Nobody WANTS a hangover. It's quite literally one of the civilized world's oldest problems. Since the ancient Sumarians (and likely long before) humans have been fermenting grains, fruits and sugar to make ethanol. Why? Because animals like getting drunk!
FACT: Anything with a backbone has a liver. That means a little bit of toxic overload is permissible. It means we can get intoxicated on alcohol without dying. And given the choice, most creatures will keep going back to the well for another drink. It's not just HUMAN NATURE; it's vertebrate nature...
The intelligence and ingenuity of humans means the "proudest monkey" doesn't have to rely on a chance encounter with rotten fruit or magic mushrooms to party. Alcohol is now produced in massive quantities and consumed the world over. And I for one could not be happier that it is.
You can take the moral high ground and say it's wrong to drink alcohol. But people will do it anyway, so keep that mess to yourself. They tried Prohibition once; and it actually made things worse. Whether you personally like it or not, drinking alcohol has been woven into the tapestry of almost every human society on the planet.
Enter Hangover Remedies
The promise of an elixir to quell the anguish of a hangover is nothing new. However, considering how much we humans drink, the subject has not been studied thoroughly enough. This is the reason for the ignorance regarding the true cause of hangovers. Everyone is an expert because no one is. That is changing.
When we started Intox-Detox in 2013, my assertion was that the "hangover remedy" market was emerging from the shadows, going from darkness to light. Folk remedies were being replaced with real hard science. More research is needed; however, what exists is more than enough to make connections and apply the science. Intox-Detox was one of the first to embrace this science and bring it to market. How exactly?
Back in college, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, I was already toying with the notion that speeding up liver function to avoid the dreaded HANGOVER would involve targeting the liver enzymes upon which alcohol metabolism relies. In the 2-stage process for eliminating ethanol from the body, ADH (Alcohol Dehydrogenase) and ALDH2 (Aldehyde Dehydrogenase) are the rate-limiting factors for the process. Speed them up and you can mitigate the symptoms and side effects of alcohol intake.
We stumbled upon the ingredient hovenia dulcis, which is proven to do exactly what I had been envisioning and ranting about for nearly a decade. It requires more research because we still don't understand exactly HOW it does this. What we do know is that it's very safe to consume. It works in the real world. And, it has health benefits beyond acting as a "hangover cure".
Here Comes the Cavalry!
At the time when we started Intox-Detox, there was one other company doing this, to my knowledge. I don't mind giving them a shout out because they are the only other product on the market using the right ingredient in the right amount. They are Life Support out of Ohio; and they have a great product. I don't know their exact formula, but I do know that the products works great and the science is spot on.
Life Support is formulated as a liquid shooter, which we hope to develop in the future. My only qualms with their product is that they do not use the Setria L-Glutathione and their formula contains an awful lot of sugar as dextrose, which makes it a poor option for diabetics and people watching their diet. Their new morning formulation (with caffeine added) contains the artificial sweetener sucralose, another misstep in my opinion. Splenda is probably harmless - not everything artificial is bad for you. (Not everything natural is good for you - see cyanide) However, Intox-Detox is committed to doing everything with all-natural flavor systems. Also, liquids can become messy very quickly. Other than that, they still have a great and effective product.
We developed Intox-Detox completely independent of them. Ours is not a "me-too" product. I discovered Life Support after we formulated; and I immediately recognized the genius of their product. And to be honest, I was afraid. I'm not afraid anymore and I'll tell you why in a second.
As of today, the market has been flooded with hangover remedy products. Yale News projects that the category will reach $785 million a year in US alone by 2019. There is plenty of money to be made because NOBODY wants a HANGOVER! And I don't fear competition anymore for 2 simple reasons.
1. Abundance - I believe there is plenty to go around for everyone. Every dollar in the $200 billion plus a year retail alcohol market is being spent by a person who does not want to be hungover the next day.
2.Quality - Many of the companies flooding our market are counting on flashy marketing, bold and FDA-non-compliant claims and smash-and-grab tactics above QUALITY.
A Massive Growing Market in Search of a Leader
You don't have to have a great product to be a market leader. Everyone who got in early to the "hangover remedy" market resurgence will make plenty of money, if their product is half-decent. The goal at Intox-Detox is to become the leader of this market by doing things the right way and maintaining a standard of excellence and quality that the other pretenders can't afford.
Not that they don't have the money; they just refuse to spend it on a commitment to delivering value and quality. Here's where I won't name any names. But some of the product names, marketing claims and formulations are ridiculous, if not just non-compliant with FDA rules. A lot of these jokers are going to disappear. It is also expensive to do things the WRONG WAY.
One particular company brags in their Facebook ads about how they have made a million of dollars and the founder is an "ex-Tesla engineer". What does any of that have to do with a quality product? It's not hard to make a million dollars if you started with millions backing your company. And, working for Elon Musk doesn't make you the Elon Musk of hangover remedies.
By that logic, I must be a MOVIE STAR because I used to work on Hollywood productions. Being Tom Cruise's assistant doesn't make you Tom Cruise. Dropping his name won't get you into that swanky club and MOST LIKELY won't get you laid. The whole thing is just ridiculous. What does engineering electric cars and rocket ships have to do with hangover remedies? For that matter, an expert plumber must be a master electrician. It's all nonsense. It's elitist BS marketing.
Intox-Detox was founded by me, a nobody from nowhere with nothing. I'm just an Irish boy next door, who you've never heard of before. I didn't have to work at Tesla to come up with the best "hangover remedy" formula on the market. I haven't made a million dollars yet, but you can bet that when I do, I won't be bragging about it on Facebook. We will simply continue to deliver value to our customers and manufacture the best and highest quality products that we can. We will take that million dollars and create even better new products for our beloved customers.
Bottom Line:
The science of hangover remedies has arrived. There's a Hell of a lot of money to make because a lot of people drink and nobody wants the hangover. The science has gone from old wive's tales and folk remedies to real clinically-proven applied nutraceuticals. Sniffing the money like sharks to chum, many companies have flooded the market. Few of them do what Intox-Detox was already doing before they even entered the market: the right high quality ingredients in the right amounts with NO FLUFF or gimmicks. Intox-Detox will continue to lead the market - not with elitist Tesla name-dropping or massive marketing dollars to smash and grab, but with quality, value, integrity and just being ourselves. The market has plenty of room for making profits. We want to change the world and make it a better place, no matter the price tag.
Our product is better and we are way more fun. Who wants to party with a Tesla engineer anyway?
I guarantee I'd kick his ass in beer pong any day! That's not what makes my product better; (I'll get into that next time) It's just a fact.
Next time I'll tell you EXACTLY what to look for in a good hangover remedy product so that you don't waste your money. That is, if you don't want to buy our product...
If not, try Life Support. Who else would recommend their own competitor?
If so...
Grab a FREE SAMPLE of Intox-Detox here...
OR use coupon code "loveyourliver" to save a few bucks on your next purchase here...
Stay #liverstrong
Andy Bennett
Intox-Detox CEO/Founder