A hangover or delayed alcohol-induced headache describes the sum of physiological effects following heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages. The symptoms vary from person to person and can usually begin several hours after drinking. Some commonly reported symptoms include headache, fatigue, nausea, flatulence, weakness, sweating, sensitivity to light and noise, lethargy, erratic tremors, lack of depth perception, trouble sleeping, diarrhea and thirst. A hangover may also induce psychological symptoms including heightened feelings of depression and anxiety.  Alcohol is a depressant.

• Approximately 25-30% of drinkers may be resistant to hangover symptoms.

If you’ve ever had a hangover, you’ve probably thought about how far you’d go to make the pain go away. From crazy promises (“If I live through this, I’m never drinking again”) to consuming your body weight in Gatorade, you may think you’d try anything to get rid of that hangover. This is why we have compiled some of the most popular “hangover cures” we were able to find on the web – which we can’t promise to work for everyone or anyone. Also, do not take this post as any sort of medical advice, always consult your doctor, and remember; there is no real cure for hangovers.

1. Water (Lots of Water)

Drinking alcohol dehydrates you. Take beer: It’s mostly water, but the alcohol in it blocks hormones in your kidneys that normally would keep you from racing to the bathroom all night. With each beer (or dreaded shot), you effectively lose more water than you take in. As your body dries out, bad things happen, including those searing headaches. Drinking water the next morning helps, but it’s best to interrupt your bender with a few glasses along the way.

To help the detoxification process along, it’s always a good idea to drink plenty of water before, during and after imbibing of your favorite wine or spirit. Before going to bed, try to down two big cups. In the a.m., as awful as it may seem, hydrate again. Water is great, but tomato juice with cayenne pepper, sugar, and lime should also be added to the hydration options as the concoction helps replenish electrolytes and helps to get your blood sugar back on track. Sports Drinks are also great as you not only lose water when you booze, you also dump electrolytes. These salts and other minerals keep your body functioning properly. Sports drinks like Gatorade help replenish these reserves.

2. Over-The-Counter Pain Relievers

Everyone has a favorite, be it Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Aleve, or  Tylenol.

These pain relievers can stave off hangover headaches, but they can also do a number on your liver when mixed with alcohol, especially those with acetaminophen such as Tylenol and Excedrin.

3. Vitamins B6 and B12

Lower levels of vitamins B6 and B12 can intensify a hangover, says Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale Prevention Research Center. Alcohol inhibits absorption of these compounds. Supplements taken the next day can speed your recovery, but don’t take them all the time, he warns, as excessive amounts have been linked to long-term nerve damage.

4. Berocca

Veteran booze-hounds in the U.K. and Australia tout this Bayer-branded multivitamin (not available in the U.S.) as a powerful hangover antidote. (Bayer doesn’t exactly market the product that way.) The tablets include vitamins B and C, magnesium, zinc and assorted sugars and salts that your cocktail robbed you of the night before.

5. Prickly Pear

You won’t find water in the desert, but you will find another hangover cure. A recent study by researchers at Tulane University found that extract from prickly pears relieve (a species of cacti-ameliorates) a few hangover symptoms such as nausea, dry mouth and loss of appetite. Note: Prickly pear extract doesn’t work on headaches, so you might still need to reach for the aspirin.

6. Tripe Soup

Here’s a good one, if you can stomach it.

Folks down in Mexico swear by tripe soup, made from the lining of a cow’s stomach and spiced with chili, garlic and other seasonings.

More than likely, the sting of the spices provides a welcome distraction.

7. Haejangguk

In English, this Korean dish literally means “soup for the stomach.” Street vendors in Korea sell it out of carts, usually on weekend mornings.

The ingredients vary, but cow bones and cow’s blood are mainstays, along with a collection of spices that would make most Westerners scream.

8. Rosiglitazone

Know any diabetics? They may have a bottle of this stuff hanging around.

Rosiglitazone eases hangover symptoms by boosting glucose levels. But don’t count on this prescription drug coming to market as a hangover cure anytime soon. In general, diabetics should avoid alcohol.

9. Oxygen

In a random study of 231 patients at two Vienna hospitals, published in Anesthesiology in 1999 and reported by The New York Times, it was found that the side-effects of general anesthesia could be diminished by giving patients a mix of 80 percent oxygen and 20 percent nitrogen during the surgery and for two hours afterward. Only 17 percent of the patients receiving supplemental oxygen experienced nausea and vomiting, compared with 30 percent of the group who were given the standard 30 percent oxygen and 70 percent nitrogen. The study’s leader characterized the results for the Times, “Extra oxygen is cheap, risk-free and reduces the incidence of nausea as well as any known drug.” In addition, there have been anecdotal reports from those with easy access to a breathing oxygen supply (medical staff, SCUBA divers and military pilots) that oxygen can also reduce the symptoms of hangovers sometimes caused by alcohol consumption. The theory is that the increased oxygen flow resulting from oxygen therapy improves the metabolic rate, and thus increases the speed at which toxins are broken down. Many clubs in South Beach, Florida, offer oxygen for people who realized they had too many drinks.

10. Checking into an Alcohol Rehab

The best cure of all is just not drinking too much alcohol, or not drinking at all. Some people may not be able to follow this advice and if stopping is something you cannot do – then you may have an alcohol problem.

If you think alcohol is an issue in your life and you are tired of hangovers and the many other related consequences like missing work, then calling an alcohol rehab program for information may not be a bad idea.