So, You Drank Too Much For New Year's?

Chances are, you didn't drink as much as this guy. So, you probably won't have six months of blood-thinning regimens and a four-week headache to cure the hangover.

But, you may have a splitting headache.

Ever wondered what you would be told if you walked into the Mayo Clinic and complained of a hangover? They'd probably point you here, where they would tell you that the best way to prevent a hangover is to drink responsibly. Of course, the whole problem is that you didn't follow their advice in the first place, the world is spinning beneath your feet and your own breathing sounds like a freaking pinball machine in your head.

The Mayo Clinic would then inform you that alcohol is really a pretty nasty drug: it causes you to urinate more frequently, thus causing dehydration (we saw, before that this also exaccerbates colds); it irritates the lining of your stomach and induces vomiting; it decreases your blood sugar making you irritable and physically weak; it causes your blood vessels to expand giving you that splitting headache. Pretty nasty huh?

So, what can you do? Well, the Mayo Clinic would tell you "hangovers go away on their own." Anyone who has ever actually experienced one will tell that it seems to take an eternity. Short of waiting out the eternity, there are few things that you can do that will help.

- Drink Water or Fruit Juice; as much as you would love to drink a gallon of coffee, the caffeine will only increase your dehydration and make matters worse; and, while it seems obvious, drinking more alcohol, the so-called "hair of the dog," is not a good idea either

- Eat a Light Snack; the food will boost your blood sugar and salt levels, the sucrose in fruits will help to burn the alcohol faster

- While pain relievers may work, they could make matters worse or cause severe liver damage, so just Go Back To Bed.