How To Prevent A Hangover and Cure One Too

It's New Years Eve and a lot of 21 + will be out partying.  And a lot of people will feel like crap tomorrow. I have plenty of experience with the hangover cures, and none of them involve hair of the dog. (Drinking again in the morning.)  Because all that does is gets even more booze on your breath when you're trying to be a functioning person.  Here's a few tips to help you first prevent a hangover, then I'll explain later how to cure one.1.  Watch the sugar.  Sugary drinks are killer for headaches.  It's just how it is.  Ever wonder why you get such a headache after drinking schnapps or apple pucker like stuff?

2.  Don't mix too much. I tend to mix up booze when drinking, but to a point.  One thing you never want to do is drink something creamy early in the night.  White Russians, Iron Butterfly's, bailey's, etc.  The whole liquor before beer/ vice versa thing is a total myth too.  Doesn't matter.  Just don't mix more than 2 types of drinks to be safe.

3.  Slam a glass of water now and then.  A lot of "experts" say to drink a glass of water between each drink.  I'm not going to go that far, because seriously... who the heck wants to drink water when you're at a bar.  However, do occasionally drink a glass of water.  After a night out, I usually drink a full glass or two before bed.

4.Know when to quit.  This is the biggest problem for a lot of people, not knowing when to stop.  There is a point when "one more drink" will completely ruin your evening.  I'm lucky enough that for me it just starts to taste bad.  I listen to my body and switch to water, and usually feel pretty good the next day.

So, say you've tried these tips (or completely ignored them) and the next day you feel awful with the worst hangover in the world.

How to cure:

1.  Take Advil or Ibuprofen (NOT TYLENOL!) Take the recommended dosage.  It will ease the pain.  Tylenol or acetaminophen is toxic to your liver in combination to alcohol.

2.  Eat something.  A lot of people say something greasy to coat your stomach lining back.  (Alcohol eats at your stomach)  This is a good idea, although it doesn't have to necessarily be the greasiest thing ever.

3.  DRINK WATER!  This is the single most important way to cure a hangover.  Alcohol dehydrates you.  That pounding in the front of your skull is your brain shrinking.  Literally.  You need to hydrate.  Drink as much water as you can.  A good indication:  look at your pee, once it starts to get clearer again you're doing ok.  I know it's gross.  But it's imperative to drink enough water.

4.  Marinara Sauce.  I know this sounds crazy, but when I've got a bad hangover, marinara sauce works wonders.  The reason is is because of the lycopene in the tomatoes, which is a natural hangover cure.  Catch up, or tomato sauce or soup would work too.

5.  Get enough sleep.  Nothing is worse than being tired and hungover.  Try to get as much as you can.  Not to mention if you only sleep for a few hours, you're still probably legally drunk when you wake up.

As always, drink responsibly.  No one likes to be around someone who can't hold their liquor or goes to far.  It ruins everyone's time.  And for crying out loud TAKE A CAB!