The state of Wisconsin has long served as the national focal point of all things dairy.  However, Wisconsin is also the epicenter of another American food culture niche, and that is alcohol.

My oh my, do people in Wisconsin love to drink. I live the capitol city of Madison and, at least once every weekend, I see snapshot of that state-bred love, either through an embarrassingly sloshed University of Wisconsin undergraduate or a too-tipsy townie. When I found out the actual statistics— that Wisconsin has the highest percentage of drinkers in the population and that, person for person, the state has three times more taverns than anywhere else in the country—I hardly blinked.

Still, I’ll admit that sometimes I find Madison’s hyper-boozing culture to be intimidating. At a lot of college parties, my three-drink limit is everyone else’s warm-up drill, and I’ve met more than a few Badgers whose Thirsty Thursday extends through Wednesday night. However, I’ve never tried to keep up with the crowd. I’m sure some of my peers think it’s lame that my personal bar time is midnight, and not two a.m., but I bet I look a lot cooler the next morning when I haven’t succumbed to their same fate: the head-stinging, stomach-churning, regret-inducing experience that is the hangover.

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Alcohol isn’t necessarily unhealthy for you, unless you overdo it. But you went ahead and had that extra drink (and maybe another as well) at the party last night, and now you’re hurting. Hangovers can be hell. Here’s a few tips to get you back on the road to recovery.

Prevention:

Curing a hangover really starts with prevention, so if you know you’ll be hoisting a few drinks in the evening (strictly socially, of course), prepare yourself. Drink lots of water during the day and eat a good meal before the first drink. Try to put away as much H2O as you can, maybe even adding a pinch of salt to it for electrolytes. If you take a multi-vitamin, make sure you’ve had yours for the day (and perhaps take an extra). Grab some B6 tablets and vitamin C and dose yourself throughout the day (follow manufacturers dosage guidelines).

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