Hangover #1: New Year’s Day

Severity: 9/10

Like many people, I started the new year off with a fuzzy head thanks to a mixture of prosecco and wine consumed steadily throughout the evening, and finished off with shots of tequila as we sang Auld Lang Syne. I made sure to line my stomach earlier in the night, but the shots are what tipped me over the edge and meant our annual family New Year’s Day walk was completed in large sunglasses and a double-shot latte in hand, with me feeling very worse for wear.

Hangover #2: 11 January, following a friend’s 30th birthday party

Severity: 4/10

My second hangover of the year came just a few weeks later, and this one really crept up on me. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed by this one. All night, I’d followed the zebra-striping method – alternating between alcoholic and soft drinks to try to mitigate the impact. Clearly, it didn’t work. Even when I followed each of my three or four single gin and tonics with water or Diet Coke, I still had a pounding head when I woke up the next morning. If I was still going to feel the impact, I might as well have drunk more…

Hangover #3: 19 January, after a casual dinner at a friend’s house

Severity: 7/10

This was the first occasion that probably didn’t require a hangover: a casual dinner with friends. However, having lived with said friends for five years previously, I should have known that what started as a chilled pizza evening would end with multiple empty bottles of wine and an Uber home at 2am. Wine hangovers are among the worst for me, and the day following a night of heavy drinking is sure to be a right-off. In times like these, only a day of bed-rotting, an ice-cold Lucozade Sport and a takeaway can help me feel a little bit better.

Sign up to our Well by Stylist newsletter: the latest relatable health and fitness content written by experts and backed up by research.

Get unlimited digital access from £3.49/month