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December 6, 2019

We hate to be the bearers of bad news but the only sure fire way to avoid a hangover is to not drink too much alcohol.

Every year, we write a variation on this blog and, to be honest, the content doesn't change much.

We wish it did. We would love to tell you that drinking milk thistle, wearing vodka socks or rubbing lemon on your armpit will definitely sort you out but we would be lying.

Here are a hundred different hangover cures from around the world and, while some may help with some hangover symptoms, none will cure it.

Trust us. Our learning curve may have been extremely shallow but we have done extensive research on this subject.

And fresh research keeps coming out. Recently, a couple of newspaper reports have drawn attention to new findings published in something called Current Research in Food Science.

It is not a cure but they reckon that drinking sweet lime juice, pear juice and coconut water along with scoffing cucumber, tomatoes and cheese could help hangover sufferers recover more quickly.

Does it work? Well, we'll try it. When we have a killer hangover, we'd try anything.

Hangover top tips

It is much better to avoid getting hungover in the first place. But, especially at this time of year, that can be easier said than done.

Here are our top tips for avoidance and coping with a bad 'un:

Drink a glass of water in between each alcoholic drink. Best tip ever.

Darker drinks - rum, brandy, red wine - seem to cause more severe hangovers than, say, white wine, vodka or beer.

Spirits are more likely to give you a bad hangover than beer.

Try not to mix too many drinks. Drink six beers and you might be hungover the next day. Drink two beers, a Margarita, a glass of red wine and a couple of brandies and we pretty much guarantee you will be feeling rough tomorrow.

Drinking on an empty stomach is never a good idea.

Tempting as it may be, knocking back a hair of the dog is also a bad idea.

Hangovers can be cumulative. Two nights out in a row will leave you feeling worse than two nights out separated by a day or two of clean living.

None of this is rocket science but that won't stop lots of people waking up fully clothed on the sofa over the next few weeks.

And if you are hungover? Ibuprofen, water, as much sleep as you can fit in and then some fresh air can all help.

If things are really grim, those packets of rehydration salts can be a life saver but chugging back the Dioralyte at your desk is never a great look.

Have fun!