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4 tips for avoiding nasty hangover on New Year's Day

Mary Bowerman
USA TODAY Network
Holy hangover.

It always seems worth it until the morning hangover hits. Chances are if your New Year’s Eve involves alcohol you’ll probably be hurting on New Year’s Day. We get it. We've got you covered.

Here are four tips to help you avoid an epic New Year's Day hangover:

1. Eat a full meal and hydrate before drinking

You may or may not be familiar with what happens when you drink too much on an empty stomach, but to put it simply, you get intoxicated.

“The alcohol is absorbed very quickly on an empty stomach, so there are more pronounced effects,” according to Don Hensrud, director of the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program.

A.K.A you may miss the ball drop.

“Eating a good meal before drinking or while consuming alcohol is a good idea because it slows down the absorption of alcohol,” Hensrud said.

2. Have a plan. Like a 1-3 drinks and you're done, plan. 

If you don’t have a plan in place when you start drinking, it’s already too late, according to Hensrud.

“When people begin drinking, it’s a slippery slope,” Hensrud said. “As people drink they start to feel the mild effects of alcohol – which are relaxation, feeling good – and with that willpower goes way down.”

Hensrud said it’s important to think about your limits, and how much you want to drink beforehand and stick to the plan. So, if that means you're typically tipsy after two or three glasses, spread them out throughout the night and don't get pressured into drinking more than you want.

3. Drink water or "mocktails" in between drinks.

Alcohol causes you to urinate more, which can lead to dehydration. An important step to preventing a hangover is staying hydrated throughout the night.

Try having water or a "mocktail" between alcoholic beverages or even along with it, according to Hensrud.

“People are used to having something in their hands,” he said. “If they are holding a flavored water, they are still engaged and have something in their hand.”

Plus, drinking a nonalcoholic beverage “can cut the amount of alcohol a person consumes in half.”

Voila!

4.  You've made it home. Now what? 

When you get home, you may be tempted to pop aspirin, but you shouldn't do it, Hensrud said. Mixing acetaminophen pain relievers like Tylenol and alcohol can be harmful to your liver.

Oh, and If you haven't been drinking water throughout the evening, you should probably start now.

What do you do if you have a really bad hangover? 

Hangovers affect everyone differently, but typically the headache, dry mouth, fatigue and dehydration associated with a hangover should be gone within 24 hours of drinking.

You should go to the hospital if you are unable to stop vomiting, vomiting up blood, or you have blood in your stool, according to Hensrud.

"if you have anything alarming, you should seek medical attention," he said.

And while the advent of pop-up hangover I.V. stations may seem like a desirable way to avoid the ER, Hensrud said if you feel like you need an I.V. you should probably just go to the hospital.

And, how old are you again?

"We don't tolerate alcohol as well as we get older, there are more aches and pains," Hensrud said. "People need to realize that again, alcohol is not something to get carried away with."

Here's to hoping you feel like this on New Year's Day:

And not this:

Follow @MaryBowerman on Twitter.

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