These Are the 5 Best Ways to Prevent a Hangover
Of course, if you really want to prevent a hangover, you can always drink something non-alcoholic. (Low- and no-alcohol beers are actually pretty good these days—we have some favorites.) But if you want to enjoy the real thing, you don't have to wind up with a hangover.
If you're partying on Zoom, hanging out outdoors IRL, or enjoying a few with the people you live with, there are strategies you can use while you're drinking that help keep you from the dreaded hangover tomorrow.
Part of preventing a hangover is knowing how much you can drink and at what pace. (So no, nobody has come up with some magic prevention pill that lets you overdrink without your body paying for it.) The rest is strategic sipping and knowing what to eat or supplement before you pour anything into a glass. Here are the best ways to enjoy what you're drinking but prevent a hangover.
Pace yourself
“Have equal parts water with that alcoholic drink so that you don’t dive into your own water stores,” advises Lisa Dorfman, a Miami-based registered dietitian and sports nutritionist. Order a glass of water and have some between sips of your drink of choice. Steady water consumption throughout the night can help slow alcohol absorption into the bloodstream. Two drinks a day are the limit for men to stay healthy. “Go past this” says George Koob, PhD., director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “particularly on an empty stomach and in succession, and you are asking for the body and brain to react.”
Boost up with B Vitamins
“For some individuals, having a B-complex vitamin before drinking makes a difference in fortifying the system,” says Dorfman. This can alleviate symptoms of a hangover or prevent one from occurring. B vitamins are left holding the bag when you overdrink. They are part of the metabolic process of breaking alcohol and its harmful byproducts like acetaldehyde, a toxin.
Eat while you drink
Order a platter with healthy fats like cheese or nuts and nibble as you drink. Even a drink garnish can help. “Eat the celery in your Bloody Mary,” Dorfman says. Hey, it is a veggie chock full of useful nutrients like potassium, folate, manganese and vitamins K, C, B-6 – the list goes on.
Beware darker drinks
Darker alcohols like cognac, bourbon or scotch have congeners, which are known to cause more severe hangovers than lighter liquids like vodka, gin or tequila. “Congeners in alcohol are products that aren’t broken down simply, and remain in the bloodstream,” according to Robert Glatter, MD, an emergency room physician at New York City’s Lenox Hill Hospital. If you’re prone to hangovers, Dorfman suggest avoiding congeners as much as possible.
Drink earlier
Blunt the effects of staying up late and drinking into the wee hours by starting earlier in the day. This will give you some lead time to eat a full meal before bed. “Prevent that awful sleepless night by replacing lost nutrients earlier,” advises Dorfman.
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