Here's how to cut your interest rate:
The Cure
The Claim
Our Test
The Verdict

Approach One: Stay Hydrated

Water
The Claim:
Alcohol inhibits the hormone vasopressin, bringing on dehydration.
Our Test: Either drink lots of water at the end of a night or all through the evening. "Two-hourly glasses worked great", said our tester.
The Verdict: "It puts you ahead of the game," advises Dr Robert Swift of Brown University in the US, but try other things as well.

Gatorade
The Claim: Gatorade's six per cent carb solution promotes rehydration better than mere water.
Our Test: "Two bottles at the end of the night," said our tester, "and I felt like a million bucks."
The Verdict: A great substitute for water. "The salt helps your body absorb fluid quicker," explains Swift.

Approach Two: Absorb Slower, Metabolise Faster

The Mega-Dinner
The Claim: Food delays gastric emptying - meaning alcohol stays there longer and is processed more slowly.
Our Test: "There's nothing like a burger before a night out. But the effect wore off as I kept drinking," said our tester.
The Verdict: A no-brainer. "The longer alcohol stays in the stomach," says Dr. Swift, "the better your body breaks it down."

The Juice Chaser (two glasses of OJ before bed)
The Claim: The fructose in the juice speeds up metabolism, ridding your system of alcohol more quickly.
Our Test: "I felt as sick the next day as I would have otherwise," reported our still-queasy guinea pig. "It didn't work."
The Verdict: Why? "You'd have to drink at least 10 glasses," says Dr Carlton Erickson of the University of Texas in the US.

RU-21 (a supplement, available at www.ru-21.com)
The Claim: Slows the creation of the by-product that causes headaches and nausea, while speeding up the destruction of others.
The Test: "Success. I woke up to a group of clear-headed people. No groaning, no puking and no handing out aspirin," said our tester.
The Verdict: Works, but only to a point. "Your metabolism is already going as fast as it can," says Swift. But if it's effective, do it.

Alcodol (a natural supplement available from chemists)
The Claim: Amino acids, natural minerals and sugars clinically proven to reduce the symptoms of a hangover.
The Test: "I felt great first thing in the morning, but as the day wore on, seediness sets in," said out tester.
The Verdict: The fructose and amino acids will speed up alcohol disappearance," says Dr Graham Starmer, of the University of Sydney.

Approach Three: Replace Essential Nutrients

Crackers (10, to be exact, washed down with 2 glasses of water)
The Claim: Salt helps you replace the fluid you've lost.
Our Test: "Too labour-intensive. I would much rather pop a pill than shove crackers down my abused throat."
The Verdict: Drinking water is a better way to stay hydrated. But, "it'll help dilute the alcohol", states Swift.

The Bull's-Eye (300ml glass of OJ mixed with a raw egg)
The Claim: Fructose helps promote breakdown of alcohol and egg protein replaces lost nutrients.
Our Test: "More vomit-inducing than the alcohol itself."
The Verdict: "There's no evident benefit to this that would justify the risk of getting salmonella," refutes Swift.

Approach Four: Clear Your Head

Hair of the Dog
The Claim: Hangovers only hit once you sober up, so stay drunk.
Our Test: "I woke up feeling horrible. After three beers I felt like a new man," said our tester.
The Verdict: You're just putting off the inevitable. "And this could lead to alcohol abuse," cautions Erickson.

Drinking Only Light-Coloured Alcohol (white wine, vodka and gin)
The Claim: Lighter drinks have fewer headache-inducing congeners than darker drinks, like red wine, beer and dark liquors.
Our Test: "I felt just as disgusting as on any other night of hard drinking. On the way home, I had to stop and throw up."
The Verdict: It works if you're drinking in moderation. "A litre of white wine is still going to give you a hangover," warns Erickson.

Aspirin
The Claim: Popping two the night before fights off headaches before they start.
Our Test: "My head wasn't too bad, but I was still tired and nauseous."
The Verdict: "Aspirin can irritate the stomach," according to Swift.

Exercise
The Claim: Sweating helps leach alcohol out of your system more quickly.
Our Test: "I feel like I'm actually sweating out alcohol. It might just be in my head, but I feel better by doing it." '''
The Verdict:''' "You're just taking your mind off the hangover," says Erickson. But you are getting a good work-out.

Buy Blu Save A Bro

Look out for the Movember specially marked Blu-ray Discs this November.
For more information about how you can get involved, donate and celebrate, check out the official website: movember.com.au