Hangover cures to get your new year off to a flying start

IS 2014 off to a painful start? If you've got a raging hangover today, this could be the best article you'll read all year.

Wake up this morning feeling a little... uh... under the weather? We've got the best hangover cures for you.

HOW far would you go to cure a hangover?

Across the globe, revellers swear by delicacies such as dried bull penis, pickled sheep eyeballs or the Prairie Oyster (tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce and raw egg) to cure their morning after blues.

Closer to home, Australians are more likely to sleep it off, reach for a greasy food fix, or turn to trusty vegemite toast.

News_Image_File: Is this the way you're trying to cure your hangover? Picture: Supplied

What kind of hungover person are you? Read the descriptions below and then tell us all about it in the comments section

Dr Steve Hambleton, president of the Australian Medical Association, has some blunt advice for partiers.

 "The best cure for a hangover is to not get one in the first place," he said.

 "Overconsumption of alcohol takes time to be cleared out by the body, and nothing is going to help that process other than the elapsing of time."

 Dr Hambleton warms that once you overindulge, there's no turning back.

 "People will always look for miracle cures, but there aren't any.

 "There are myths about eating in the morning or at night, but nothing really helps. Coffee is a stimulant but won't make much difference."

News_Rich_Media: The Hangover

Treat the symptoms, he said, with rest, fluids and time.

 "People need to think about what they're drinking the night before and how to avoid it happening again.

 "Choose low alcohol beverage, drink water in between, and if you really don't want a hangover, become the designated driver - that makes it acceptable not to drink."

 WHAT KIND OF HUNGOVER PERSON ARE YOU?

News_Image_File: If you can handle a run after a big night out, more power to you.

THE DROIDS

Everyone has at least one crazy friend who goes for post-party morning 10km to clean out their system, or is posting gym selfies at 9am, despite leaving the club at 3pm. These rare creatures are the people who push through hangovers with no side effects.

HORIZONTALLY COMMITTED

Hair appointment, coffee catch-up, dinner date - these people cancel the lot, and spend their entire weekend sleeping off the effects from overdoing it on Friday night. Dark curtains, ear-plugs and an eyemask are their best mates.

NANNA NAPPERS

Rather than committing to a full on sleep-a-thon, these people pepper their day with micro nanna naps, making each job a little easier, and not wasting an entire day (just half of it).

 FAST-FOOD FANATICS

Deep fried chiko rolls, greasy pizza and hamburgers: it'll soak up the alcohol, right? Whether they eat during the night or the next morning, these boozers swear by fatty, fried fare to get them through.

FOOD FIXERS

If you hear the blender whizzing, be afraid. These revellers cure the post-parties blues with anything green: vegetables, smoothies, juices, and embark on mini detox weekends to clear their systems of 'toxins' leftover from overindulging.

LOUNGE LIZARDS

Charmed? Sabrina the Teenage Witch? Happy Days? There's no repeat these lounge lizzards won't watch, committing themselves to the couch for day-long marathons of made-for-TV movies, and moving as little as possible

News_Image_File: This product is the latest 'miracle' hangover cure. But does it work?

MIRACLE HANGOVER CURE?

Our intrepid reporter Sharnee Rawson got on the turps to test drive a product being marketed as a miracle hangover treatment. Here's the verdict:

It's the latest "miracle' product on the market, but does it work?

Recoverlyte, a little sachet with various vitamins, minerals, amino acids and electrolytes, clams to "help your body recover after a late night out", aide mental alertness, energy and body function.

A pack of 10 sachets retails for $11.95, and you need one before bed and again in the morning, so all up, your remedy will cost $2.40. Cheaper than a burger.

I trialled mine on Christmas night - knowing there was only five hours between my head hitting the pillow and the alarm going off - and forced down a glass of the "tropical flavoured" remedy.

It doesn't taste great. There's hints of banana and pineapple - it's a little like a poor man's Berocca. If you were badly hangover, it might be hard to keep down.

Sleep, wake, repeat. The second one was easier to stomach.

At work, I was still bone tired, and I had a mental fog that didn't ease until I had a coffee.

On the plus side - there was no headache! Not even a dull one in the background, which may be due to the magnesium in the mix.

To counter a hangover, you generally need a few things: coffee, sleep, quiet, water, vegemite toast. Recoverlyte seems like a nifty tool to keep in your arsenal, but I wouldn't depend on it too much.