I usually steer clear of the term “avoid”, but when it comes to hangovers, I clearly do want to avoid.

What exactly is a hangover? Merriam-Webster defines it as “disagreeable physical effects following heavy consumption of alcohol or the use of drugs.” And believe it or not, there’s a medical name for an alcohol hangover: veisalgia. Toss that term around on your next night out to impress your friends. Unfortunately, it’s not so impressive when you actually have veisalgia!

The best advice to prevent a hangover is, you guessed it - don’t drink alcohol. Of course, that’s not realistic advice for many young (and not-so-young) adults with an active social life - or who simply appreciate fine wine, beer or spirits. Luckily, the standard advice of drinking plenty of water still holds truth, since dehydration is one of the main causes of hangover symptoms. (By the way, forget that “hair of the dog” remedy. The idea of drinking alcoholic beverages to combat the ill effects of drinking too many alcoholic beverages simply doesn’t work.) The good news is there is now science to help back-up some other popular theories. And there’s some new info, too. Have you heard about the wonders of asparagus? Try these five tips to help make sure you can party hearty (in moderation) and wake up hangover free (hopefully).

1. If a bartender hands you lemons, eat them.
Vitamin C can act as an antioxidant to protect against free radical damage and keep your cells healthy. That’s especially helpful after a wild night out on the town. So always request a lemon slice with your cocktail - or enjoy one that’s made with fruit or tomato juice, like a screwdriver or Bloody Mary. Or plunk a juicy lime wedge into your bottle or can of beer. But if you prefer your drinks sans vitamin C, look to see if 100 percent of the daily value of vitamin C is in your vitamin-mineral supplement, and plan to include it as part of your daily wellness routine.

2. Remember that 2 + 2 is better than 4.
Far too often funseekers get carried away and forget the obvious: The less alcohol that’s consumed, the less chance of suffering from a hangover. Drink a non-alcoholic drink, like tap water with a slice of citrus fruit, between each beer, wine or cocktail, so you’ll wind up with less alcohol in your system. That happens due to basic math as you’ll turn those potential four servings of wine into two glasses of wine and two of H20.