do the trick. I have a girlfriend who always does the one drink + one glass of water + one drink + one glass of water and so on and so forth. I’ve tried that, but got tired of all the trips to the ladies room!
October 21, 2010 at 6:55 pm
I don’t work for Zaca, but if I did, I’d be thanking you for all the free publicity. I would also never read your blog again, because it’s full of negativity and bitchiness. To each his own, I guess. But I would recommend trying a product for yourself before you knock it.
October 21, 2010 at 7:08 pm
Hey man… I didn’t knock the product (the marketing YES… because it is a cheese fest). All I did was ask for feedback from our readers. And boy did I get it.
As for being negative… well suck it up. What can you do?
And now… I’m sticking a fork in this post. The dishes are done.
Live long and prosper Zaca-philes. May the hangovers not be with you.
October 26, 2010 at 10:45 pm
Mama,
I love your negativity and I hope it never goes away. Ever.
What I do want to know is how many people have a google alert on Zaca. How did they all find you so quickly? How did it take me so long to be checking your blog, especially when I am a regular checker of said blog? How did the Hubs come up with all this scientific knowledge related to hangovers?
So many questions!
October 28, 2010 at 10:09 am
Blake,
While I cannot answer all of your questions, I can just say that I was once a grad student in biomedical sciences and being a grad student in biomedical sciences causes one to drink gargantuan amounts on a fairly regular basis. Hangovers and the deep knowledge of them then go hand in hand.
March 8, 2011 at 3:35 pm
So I was curious too about these patches, and must say I can not find a bad thing about them on the internet. Most would see this as a good thing, but to me it is a clear flag that this company has a very proactive marketing and advertising team. I will be trying these patches in the next couple weeks and will come back to your blog to give an honest opinion.
March 8, 2011 at 6:03 pm
Curtis – I’m waiting with baited breath for your review. As I’m sure is the proactive marketing and advertising team at Zaca.
March 8, 2011 at 6:09 pm
Yep. Astrology, alchemy and other hoodoo have had great marketing teams that included kings, queens and famous folks like Issac Newton. That didn’t make any of it factual.
March 18, 2011 at 12:50 pm
So I put the hangover patch on for the festivities last night, and I feel like I got hit by a bus and the patch is like someone sitting on the sidewalk who watched it and is laughing at me. I guess I don’t feel very tired, but I still have every other hangover ailment. Maybe I drank too much, but more likely, the patch is not useful.
March 18, 2011 at 1:08 pm
Thank you for the feedback Curtis… sorry about the headache! I might suggest in the future you avoid Amateur Night (aka: St Paddy’s Day). It’s a little know fact that green beer kills twice as many brain cells as yellow beer.
March 30, 2011 at 4:35 pm
My sis actually received a handful of these free at the Bridal Expo. I am now curious to give it a try when I decide to consume a few too many 20oz. Milk Stouts…
March 30, 2011 at 4:38 pm
OOOOh bridal show marketing. Wow. Zaca has really stepped it up…