Ah, the question that even plagued Socrates himself.  We pretty much all know this answer as sober people don’t accidentally stumble onto a hangover.  However, let us look at what causes hangovers.  There are a few main reasons: 

1.      Dehydration – Alcohol dehydrates certain vital portions of your body and brain.

2.      Shock – coming off a depressant drug (alcohol)

3.      Malnutrition – Alcohol and liquid flush out essential vitamins and minerals

4.      Congeners – a toxic chemical that is the main culprit of hangovers.

   In Depth:

Let us take a look at each one of these instigators and how to prevent them from causing that pounding headache the next morning. 

"Beer before liquor, never been sicker. 

Liquor before beer, never fear."

Although common sense tells you that if you drink, you will get sick, there is a measure of truth to this old folk tale.  Mixing different types of alcohol makes it more difficult for your body to process the added variety of congeners.  Carbonation speeds up the absorption of alcohol, so drinking beer before liquor will cause the liquor to be absorbed faster than normally.

Aspirin & Ibuprofen Warning:  

When drinking, aspirin can be very dangerous and quite poisonous.  Aspirin should never be taken before, after, or during a drinking session.  Alcohol already irritates you gastrointestinal tract and aspirin just increases the acidity that can cause internal bleeding.  The AMA published an article stating that taking an aspirin before a night of drinking can increase the blood alcohol levels by 26%, thus prolonging the presence of alcohol in your system.

Check out this article from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicne:   

Personal Experience is the only way to perfect your personal hangover cure.  Below are some of the finest after many years of trial and error.  

* Aspirin and Ibuprofin is not an option as your liver will need replacing very soon!

1. Drinking water before bed (about 1 liter) along with Vitamins C, E, and a multi-vitamin.  If that doesn't work then try a Chocolate or your favorite flavored Milk Shake the next day. It works wonders plus it tastes great. Water, water, water is the number one cure from our panel of experts.

2. Drink loadz of water the next day. This will help to "get rid of" some of the excess alcohol along with the excess water. The only side effect is you'll spend most of your day on the porcelain.

3. Eating something that is easy for your body to digest such as grapes and toast helps speed up recovery.

4. Raw eggs, if it doesn’t make you feel better, it’ll make you throw up and that should make you feel better.

5. For all those sporty students out there who happen to be studying by the seaside a quick dip in the sea will numb your nerves so you don’t feel a thing as well as get rid of that pounding headache.  The salt could also make you puke the unwanted alcohol.

6. More Sugar. This helps because alcohol breaks down sugar stores in the liver that need to be replaced. Without these sugar stores we often feel light-headed and weak.

7. Tomatoes!  Don’t ask me why this works, but it tends to do miracles.  This is why a bloody mary and V8’s are so popular as they are packed with nutrients.  Try some basic tomato sauce or pasta sauce on spaghetti.  This is quite easy on the stomach and has incredible results.

8. Coffee.  Contrary to popular belief, coffee is not a sobering agent, but the caffeine can constrict the enlarged blood vessels in your head that cause that blinding headache.  If you are a heavy coffee drinker, then not having your regular cup could cause added headache through the typical withdrawal symptoms.  However, coffee will intensify your dehydration so don't forget to drink twice as much water as coffee.

9. A cold washcloth.  Much like coffee, a cold, wet towel can also help constrict the enlarged blood vessels in your head.

10. A classic but goody is the cool refreshing taste of an energy drink.  The electrolytes and sugar will speed your recovery and absorption of the alcohol.