New Year 2016: How to beat the hangover

The beginning of a new year can bring many things to many people. Renewed optimism and hope, a new chapter in one's life or just the chance to start all over again.

However, for many people around the world, the first day is bound to bring something a little less welcome – the inevitable New Year's Eve hangover. For the most part, it's just one of those things that you have to deal with, as, quite frankly, it's your own fault.

Nonetheless, there are a few things you can do to ease the pain of a hangover.

IBTimes UK looks at some of the best tips to rid yourself of the self-inflicted pain.

Pick a pear

Have a bit of pear juice – or more specifically Korean/Asian pear juice – before your alcoholic endeavours this evening. According to researchers from Australia's CSIRO, pears have a lot of hidden benefits, from lowering cholesterol, relieving constipation and having anti-inflammatory effects. However, they also found they can prevent hangovers and lower blood alcohol levels. In a study, lead researcher professor Manny Noakes said that those that drank Korean pear juice were significantly less jaded than those who had a placebo drink. The most pronounced effect was on the 'trouble concentrating' symptom.

Get yourself an IV drip

In Australia, a company named The Hangover Clinic recently launched. Its services include a novel cure, hooking drinkers up to an intravenous (IV) drip to "eliminate symptoms and accelerate recovery".

According to the company's website, the treatment will have users "off the couch feeling fresh and ready to tackle the day ahead" in as little as 30 minutes, thanks to an IV drip containing saline and vitamins alongside other medications such as anti-nausea treatment. This method – which is already used in some US cities and popular party destinations like Ibiza – will be administered by doctors and medical professionals at the clinics, though house visits can also be arranged.

Do as the Ancient Egyptians did

Without the option of going to the cheapest cafe to get the greasiest fry-up, ancient Egyptians had few options when it came to easing a hangover. However, without a dose of protein and no modern medicines, the people of ancient Egypt had other ways of trying to lessen the pain.

A newly translated and published papyrus – which dates back almost 2,000 years – shows that they would have made a necklace of leaves from a shrub called Alexandrian chamaedaphne and worn it around the neck, because it was thought this plant could cure headaches. The text was discovered in the Egyptian city of Oxyrhynchus – 160km south of Cairo – about 100 years ago by Bernard Grenfell and Arthur Hunt, Live Science reported in April.

Ease the pain

If you wake up tomorrow morning and all of your hangover prevention methods have cruelly failed you, there are a few things you can do to ease the pain. "Over-the-counter painkillers can help with headaches and muscle cramps. Paracetamol-based remedies are usually preferable, as aspirin may further irritate the stomach and increase nausea and sickness. Sugary foods may help you feel less unsteady. In some cases, an antacid may be needed to settle your stomach first," according to the NHS website.

It also recommends bouillon soup, and plenty of water. "'Hair of the dog' (drinking more alcohol) does not help. Drinking in the morning is a risky habit, and you may simply be delaying the appearance of symptoms until the alcohol wears off again," it adds.

Deal with it

However, more than likely, everything is going to fail you when it comes to the hangover. You are doomed to wake up to 2016 beady-eyed and more pessimistic than the year just ended (sorry!). In August, scientists from the Utrecht University concluded there was no cure for a hangover and that any claims to the contrary was simply a myth.

Speaking at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology conference in Amsterdam, lead author Joris Verster said: "We have been working with Canadian and Dutch students on this issue. In general, we found a pretty straight relationship; the more you drink, the more likely you are to get a hangover. The majority of those who in fact reported never having a hangover tended to drink less, perhaps less than they themselves thought would lead to a hangover."

The NHS website keeps it blunt and tells us what we already know, yet hate, to admit: "The best way to avoid a hangover is not to drink."