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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffA hangover is a group of unpleasant signs and symptoms that can develop after drinking too much alcohol. As if feeling awful weren't bad enough, hangover is also associated with poor performance and conflict at work.
As a general rule, the more alcohol you drink, the more likely you are to have a hangover the next day. But there's no magic formula to tell you how much you can safely drink and still avoid a hangover.
However unpleasant, most hangovers go away on their own, though they can last longer than 24 hours. If you choose to drink alcohol, doing so responsibly can help you avoid future hangovers.
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- Verster JC. The alcohol hangover: A puzzling phenomenon. Alcohol & Alcoholism. 2008;43:124.
- Howland J, et al. The incidence and severity of hangover the morning after moderate alcohol intoxication. Addiction. 2008;103:758.
- Frequently asked questions: Alcohol. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/faqs.htm. Accessed Oct. 1, 2009.
- Wiese J. Effect of opuntia ficus indica on symptoms of the alcohol hangover. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2004;164:1334.
- Pittler MH, et al. Interventions for preventing or treating alcohol hangover: Systematic review of randomised controlled trials. British Medical Journal. 2005;331:1515.
- Wiese JG. The alcohol hangover. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2000;132:897.
- Parents: Help your teens party right at graduation. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/GraduationFacts/Graduation_Fact_Sheet.html. Accessed Oct. 1, 2009.
