First off, if you will be staying out late you are already putting your body at risk of an “up late hangover” even if you don’t drink a drop of alcohol.  If you normally go to bed at 11 and you don’t go to bed until 2 AM, you will feel it the next day.  So if you are thinking you might be out late, get a nap the day before you go out and plan for a relaxing day the following day.

Dehydration is a huge contributing factor to hangover headaches.  Alcohol is dehydrating anyway plus if you are drinking cocktails or beer you won’t feel the thirst for good old-fashioned water.  I recall my brother giving me advise to “drink a glass of water for every alcoholic drink you have.”  You have two beers, have two glasses of water in the evening.  I know it makes you pee a lot more but it does tremendous good toward reducing a hangover.

B-Vitamins can also do good things for your body.  Take a good B-Complex before you go out, again when you get home (before you go to bed) and when you get up in the morning.  The B-Complex will also help you to have more energy, something we can all use.

Finally, we want to consider what alcohol does to our liver.  You may know that my dad died of liver cancer (not related to alcoholism) but that puts me on extra-alert when it comes to protecting my own liver.  Our livers process pretty much everything that goes through our bodies, especially alcohol so I suggest taking a liver detox to both support your liver and to reduce hangover.  I have heard it suggested to take 1-3 before going out to reduce the effects of alcohol or if you forget, take a couple when you get home or the next day.

I’m not a big fan of drinking excessively. I have been truly drunk once in my life and hated the hangover experience.  I also am not willing to risk driving intoxicated so I rarely drink while out.  A glass of red wine a few times per week at home suits me perfectly.

I also feel compelled to mention briefly the dangers to our health long-term if we make it a habit of over-consumption of alcohol.  Women especially shouldn’t consume more than one drink per day and no more frequently than five days per week (according to my ob-gyn office).  More than that and we are putting ourselves at increased risk for all kinds of health troubles and diseases.  Men can consume slightly more, but not a lot.

Whatever you decide to do about drinking, know that a little planning ahead can go a long way toward preventing a hangover.  Cheers!

Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who enjoys sharing the tips she picks up in her research to help you and your family to live a healthier life.  You can find more information at her website (she is paid by Shaklee when people purchase products through her or her website): www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com