Speaking with the adults here, lets be realistic, an alcoholic beverage may be included here and there, and there may even be a special event or gathering that you know an extra couple of drinks are going to creep in. So how can we try and prevent the deadly hangover.

A few quick suggestions that seem to work wonders:

Stick with clear spirits e.g. vodka and gin. Congeners are a toxic byproduct of the fermentation of alcohol that are thought to cause the classic headache in a hangover. Congeners are present in larger quantities in darker drinks e.g. red wine, and least in the clearest beverages.

Try and not drink more drinks than the equivalent amount of hours you are awake during the evening, as most people know, it takes around an hour for the body to break down 1 standard alcoholic drink being 100mls of wine, 30mls of spirit or 285mls of beer. This way, hopefully a large percentage of the alcohol has left your system by the time you go to sleep.

Drink hydrating fluids such as water, mineral water or even a glass of milk (if you can stomach it) to help rehydrate yourself as you drink or at the end of the night.

Try avoid dehydrating mixers that include caffeine- energy drinks and cola based beverages will just double the diuretic affect of the alcohol and leave you even more dehydrated.

Dont drink on an empty stomach- consume food that contains low GI carbohydrates and some healthy fat prior to drinking to help slow down the absorption of your first few drinks.

The next morning- Try and not go for the greasy breakfast- do try:

Taking a B-group vitamin pill (or a multi vitamin will probably do the job). During the process of breaking down alcohol in our system, our body needs the help of  B1, Thiamin, this can often deplete if a large dose of alcohol has been consumed. Take the B complex or multi to help your body process the alcohol out of your system.

Drink a couple more glasses of water.

If you are a regular coffee drinker, have your morning coffee- you wouldn't want the double affect of caffeine withdrawls with the hangover.

Have a healthy breakfast rich in low GI carbohydrates. When alcohol enters our system, the body shifts all its attention to breaking this down, this in turn means that our body doesn't focus on the other nutrients in our food and drink (carbohydrates, protein and fats). For this reason, our blood sugar levels will often fall, and hence people often crave food at the end of a night out! If you finished drinking quite late, and are up again in the morning, your blood sugar levels may still be relatively low, so consuming a nutrient rich source of carbohydrates e.g. wholegrain cereal with reduced fat milk, or wholegrain toast with some melted cheese, will help refuel your body and prevent you feeling flat headed.

Obviously drinking in moderation, sticking with no more than 2 standard drinks on any given day, and no more than 4 standard drinks at the one time will overall be the best option for your health and wellbeing; however, if you are going to drink more than this, give the above suggestions a go and let us know how you go, or if you have discovered any other additions that may help others along the way.