Party's over for hangovers!

Drinking this new year's eve? Here's how you can avoid or minimize a hangover.

Updated : Nov 21, 2013, 01:44 PM IST

New Year’s Eve parties are known for the alcohol that flows freely until the wee hours of the morning. After the dancing and the socialising throughout the holiday season, most of us spend the first day of the new year in bed, battling a nasty hangover.

“Every new year’s day, I wake up to a headache, cringe at the sun shining through the window, and if I leave the bed, it is mostly to find my way to the bathroom to throw up,” says AJ, a media professional who spoke on condition that his name not be used. “Every year I resolve to avoid overdoing it the next year, but it just doesn’t happen.”

“The best way to avoid a hangover is to limit your drinks or not drink at all,” says Ami Doshi, a Mumbai-based nutritionist. But this is the season to eat, drink and be merry, so we list five simple things that can help you to minimise the hangover.

1. Prep up:

Cocktail and shot glasses start doing the rounds of a party much before the plates. So make sure you’ve eaten a good meal before you set out to party. A full stomach will ensure delayed absorption of alcohol in your system. Also, it would be a good idea to get a glass of milk before you leave. Milk lines your intestines and reduces the absorption of alcohol.

2. Be loyal, be clear:

If you start with a certain drink, stick with it through the evening. The hangover quotient of every alcoholic drink is different. When you mix drinks, you end up consuming a mix of alcoholic elements that could lead to a bad hangover. If you really want to stretch your limit and exceed two drinks for the night, pick a clear drink like white wine, vodka, gin or white rum. Coloured drinks like red wine or rum tend to have a higher amount of congeners which are minor toxic chemical elements. Dark coloured drinks are known to produce worse hangovers.

3. Tank up:

Alcohol is a diuretic which depletes your body of water. A hangover is the result of dehydration and toxification on account of the alcohol consumed. Drinking at least a glass of water for every alcoholic drink consumed will ensure sufficient hydration and possibly detoxify your body through the night. So yeah, tank up on water before you tank up on alcohol.

4. Don’t forget the eat part of ‘eat, drink and be merry’:

Nibble on food throughout the night if you want to keep the hangover at bay. You will most probably see a lot of greasy, fried snacks at a party, but try and grab a salad or get some fruit.

5. Limited edition:

If you want to wake up happy and cheerful, set your limits. It is best to stop at four drinks for the night. Pace your drinks out over a couple of hours and do not exceed one drink an hour. Alcohol limit varies from person to person, however, and depends on your age, weight, and body in addition to the kind of alcohol you consume, so know your limit and stop yourself right there. Remember, the more the alcohol you consume, the worse the hangover next morning!

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