How To Prevent A Hangover While Drinking

Prevention is better than cure, as we know. But hangovers are a self inflicted torture that we must endure, right?

Not necessarily. You can usually avoid them, or at least reduce the effects significantly if you know how.

Tell us! Tell us! I hear you cry! well, the secret is simple: don't drink.

Just Kidding.

I know that you didn't come here for that. I aim to give you a few hints within this hub that will give you the gift of a hangover-free morning after.

I must state that I am not a doctor, and i certainly can't fully understand why these tips work, at least not 100%. What I am though, is Scottish- I have had plenty of practice in getting drunk. Along the way, I have picked up and created a few nifty techniques to avoid the hangover!

If possible, before going for a drink, try to get in at least an hour of cardio. Whether you go for a run or a cycle, or spend an hour at the gym, get your heart racing!

Not only does it sweat out existing toxins, it also speeds up your metabolism and keeps it burning all day. This should hopefully mean that any additives get processed quicker than normal, thus allowing your body to deal with the alcohol.

Your body needs fuel to burn off the calories and toxins from drinking. A nice, starchy meal will also help to "soak up" the alcohol and prevent a stomach upset due to high acidity. Yay for food!

My Spicy Rice Recipe would be an ideal dish to use here- filling and nutritional, as well as quick!

No one needs to know that your vodka & lemonade is actually minus the vodka. If you switch to a soft drink regularly, it will allow some recovery time between drinks, and allows you to determine how the alcohol is affecting you.

When choosing a soft drink, try to avoid sugary drinks. The simpler the better. Sugar has to be processed by your body, too, so can actually delay the processing of alcohol further- ending in a very dehydrated, sluggish morning after.

Think of your liver as having a queue. Water can skip past the queue as there is nothing in it. Soft drinks are at the front of the queue, with the sugars causing a delay. Alcohol is at the back, waiting for the rest to go through. Lesson- make space in the queue to allow the alcohol to get through your body quickly.

As before, sugar is bad. I actually blame the majority of my hangovers on sugar. If you must have sugary drinks, do so at the beginning of the night, and switch to diet at least halfway through.

Also bear in mind the colourings and other additives- clear drinks (vodka, lemonade) have fewer colourings than dark spirits or alcopops. Colourings give even more toxins for your body to deal with.

If you must have the brightly coloured, sickly sweet shots, have them early in the night to allow your body plenty of processing time.

Before going to bed, treat yourself to a large glass of water- you'll be thankful of it later. This will prevent dehydration throughout the night, which is the primary cause of the poundung headache the next morning.

There are 5 ways that, when combined, should prevent a hangover. A workout and a good meal beforehand, coupled with watching what you're drinking during your night out, as well as rehydrating afterwards, should prevent a hellish hangover the following day.

But what if it doesn't? I hear you ask.Plenty of fluids, rest and a good, high protein meal should sort you out. Contact a doctor if your symptoms don't subside within a day or so.