How To Stop Your Hangover Before It Starts

Sometimes the best medicine is preventive—according to our CB verified experts, there are some excellent ways to avoid that brutal holiday season hangover.Sometimes a New Year’s Day hangover is inevitable—but what can you do before you start drinking to prevent (or make slightly less terrible) the next-day woes? We spend a lot of time focusing on hangover cures, but hangover prevention can actually be a better use of your time: do what you can to prevent, and the morning after will be that much more survivable! Follow these four hangover prevention tips and have a happy, healthy, bubbly-filled New Year! 1. Pop Some Prickly Pear Pills 1-2 Hours Before Your First Sip CB verified nutritionist and lifestyle consultant Meredith Geller says popping some prickly pear (also called Nopal Cactus) can seriously help to ease the pain. Incorporate a product like Nopal Blood Sugar ($20) into your pre-party and post-party regime, taking the recommended dosage 1-2 hours before cocktailing and 1 hour after. Nopal Cactus contains amino acids, fiber and antioxidants that help combat sluggishness and aide in a morning-after detox. Medical note for diabetics and insulin users: due to Nopal Cactus’ natural effect of assisting the moderation of blood sugar and insulin levels, check with your health care practitioner, as insulin dosages may need be to be adjusted. For more hangover advice from Geller, read this guide to natural hangover remedies. 2. Drink Hot Water With Lemon  CB verified nutritionist Dana James says,”Hot water and lemon is the de rigueur morning drink of the wellness tribe, but it's also a pre-imbibing elixir if you want to ease a hangover. The lemon juice helps to stimulate the bile flow which quickly clears incoming toxins (i.e ethanol) and the water hydrates your cells so your blood alcohol levels don't skyrocket at your first boozy sip. 3. Get To The Gym The Morning Of (Not In The Evening) Says Dana James, "In my 20s I'd run right before getting ready to go out. The theory... I'd burn off the calories I was about to drink. But no matter how much water I drank after my run, it wasn't enough to fully hydrate me. Half a glass of wine and I'd be ready to dance on the bar! Now a little wiser, I train in the morning and absolutely avoid hot yoga before a boozy night out!" 4. Eat Red Meat And Greens For Dinner Dr. Jason Burke, MD, an anesthesiologist dubbed "The Hangover Specialist," says to make sure your meal contains red meat, which has an especially high concentration of amino acids and B vitamins that help process the nasty byproducts of alcohol. Dana James says, “Bitter vegetables like artichoke, kale, arugula, broccoli rabe, dandelion greens, endive and radicchio contain glucosinolates which increases glutathione, the body's most hardworking antioxidant. Glutathione helps to quickly neutralize and clear alcohol from the body so there is less cellular inflammation, which can lead to post-drinking blues."

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CURIOUS about our experts? They're the best. Learn more about Herbalist Daniela Turley, Nutritionist Dana James, and Nutritionist & Lifestyle Consultant Meredith Geller