The Absolute Best Way To Prevent A Hangover, According To A Doctor

First things first: Why do we—77 percent of us, at least—get hungover in the first place?

According to Dr. Cox, a lot of it comes down to dehydration.

"Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it makes us go to the bathroom more," he says. It contains something called congeners, which are basically substances other than ethanol produced during the alcohol fermentation process—like methanol, acetone, acetaldehyde, esters, tannins, and aldehydes—and which are responsible for some of the way that non-distilled liquor tastes. These, he explains, are toxic to the body, meaning, "generally, they affect how our cells operate. When they do that, the body wants to get rid of them as quickly as possible, so they can’t damage our cells."

Tannins, for example, are congeners you may have heard of, found in wine.

"When alcohol breaks down, our bodies recognize that those congeners are toxic, and the kidney tries to flush them out, so it's pulling water from our bodies to dispose of them," he explains. "We lose things like sodium, potassium, and other essential elements in the process. Then, we feel miserable: muscle aches, headaches, etc."

Sounds familiar.