How to Prevent Hangovers

You want to know how to prevent hangovers? Let’s start with the simplest answer: don’t drink. That is really the only way that you can assure yourself you won’t have a hangover.

If you are going to drink think: hydration. One of the major contributors to hangover symptoms is dehydration. Remember that consuming alcohol makes you have to go to the bathroom because of the effects of vasopressin. Drinking water or an electrolyte drink (such as Gatorade or Pedialyte) before, during, and/or after drinking alcohol might help reduce the severity of your hangover. This type of hydration tactic helps hangovers in a few ways, the most important one being that there is a chance that staying hydrated (by drinking an non-alcoholic drink in between alcoholic drinks) will impede the volume of alcohol you would otherwise consume if you were only drinking alcohol. If you are able drink an electrolyte drink, using this method will also aid in maintaining electrolyte levels.

Along this same rational, drinking beverages with less alcohol concentration can help curtail hangovers as well... less alcohol going in means less alcohol in your system to add to the severity of your hangover.

Avoiding alcohol known to be high in congeners will lend a hand in reducing symptoms too, so drinking clear alcohol (instead of red wine or the dark stuff) can limit the amount of congeners you consume. Also some red wines are high in histamines, so you could be getting a mild allergic reaction when you drink and not even know it. The best call if you are going to drink is to consume light beer.

So basically abstaining, unfortunately, is really the only assured way how to prevent hangovers, although avoiding hangovers is usually as easy as good hydration and moderation.