Drinking and not getting a hangover, a mission... almost impossible

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Here are some science-backed tips for coping with the any excesses as well as possible

Carmen Barreiro

Madrid

Friday, 19 December 2025, 11:17

After a couple of dinners with friends and the occasional meal where you've gone a little overboard with the wine, you've probably already made a firm promise to yourself never to drink... ever again. And we haven't even started the official celebrations yet. As well as the health risks of drinking alcohol, waking up with a hangover is a most unpleasant experience: headache, nausea, heartburn, weakness, dullness, slight amnesia?

The fact is that there are many myths and half-truths surrounding the treatment of veisalgia, the scientific name for the profound feeling of discomfort after a binge. From pills that promise to get you back on your feet - spoiler: "their effectiveness is rather dubious" - to home remedies of questionable efficacy such as drinking celery juice or a shot of apple cider vinegar before you start your binge.

Miracle potion?

There is really only one way to avoid a hangover, and we all know it: don't drink alcohol. "When we drink too much, the only thing that can be done is to treat the symptoms caused by excessive consumption with varying degrees of success, but there is no miracle potion that will prevent us from having a hangover," explain the Department of Cell Biology at the Universidad Pablo de Olavide (Seville). What is true is that not everyone metabolises alcohol in the same way and this means that hangovers can be more or less intense and long-lasting. "It is normal for the symptoms not to last for more than a day," add the experts.

Mixed drinks, better with 'light' soft drinks

However, there are a series of tricks to make the hangover more bearable the next day: eat foods rich in fats and slow to absorb such as meat, eggs or nuts before you start drinking; drink a glass of water between drinks to avoid dehydration - alcohol makes you urinate more often because it is a diuretic -; white drinks (gin, vodka...) leave less of a hangover than dark drinks (whisky, rum...); and if you drink mixed drinks, it is better to mix them with juices or soft drinks without sugar "because glucose worsens the effects of veisalgia", say the experts.

Oral rehydration salts

If the damage is already done and the day before you drank the water out of the flower vases, the only remedy to get rid of the hangover is to treat the symptoms. "Drinking plenty of water may make you feel better, but dehydration is often accompanied by an electrolyte imbalance, so it is advisable to add oral rehydration salts such as those taken for diarrhoea".

Your friend cysteine

Another trick that works is to eat foods rich in cysteine: eggs, pork, chicken, fish, dairy products, pulses.... "This amino acid is able to reduce the amount of acetaldehyde, which is one of the toxic chemicals produced by our body as it metabolises alcohol," adds Sally Adams, a researcher at the University of Bath (UK).

One of the most popular home remedies is that eating asparagus helps to combat hangovers. Truth or hoax? "Most of the remedies used against hangovers are based on treating the symptoms: painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs for headaches; liquids for dehydration; antacids for heartburn.... The thing about asparagus is that any food that increases the activity of the enzymes that eliminate alcohol from the body, as is the case with asparagus and many fruits and vegetables, can be considered good for hangovers," add the experts.

Nights of debauchery...

As for medication, the saying 'nights of debauchery, mornings of ibuprofen' should be followed to the letter. "However, caution should be exercised when taking this drug because it can enhance the gastric irritant activity of alcohol by altering the stomach barrier. This does not usually occur when a single dose is taken, but it does occur when this anti-inflammatory drug is taken continuously," warn the researchers from the Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology at the University of Santiago de Compostela.

More alcohol is not the solution

There is no bigger mistake than having a beer or a glass of wine to ease hangover symptoms. The "alcohol with alcohol takes the edge off" is not only a lie but can be "dangerous", warns Sally Adams. "Vital organs such as the liver need time to repair the damage caused by excessive drinking. The recommendation is not to drink alcohol within two days of binge drinking.