The best hangover cures are all about finding what works best for you.

There’s no easy way to say it – hangovers suck. And they’re supposed to, because what comes up must surely come down. Pouring sugary toxins and chemicals down our throats without fear of consequence means we’re required to pay a heavy, self-pitying price.

Oh, what a night! You drank, you laughed, you drank some more and you’re pretty sure you had the time of your life.

The only thing is, now someone’s operating a jackhammer in your head and your mouth tastes like a camel’s breath. There is no hope in this dark, lonely world, and you will never, ever drink again.

Until the next time.

The best way to avoid a hangover is obviously not to drink.

Unfortunately for many of us who love a shiraz, cold beer or (insert favorite drink here) this is sometimes unavoidable. Weddings, catching up with pals, your team won or lost, all are rock solid reasons to enjoy a few beverages.

But there is hope.

Hangovers can be cured – or at least strongly alleviated.

There’s no need to write off the entire next day on your deathbed, thinking about what you could be doing.

Here are some tips to lessen the damage and kickstart the morning (or afternoon) after.

If you don’t drink, then keep on reading. It’s your chance to offer advice to a suffering loved one as you look on smugly with a clear head.

Prevention before cure

Get one up on the hangover by preparing a little tool kit before you even start drinking.

Have a bottle of mineral water or juice ready to start swigging before you sleep. If need be, take an aspirin to ensure a better sleep.

As hard as it may be at least glug down some water before calling it a day.

Rehydrating as soon as possible is the key, preferably non-alcoholic.

Eat something, anything.

While you were pounding down vodka shots to roars of approval from loved ones, your body’s ability to absorb nutrients and vitamins was set back.

Time to correct that and get some food into you. Bananas, eggs, toast, avocado and bacon are all great but let’s not be too fussy here – just eat something.

One of the best hangover cures there is – the ole preemptive strike.

Move it

Probably the least appealing and yet for many this is the most effective cure – exercise.

Contrary to popular belief, sweating out the booze in a joyless hour on the treadmill doesn’t necessarily cure a hangover.

What exercise does do though, is increase the release of endorphins. These are those wonderful transmitters in your brain that create feelings of happiness and a sense of well-being.

Which is exactly what you need when it feels as if the Grim Reaper is lying beside you on the bed.

No need to go overboard, even 20 minutes of something, anything, will get the blood flowing.

At the very least it’ll take your mind off when you told your friend’s spouse what you really think of them.

Make a splash

Something as simple as hurling yourself into water can do wonders. Salt water, if possible, but you live in Kansas or Birmingham, a pool will suffice.

Salt water ticks two boxes. First of all, your body is dehydrated and the ocean will help replenish your body salts.

And as we just learned, exercise – any exercise – will help with releasing endorphins and getting you halfway back to normal.

No ocean, no worries. A pool is the next best thing. True, it won’t have the life-affirming salts like the ocean, but it can still work a treat.

The soothing effects of water flowing over you will do wonders for your dazed state, and moving about will get those beautiful endorphins moving flowing again.

You will off course, have to get out of the front door and get to a pool or beach.

Unless you have a pool or live within walking distance to the ocean, which means it’s not really the end of the world.

Beware, beware, the hair of the dog

You may have seen the t-shirts reading, “Avoid hangovers, stay drunk”.

After chuckling and moving on, you realize this is actually an option for many.

Bad dog, down!

“Hair of the dog”, or having more to drink to alleviate the pain, is surely the most cowardly way out.

A classic case of prolonging the inevitable or simply kidding yourself.

Dealing with your wretched state that was brought on by alcohol by drinking more alcohol? Hmmm… This is what gave birth to the Bloody Mary and countless Sunday Sessions in pubs and bars around the world.

To be fair, the initial consumption of alcohol the day after may indeed relieve your hangover symptoms, but this is just a stay of execution.

The hangover will come, just a day or so later, and most likely when you’re due at work or to front up for something actually important.

A slippery slope is the hair of the dog, because the time will eventually come to pay the piper.

The easy way out

Depending on the severity of the hangover, opting to do absolutely nothing ain’t a bad choice.

In fact, it’s probably the go-to for most of us.

Lying on the bed/couch binge-watching some rubbish on Netflix? Easy.

Consuming dangerous amounts of fast food and soft drinks? Effortless!

Which brings us to this – why do so many of us crave greasy food when we’re under the weather?

Alcohol intake – and especially lots of it – leads to our brains releasing a neurochemical called galanin. This rascal increases our desire for fatty and salty foods.

6 beers and 5 tequila shots on Friday = 2 double cheeseburgers with a large Coke on Saturday.

So, if someone raises their eyebrows as you consume a family pizza by yourself, just blame it on galanin and ask them to refill your Coke.

The day will surely come when someone – most likely suffering from a hangover – invents a pill we can take that just gets rid of the dusty heads.

Until that day however, we just have to suck it up and deal with it.

Sure, drinking less is the obvious way to avoid a hangover, and we should aim for that whenever possible.

But, if you’re a mere mortal and get carried away, these options may save your Sunday.